SHOCKING: The Amazing Whitney Houston Is Dead (video)
Posted By Vicki McClure Davidson on February 11, 2012
Shocking and sad news today - the beautiful Whitney Houston has died
News is just now breaking that Whitney Houston, the singing phenomenon whose unparalleled voice and beauty were as impressive and immense as her personal troubles, has died.
Houston was only 48. No word has yet been released on the cause of death nor the location of her death.
I’m beyond stunned and am finding it difficult to type as I grapple with this tragic news. Deep down, I truly thought that despite the many demons and drug abuses that have plagued Houston for decades, that she would ultimately conquer them.
It wasn’t to be.
Rest in peace and bless you, dear Whitney. You’re in the hands of God now.
God bless you, Whitney
Reported by Fox News, Whitney Houston Dies at 48:
LOS ANGELES – 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.
At her peak, Houston 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 but made palatable to the masses with a pop sheen.
Her success carried her beyond music to movies, where she starred in hits like “The Bodyguard” and “Waiting to Exhale.”
She had the perfect voice, and the perfect image: a gorgeous singer who had sex appeal but was never overtly sexual, who maintained perfect poise.
She influenced a generation of younger singers, from Christina Aguilera to Mariah Carey, who when she first came out sounded so much like Houston that many thought it was Houston.
But by the end of her career, Houston became a stunning cautionary tale of the toll of drug use. Her album sales plummeted and the hits stopped coming; her once serene image was shattered by a wild demeanor and bizarre public appearances. She confessed to abusing cocaine, marijuana and pills, and her once pristine voice became raspy and hoarse, unable to hit the high notes as she had during her prime.
“The biggest devil is me. I’m either my best friend or my worst enemy,” Houston told ABC’s Diane Sawyer in an infamous 2002 interview with then-husband Brown by her side.
It was a tragic fall for a superstar who was one of the top-selling artists in pop music history, with more than 55 million records sold in the United States alone.
In the video below is Houston’s gorgeous rendition of the National Anthem at Super Bowl XXV on January 27, 1991 during the Persian Gulf War. One of television’s greatest moments.
Whitney Houston sings the National Anthem — Star Spangled Banner (1991)
From Wikipedia:
Houston is the most awarded female act of all time, according to Guinness World Records, and her list of awards include 2 Emmy Awards, 6 Grammy Awards, 30 Billboard Music Awards, 22 American Music Awards, among a total of 415 career awards as of 2010. Houston was also one of the world’s best-selling music artists, having sold over 170 million albums and singles worldwide.
Inspired by several prominent soul singers in her family, including mother Cissy Houston and cousins Dionne Warwick and the late Dee Dee Warwick, as well as her godmother, Aretha Franklin, Houston began singing with New Jersey church’s junior gospel choir at age 11. After she began performing alongside her mother in night clubs in the New York City area, she was discovered by Arista Records label head Clive Davis. As of 2011, Houston has released seven studio albums and three movie soundtrack albums, all of which have diamond, multi-platinum, platinum, or gold certification.
Houston is the only artist to chart seven consecutive No. 1 Billboard Hot 100 hits (“Saving All My Love for You”, “How Will I Know”, “Greatest Love of All”, “I Wanna Dance with Somebody (Who Loves Me)”, “Didn’t We Almost Have It All”, “So Emotional”, and “Where Do Broken Hearts Go”). Houston is the second artist behind Elton John and the only female artist to have two number-one Top Billboard 200 Album awards (formerly “Top Pop Album”) on the Billboard magazine year-end charts. Houston’s 1985 debut album, Whitney Houston, became the best-selling debut album by a female act at the time of its release. The album was also named Rolling Stone’s best album of 1986, and was ranked at number 254 on Rolling Stone’s list of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time. Her second studio album, Whitney (1987), became the first album by a female artist to debut at number one on the Billboard 200 albums chart. Houston’s crossover appeal on the popular music charts as well as her prominence on MTV, starting with her video for “How Will I Know”, influenced several African-American female artists to follow in her footsteps.
Whitney Houston – “Greatest Love of All”
Whitney Houston – “Exhale (Shoop Shoop)”
From Wall Street Journal, Whitney Houston Dead At Age 48:
Singer Whitney Houston has died at the age of 48 according to the Associated Press and other reports.
Houston had one of the defining pop-soul voices of the 1980s and 1990s. She was also a stage of the screen, appearing in such movies as “The Bodyguard” and “Waiting to Exhale.” Her career was marred by erratic behavior and struggles with substance abuse.
Publicist Kristen Foster said today that the singer had died, but the cause and the location of her passing were unknown, according to the AP.
This impromptu duet performed on Thursday night with Kelly Price is Houston’s last public performance.
Two days before her death, Whitney Houston gave what would be her final performance at a Hollywood nightclub, surrounded by friends and family.
The 48-year-old music legend was at the “Kelly Price & Friends Unplugged: For The Love Of R&B Grammy Party” at Tru Hollywood nightclub on Thursday, February 9. Kelly Price called Houston up on stage and the pair sang a duet of “Yes, Jesus Loves Me” before Houston blew kisses to the crowd and walked off stage.
Whitney Houston – Pre-Grammys 2012, “Yes, Jesus Loves Me”
From MSNBC, Whitney Houston, superstar of records, films, dies:
Whitney Houston, who ruled 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.
Houston’s publicist, Kristen Foster, said Saturday that the singer had died, but the cause and the location of her death were unknown.
News of Houston’s death came on the eve of music’s biggest night — the Grammy Awards. It’s a showcase where she once reigned, and her death was sure to cast a heavy pall on Sunday’s ceremony. Houston’s longtime mentor Clive Davis was to hold his annual concert and dinner Saturday; it was unclear if it was going to go forward.
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 but made palatable to the masses with a pop sheen.
Her success carried her beyond music to movies, where she starred in hits like “The Bodyguard” and “Waiting to Exhale.” She had the perfect voice, and the perfect image: a gorgeous singer who had sex appeal but was never overtly sexual, who maintained perfect poise.
Whitney Houston – “I Wanna Dance with Somebody”
Whitney Houston – “I Will Always Love You” – Grammy Awards, 1994
Whitney Houston – “Run to You”
Whitney Houston – “I Look to You”
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She had the greatest voice of all time and will truly be missed by fans from all over the world. R.I.P to the Queen Of Pop.
rest in peace Whitney.
Whitney had so much talent this is so sad. She sang like an angel. Now she is in heaven with the angels.
It’s so hard to believe she’s really gone. RIP