Gone Too Soon- Whitey Houston Dead at 48
The world mourns the loss of musical icon Whitey Houston, dead at only 48. Although it’s still unknown as to what caused her death reports said she was found in her hotel room at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Los Angeles where she was there to attend a pre- Grammy event hosted by Clive Davis her mentor.
Whitney Houston was a product of music royalty. The daughter of the gospel star Cissy Houston, a cousin of Dionne Warwick and goddaughter of Aretha Franklin, this native from Newark, New Jersey, began singing in her church choir at the age of 11. She later began singing in clubs alongside her mother and was later discovered by Clive Davis of Arista Records. She was first introduced to the world in 1983 on the Merv Griffin show, in which she sang “Home”, from the soundtrack of The Wiz. Her first self entitled album “Whitney” released in 1985, sold 25 million copies worldwide.
Known for her big girls voice packed in a little tiny body, Whitney dominated the charts for a span of two decades from 1984 – 1999 selling over 170 million albums and singles worldwide. Whitney’s unfortunate battle with drugs and addiction often overshadowed her genius; however one cannot forget or deny her extensive body of work which includes seven albums and three film soundtracks; six Grammy Awards, 30 Billboard Awards, 22 American Music Awards and two Emmy Awards. Houston was the only artist to chart seven consecutive No. 1 Billboard Hot 100 hits breaking the Beatles’ record for the greatest number of No 1 singles in a row with hits “Saving All My Love For You”, “I Wanna Dance with Somebody”.
Although she suffered a slow recovery she was preparing for a comeback and fans were eagerly awaiting her full return. In 2009 she released her new album “I Look To You” and was cited by the Guinness World Records as the most-awarded female act of all time. In addition, just this past fall in 2011, she worked alongside American Idol winner Jordin Sparks completing the remake of the 1976 film “Sparkle”—the story of a singing group of three sisters who were affected by fame and drugs.
Whitney died on the eve of the 2012 Grammy Awards. It is said that Jennifer Hudson and Chaka Khan will perform musical tributes to Whitney at the music award show. Whitney Houston will certainly be missed.
