American singer Kelly Rowland was in tears as she dedicated her "Women in Excellence" award to Beyonce's mother Tina Knowles at a lunch gala.
Rowland, 35, was awarded for her philanthropic efforts at the Beverly Hills bash.
She honored her late mother Doris Rowland Garrison, who died in 2014 in her acceptance speech, reported Contactmusic.
"I just feel she is here", she said.
The "Dirty Laundry" singer turned to the designer, who was seated in the audience and recalled how she helped her tackle self-esteem issues about her skin tone, saying "She forced me to look in the mirror and say, You look at that chocolate skin - so pretty".
"She taught me how glorious our skin is ladies, don't dim your light for nobody" she added.
Rowland was also a big spender at the gala, buying a guitar signed by Prince for over USD 10,000 during a live auction.
