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Madonna opened up to UK’s The Sun recently about her “shocking sense of disbelief” following the sudden passings of Amy Winehouse and Whitney Houston.

“It had not been a secret,” she said, “the struggles Amy had been through — both brilliant, brilliant artists and obviously both huge losses,” she said. “But when these things happen, I’m always shocked by the first thing you say, ‘It’s such a loss,’ which doesn’t quite cover it. Then you reflect and you think, ‘How did it happen? How did the people around them allow it to happen?’”

Winehouse and Madonna never really went toe-to-toe on the charts, but the Material Girl watched her star rise around the same time Houston was laying the groundwork for her own superstardom.

“I remember looking at her singing and hearing people talk about her, and just thinking, ‘Oh my God. She’s such a beautiful woman and my God, what an incredible voice. I wish I could sing like that.’ I just remember being extremely envious of her and also touched by her innocence,” she said. ”I was struck by that — how well she started and where she ended up, and the tragedy of it.”

What do you think about Madonna’s comments? Are you surprised that she envied Houston?

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