“I was lost. Now I’m free...”
— Whitney Houston, "I Believe In You and Me"
Entertainment legend Whitney Houston is dead. The iconic songstress, who reigned as the queen of pop until her melismatic chops and imperial image were weighed down by drug abuse, bizarre behavior and a turbulent marriage to singer Bobby Brown, passed away on Saturday at the Beverly Hilton in Los Angeles. She was 48. The cause of her death is yet to be confirmed.
“She was undoubtedly one of the greatest superstars of all time, and to hear this news it greatly upsets me,” former American Idol judge and X Factor creator Simon Cowell told CNN Saturday night. “She was the benchmark. She truly was.”
From the mid-'80s to the late '90s, Houston was one of the world's best-selling artists, leaving audiences in awe with her powerful and peerless vocals that were rooted in gospel but fully transcending classification.
Her multi-Grammy-winning success carried her beyond the music charts to the box office, with screen gems like The Bodyguard, The Preacher’s Wife and Waiting to Exhale, but by the end of her career Houston had become an incredible cautionary tale of the destructive power of substance abuse. In interviews, she confessed to a dalliance with marijuana and cocaine, which robbed her of her pristine voice.
“The biggest devil is me. I'm either my best friend or my worst enemy,” Houston infamously told Diane Sawyer in a 2002 interview, emphasizing the tragic fall of a megastar who sold some 50 million records in America alone.
Houston, who was "discovered" by music mogul Clive Davis, first began singing in church as a child. The daughter of gospel singer Cissy Houston and cousin of music legend Dionne Warwick, she made her debut in 1985 with the eponymous Whitney Houston, which sold millions and spawned several hits. Her first Grammy came with the success of “Saving All My Love for You.” A plethora of smashes followed, including the crowd-pleasing classic “The Greatest Love of All.”
Another multi-platinum effort, 1987’s Whitney, included hits like "Where Do Broken Hearts Go" and "I Wanna Dance with Somebody." In 1992, she starred opposite Kevin Costner in The Bodyguard, which yielded her most unforgettable hit to date: an epic update of Dolly Parton's "I Will Always Love You." The song ruled the charts for weeks, going on to win Record of the Year and Best Female Pop Vocal at the Grammys. The film’s soundtrack snagged Album of the Year.
Article comments
1 - Glen Boyd
Nice job on this Tyrone. It's going to be interesting to see how the Grammys pay tribute to Whitney just 24 hours after this tragedy.
-Glen
2 - Tyrone S. Reid
Thanks, Glen. All eyes on the Grammys tomorrow, indeed.
3 - Zingzing
if you haven't heard it, one of her best songs was a cover of soft machine's "memories," where she was accompanied by archie sheep on sax. it predates her signing with arista, and was released on a record called "one down" by material, a band led by bill laswell. truly unlike (yet still of a piece with) the rest of her career, and definitely more artful than a majority of her stuff. It's probably the only recorded evidence of Houston not gunning for the top of the charts.
4 - Aidy
Nice write up Tyrone. Whitney Houston will be missed. What is so sad about this--it wasn't a surprise. At least now she is in peace.
5 - Sportmentary
Nice job! I grew up listening to her music as a teenager. I loved her music. It's too bad she couldn't get healthy1
6 - Tyrone S. Reid
Thanks for the feedback, guys.