Six time Grammy winner, Whitney Houston was pronounced dead the night before the 2012 Grammy Awards on February 11, 2012 at the age of 48.
Her publicist confirmed the tragic news to ABC News, leaving the cause of death and location unknown. The last place Houston was seen was outside a nightclub in Hollywood, California, where she was described as disoriented.
Born in the music industry, Whitney Houston was daughter of Cissy Houston a gospel singer, cousin of Dionne Warwick a 1960s pop diva, and goddaughter of the infamous Aretha Franklin.
The queen of pop was best known for her extraordinary vocal capabilities and later in life her downfall.
The peak of Whitney Houston’s career was from the mid 1980s to late 90s, earning the title of one of the world’s best selling artists. Her debut album titled “Whitney Houston” sold millions of copies and produced many singles. Other top songs of the artist included “How Will I Know,” “I Wanna Dance With Somebody (Who Loves Me),” and “Saving All My Love for You” which earned Whitney her first Grammy Award. In the United States alone, Whitney Houston sold over 55 million records.
Whitney Houston also took her talents into the film industry, starring in blockbusters such as “The Bodyguard” and “Waiting to Exhale.” One of Houston’s most well known hits is her version of Dolly Parton’s “I Will Always Love You.” The single can be found on the soundtrack to “The Bodyguard,” dominated the charts for weeks, helped win the “Bodyguard” soundtrack album of the year.
The singer’s downfall is often blamed on her ex-husband Bobby Brown, former member of New Edition. The two married in 1992, giving birth to daughter Bobby Kristina in 1993. The couple was always considered an odd pairing because at the time of the union, Whitney was a pop princess while Bobby held a bad boy mystique.
The marriage eventually turned sour, with Bobby Brown having charges placed against him for DUIs, failure to pay child support, and domestic abuse. The two divorced one another in 2007.
In interviews with Oprah and Diane Sawyer, Whitney Houston admitted to abusing drugs such as cocaine, pills, and marijuana. Because of these addictions, her once awe inspiring voice became cracked and raspy, making her unable to hit the notes she was once able sing. Drugs also caused her album sales to drop, due to the lack of singles the singer was putting out.
In her life, Houston went to rehab three separate time, the last being May of last year. Houston made her comeback in 2009 with the album “I Look to You”. While the album debuted on top of the charts and eventually went platinum, it failed to impress her fans who were hoping for the Whitney Houston pre-Bobby Brown and drug addictions.
In the end, Whitney Houston was an icon that influenced singers of our generation such as, Christina Aguilera, Leona Lewis,and Alicia Keys. Whitney was one of the first women of color to be on the cover of Seventeen Magazine and starred in some of my favorite films. If you haven’t seen the version of Cinderella starring Brandi with Whitney Houston as the fairy godmother you need to! The late singer was there for me through my first heartache with her role in perfect post breakup film, “Waiting to Exhale”. Her songs are timeless and will surely last through the years. The staff of Her Campus UC Riverside send our condolences to her family and loved ones. Whitney, we will always love you.