Whitney Houston’s of stardom and glory ended abruptly in the bathtub of a Beverly Hills hotel during one of the most important weekends of the year: Grammy Weekend. Investigators are speculating that it will be weeks before they will know the cause of death as many grieve over the sudden lose of a icon.
So far foul play does not appear involved in Houston’s death. Officials still aren’t ruling out any causes of death until the toxicology results come back. A member of Houston’s entourage found the 48-year-old singer unresponsive in her hotel room at the Beverly Hilton Hotel on Saturday, just hours before she was supposed to appear at a pre-Grammy gala.
Whitney Elizabeth Houston was born August 9, 1963. Houston was most notable for being an American recording artist, actress, and former fashion model. She was discovered by Arista Records label head Clive Davis. Houston released her debut album Whitney Houston in 1985, and the album became the best-selling debut album by a female artist. Her second studio album, Whitney, released in1987, became the first album by a female artist to debut at number one on the Billboard 200 albums chart. Following her marriage to fellow singer Bobby Brown (of New Edition), Houston appeared in her first starring role in the feature film The Bodyguard in 1992. Houston continued to star in feature films and contributed to soundtracks including Waiting to Exhale (1995) and The Preacher’s Wife (1996). After the release of her fourth studio album My Love Is Your Love (1998), she renewed her recording contract with Arista Records in 2001 for a historic $100 million.
During widespread media coverage of personal and professional turmoil, Houston’s marriage to Brown ended in 2006. Houston was one of the world’s best-selling music artists, having sold over 140 million albums and 50 million singles, worldwide. She is ranked as the fourth best-selling female artist in the United States by the Recording Industry Association of America. Houston is known as “The Voice” for her “powerful, penetrating pop-gospel” vocals. She has been listed by Rolling Stone as one of The 100 Greatest Singers of All Time. While Houston was at her prime, MTV had received harsh criticism for not playing enough videos by African American artists while favoring rock acts. Her single, “How Will I Know,” peaked at #1 and would introduce Houston to the MTV audience. This would make the singer one of the first African American female artists to receive heavy rotation on MTV paving the way for artists like Janet Jackson.
Houston was also known as an activist. As a supporter of Nelson Mandela and the anti-apartheid movement, Houston joined other musicians in June 1998 to perform a set at Wembley Stadium in London to celebrate a then imprisoned Nelson Mandela’s 70th birthday. The show was a benefit concert that helped raise over $300 million to the United Negro College Fund. In 1989, Houston formed The Whitney Houston Foundation For Children, a non-profit organization that has raised funds for the needs of children around the world. The organization cares for the homeless, children with cancer and AIDS, and others in need of self-empowerment.
With America at war, Houston performed “The Star Spangled Banner” at Super Bowl XXV in January 1991. Her recording of the song was released as a commercial single, reaching the Top 20 on the US Hot 100 making her the only act to turn the national anthem into a pop hit. Houston donated her share of the proceeds to the Red Cross. As a result, the singer was named to the Red Cross Board of Governors for her efforts.
Though Houston was seen as a “good girl” with a perfect image in the ’80s and early ’90s, during the late ’90s her behavior changed. She was often hours late for interviews, photo shoots and rehearsals, canceling concerts and talk-show appearances. With the missed performances and weight loss, rumors about Houston using drugs with her husband circulated. On January 11, 2000, airport security guards discovered marijuana in both Houston’s and husband Bobby Brown’s luggage at a Hawaiian airport, but the two boarded the plane and departed before authorities could arrive. Charges were later dropped against her and Brown, but rumors of drug use among the couple would continue to surface.
In August 2001, Houston signed the biggest record deal in music history with Arista/BMG. She renewed her contract for $100 million to deliver six new albums, on which she would also earn royalties. She later made an appearance on Michael Jackson: 30th Anniversary Special. Within weeks, Houston’s rendition of “The Star Spangled Banner” would be re-released after the terrorist attacks of September 11. The song peaked at #6 this time on the US Hot 100.
Also in 2002, Houston did an interview with Diane Sawyer to promote her upcoming album. During the interview, Houston spoke on topics including rumored drug use and marriage. She was asked about the ongoing drug rumors and replied, “First of all, let’s get one thing straight. Crack is cheap. I make too much money to ever smoke crack. Let’s get that straight. Okay? We don’t do crack. We don’t do that. Crack is wack.” The line would become infamous. Houston did, however, admit to using various substances at times.
In March 2007, Clive Davis of Arista Records announced that Houston would begin recording a new album. Houston released her new album, I Look To You, on August 31, 2009. The album’s first two singles were “I Look To You” and “Million Dollar Bill.” Houston had finally made a comeback and from her talent had dismissed any rumors or accusations of drug use.
On February 11, 2012; Whitney Houston was called home to join other greats that had passed before her. Fans are distraught that such a kind, and talented music icon passed so early in her life. She is characterized as one of the many music artist that died too soon along with Michael Jackson and Amy Winehouse. Whitney Houston was a talented singer who reached super stardom very quickly. With that being said, she was still human and had many flaws like all the rest of us. It would be a shame to let her flaws overcome the legacy that she left for future singers.