Houston Whitney - The life and death of Whitney Houston

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Introduction Known simply as The Voice, Whitney Houston enchanted the entire world with her epic vocal gift. Her exuberant performances, beauty, and acting talent quickly catapulted her to the highest echelons of fame and fortune, and during her lifetime she won more awards than any other female vocalist. Tony Bennett put it best on his twitter feed: Whitney Houston was the greatest singer Ive ever heard, and she will be truly missed.Certain voices stand like monuments upon the landscape of twentieth century pop, defining the architecture of their times, sheltering the dreams of millions, and inspiring the climbing careers of countless imitators. Whitney Houston owns one of those voices, wrote Ann Powers of the Los Angeles Times .What was it about her voice that created such an international sensation? Listen to the excellent montage of Houstons greatest moments at People.com and youll immediately understand.Her enormously wide range, gorgeous timber, and strong resonance made her voice sound almost supernatural. She could trill to treble F, extend down to G, and drop below middle C. One of the most celebrated songs of Houstons career, her famous remake of Dolly Partons I Will Always Love You, showcased her powerful gift. Houston popularized the song at the height of her fame in the music video she recorded for the 1992 movie The Bodyguard. Houston also broke racial barriers when she rose to the top of the mainstream entertainment business. From her young modeling days to her later incredibly successful movie career, she always did it better and made more money than almost everyone else in Hollywood. As Jimmy Jam noted , To me, Whitney was the next person, after Diana Ross, who for a lot of little girls was sort of that bright light called positive African-American beauty and talent... When you look at someone like Beyonce, you know the influence someone like Whitney had on that.The supernova superstar always gave back. She cared deeply for charity work, raising millions of dollars for AIDS, cancer, veterans, South Africa, and homelessness, among other things. Because of apartheid, she refused to model for any agency that did business with apartheid South Africa.And yet, many ways, Houstons life was like a Greek tragedy. She died on February 11, 2012 at the young age of 48, leaving behind a grieving world. Unfortunately, though, her death was not a complete shock. There were massive signs of trouble and health struggles decades before her death. Her husband Bobby Browns documented drug use, their famously abusive marriage, and Houstons repeated public denials of her own cocaine habit destroyed her life, and finally claimed her voice.Through it all, she struggled to overcome her demons and raise the daughter she loved with all her heart. Her deeply held Christian faith gave her the strength to believe things would get better. In her later interviews, she talked about God redeeming her in the end.Whether the public absolves or condemns her, we cannot collectively look away from the tragic life and death of Whitney Houston. We have many lessons to learn from her about the trials of fame and fortune. But beyond all of the personal drama, Whitney is still and will always be The Voice. Background And Upbringing Whitney Elizabeth Houston was born on August 9, 1963 in Newark, New Jersey. She was the last of three child born to gospel singer Cissy Houston and entertainment executive John Russell Houston, Jr. Cissy and John met while he was serving in the Army. They settled in Newark and later Orange, New Jersey. Photo Credit: Black Media Scoop Houston had a mixed racial background of African American, Native American, and Dutch origins. She was sensitive to issues of race, and in the late 1990s, she changed the mission of her production company to specifically improve the way African Americans are shown in film and media. Her work often reflected the all-American middle class life Whitney had experienced growing up.Whitney Houston was born and raised surrounded by gospel, soul, and R&B music. Her mother, Cissy Houston, is a well respected gospel and soul singer. She sang backup for the likes of Elvis Presley and Jimi Hendrix. Whitneys godmother is soul diva Aretha Franklin, and her cousins include famous singers Dionne Warwick and Dee Dee Warwick. In later years, Whitney cited her upbringing, faith, and mother as the reasons she survived the years of hard drug use. Photo Credit: REX USA Whitney knew she could really sing at the age of seven . In our backyard we had this massive pool and I would sing cause it had great acoustics. And about at seven or eight I knew I couldI could really sing, but I wouldnt tell anybody.Gospel music and the Baptist Church played a large part in Whitneys formation as a child. She began singing in her church at the age of eight. By the time she was eleven, she was performing solos for the junior gospel choir at the New Hope Baptist Church. By age twelve, she was singing professionally. In one of her earliest interviews , Whitney stated that she started singing professionally at age twelve. I wanted to be a teacher or a veterinarian. But, uh, when I opened my mouth I said ooh wait a minute. Why not?Another important influence that Whitney met at a young age was her lifelong best friend Robyn Crawford. Whitney gave an interview to Time in 1987 where she called Robyn the sister I never had. They met at their Catholic girls high school, Mount Saint Dominic Academy. Robyn Crawford would go on to be Whitneys Executive Assistant and travel the world with Houston. Notoriously private, Robyn eventually parted ways with Houston in 2000, allegedly over Whitneys self-destructive drug use.Next page