Yaya DaCosta, who played the eponymous role in the Lifetime biopic 'Whitney,' took to Twitter to show her respect and love to the late Whitney Houston, and to air her appreciation to the more than 4.5 million viewers who watched the TV film's premier on Jan. 17.

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"Rest in Love, Goddess Whitney!" the America's Next Top Model alum tweeted.

She also Instagrammed a collage showing behind-the-scene captures on the set of the show, which goes with the caption: "Thank you SO MUCH everyone for the love and support!!!!! #humbled THANK YOU."

DaCosta also tweeted that she was so happy of the view's strong support of the show and that she feels really " blessed" with the opportunity to play the music diva.

Despite the TV-movie's strong debut, it however earned the criticism of Whitney's family.

Whitney Houston's family was not happy about the unauthorized biopic that Lifetime aired about the diva's life and struggles.

Her sister in law, Pat Houston, posted an essay on the singer's official site hitting Lifetime and the TV film's director Angela Bassett for the poor quality of the movie, which was based on the recounts of Houston's ex Bobby Brown.

Whitney's sister in law, Pat Houston, slammed Lifetime for being "notorious" in "making bad biopics of deceased celebrities and brace yourself for the worst," saying that the studio the movie was made "without the family's blessing." Whitney's mother requested that her daughter's life not be made into a movie yet the studio persisted on filming it. Pat also hit the film's director, Angela Bassett, who appeared with Houston on Waiting to Exhale, for taking advantage of their friendship to claim that the project was legitimate.

Pat also commented that had Whitney been alive, she would not "allow her story to be told by an inexperienced team," saying that the movie was "certainly not a trailer to Whitney's life story."

TagsWhitney Houston, angela bassett, whitney houston lifetime biopic, pat houston, Bobby Brown, yaya dacosta