“Sparkle,” due out in August, is a remake of a 1976 film loosely based on the story of the Supremes, following three sisters as they battle with difficulties that a singing career brings.

The 48-year-old singer and actress had finished working on the film, in which she plays the sibling trio’s mother Emma, according to CNN.

The IMDb movie industry website described the film about “three sisters (who) form a successful singing group and must deal with the fallout of fame and drugs.”

Sony Pictures, the studio which made the movie, said: “Like all those who knew and loved her, we are shocked and saddened and the world has lost an incomparable talent.

“Right now our thoughts are with her daughter, her family and her friends,” it added in a statement to CNN.

The film’s producer, Bishop T.D. Jakes, asked Houston fans “to join us in lifting up Whitney’s family in prayer and ask God for their strength and comfort during this devastatingly difficult time.”

“At the apex of her career, Whitney had no peer, with a voice that shaped a generation,” he said in a statement. “She has left behind a musical and film legacy that will endure... she will be sorely missed by us all.”

Houston, who had a public battle with drug and alcohol dependency, died on Saturday at the Beverly Hilton hotel, on the eve of the annual Grammys music awards show. (AFP)