A Superstar of Music and Film; Whitney Houston Dead at Age 48
Saturday, 11 February 2012 21:22 Last Updated on Saturday, 11 February 2012 21:44
The AP is reporting that Whitney Houston, who reigned as pop music's queen until her majestic voice and regal image were ravaged by drug use, erratic behavior and a tumultuous marriage to singer Bobby Brown, has died. She was 48.
Publicist Kristen Foster said Saturday that the singer had died, but the cause and the location of her death were unknown.
Whitney Houston was set to make her grand comeback to the big screen in the upcoming musical drama, SPARKLE, which also stars Jordin Sparks.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, the singer has been approached to fill one of the vacant judges’ seats on Simon Cowell’s “The X Factor,” following the recent exits of Paula Abdul and Nicole Scherzinger. The pop diva had performed on the U.K. version of The X Factor in October 2009.
In September 2009, Houston appeared on The Oprah Winfrey Show and told Oprah and her audience in alarming detail about her “crazy love” for her former husband, Bobby Brown; their descent into drug abuse (marijuana laced with rock cocaine); and the short-circuiting of her music career.
At her peak, Houston was the golden girl of the music industry. From the middle 1980s to the late 1990s, she was one of the world's best-selling artists. She wowed audiences with effortless, powerful, and peerless vocals that were rooted in the black church.
She influenced a generation of younger singers, from Mariah Carey to Christina Aguilera.
Houston seemed to be born into greatness. She was the daughter of gospel singer Cissy Houston, the cousin of 1960s pop diva Dionne Warwick and the goddaughter of Aretha Franklin.
Houston first started singing in the church as a child. In her teens, she sang backup for Chaka Khan, Jermaine Jackson and others, in addition to modeling. It was around that time when music mogul Clive Davis first heard Houston perform.
Houston made her album debut in 1985 with "Whitney Houston," which sold millions and spawned hit after hit. "Saving All My Love for You" brought Houston her first Grammy, for best female pop vocal. "How Will I Know," ''You Give Good Love" and "The Greatest Love of All" also became hit singles.
Another multiplatinum album, "Whitney," came out in 1987 and included hits like "Where Do Broken Hearts Go" and "I Wanna Dance With Somebody."
Her decision not to follow the more soulful inflections of singers like Franklin drew criticism by some who saw her as playing down her black roots to go pop and reach white audiences. The criticism would become a constant refrain through much of her career. She was even booed during the "Soul Train Awards" in 1989.
Some saw her 1992 marriage to former New Edition member and soul crooner Bobby Brown as an attempt to refute those critics. It seemed to be an odd union; she was seen as pop's pure princess while he had a bad-boy image, and already had children of his own. (The couple had a daughter, Bobbi Kristina, in 1993.) Over the years, he would be arrested several times, on charges ranging from DUI to failure to pay child support and Houston’s life would spiral out of control because of her own drug use.
Houston would go to rehab twice before she would declare herself drug-free to Winfrey in 2010. But in the interim, there were missed concert dates, a stop at an airport due to drugs, and public meltdowns. A concert to promote the album on "Good Morning America" went awry as Houston's voice sounded ragged and off-key. She blamed an interview with Winfrey for straining her voice.
A world tour launched overseas, however, only confirmed suspicions that Houston had lost her way, as she failed to hit notes and left many fans unimpressed; some walked out. Canceled concert dates raised speculation that she may have been abusing drugs, but she denied those claims and said she was in great shape, blaming illness for cancelations.
Despite it all, Houston will be missed by her fans. They will remember how she became a star in the acting world starring opposite Kevin Costner in THE BODYGUARD. The movie also gave Houston perhaps her most memorable hit: a searing, stunning rendition of Dolly Parton's "I Will Always Love You," which sat atop the charts for weeks. It was Grammy's record of the year and best female pop vocal, and the "Bodyguard" soundtrack was named album of the year.
Houston’s fans will remember her return to the big screen in 1995-96 with WAITING TO EXHALE and THE PREACHER'S WIFE. Both spawned soundtrack albums, and another hit studio album, "My Love Is Your Love," in 1998, brought her a Grammy for best female R&B vocal for the cut "It's Not Right But It's Okay."