Singer and actress Whitney Houston has died at the age of 48. Houston was found dead in her hotel room in the Beverley Hilton Hotel and while the reason for death is still unclear, reports and rumours of a drug overdose are the most prominent speculations. She was found just hours before she was due to appear on stage to perform at her mentor, Clive Davis’ annual pre-Grammy party.
As one of the world’s best-selling artists with over 170 million records sold and the most awarded female artist of all time with more than 400 awards won, including 6 Grammys, 2 Emmys, 5 World Music Awards, 30 Billboard Music Awards, 22 American Music Awards and 1 Brit, Whitney was a legend, despite her troubled life.
In 1992, Whitney married R&B singer Bobby Brown and during the mid-90s, excessive use of her voice and little rest began to take its toll on her vocals, appearance and behaviour, and smoking, alcohol and drug use rumours started swirling. Their turbulent marriage, which bore their daughter Bobbi Kristina, lasted until 2007 and reports of domestic violence between the pair also surfaced regularly, as well as financial problems and lawsuits against Houston. She has since admitted to drug addiction but in recent years it was believed she was finally clean.
Whitney came from a musical family and background that was rooted in black gospel church music – she was cousins with Dionne Warwick and her mother Cissy, was noted as being a backing singer for Aretha Franklin, who was Whitney’s godmother. She was one of the most influential vocalists ever, with countless singers citing her as an inspiration, such as Mariah Carey, Celine Dion, Toni Braxton, Christina Aguilera, Beyoncé Knowles, Kelly Rowland, Alicia Keys, Mary J Blige, Jennifer Hudson and Leona Lewis. Known for her once impeccable technique and rich, warm, smooth and soulful tone, she was widely known as “The Voice” throughout the 80s and 90s, when she was at her peak. ‘I Will Always Love You’, ‘Saving All My Love For You’, ‘Greatest Love Of All’, ‘How Will I Know’ and ‘I Wanna Dance With Somebody (Who Loves Me)’ are but a few of her many string of hits.
As well as music, Houston also dabbled in acting and films, starring in The Bodyguard (rumoured to become a West End Musical), Waiting To Exhale and The Preacher’s Wife, and she had not long finished filming Sparkle, a remake of the 1976 classic, due for release in August.
Houston’s last performance was on Friday when she sang ‘Yes, Jesus Loves Me’ at a pre-Grammy party and although her voice had not been warmed up, was hoarse, tired, breathy and a far reach from her former glory days, she received a standing ovation from the cheering crowd, proving she still star power and that her soul-enriched renditions of songs were as popular as ever. However, later that night she was seen leaving the venue looking drunk, acting erratically and had blood dripping down her leg from falling over.
Within hours of the news breaking, millions of people across the world, including fans, music critics and celebrities took to social networking sites such as Twitter and Facebook to express their condolences and many of her YouTube videos experienced a large surge in viewers. As with Michael Jackson and Amy Winehouse, it is Whitney’s legacy and talents as one of the world’s greatest vocalists that we should focus on rather than the controversy.
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