Whitney Houston: An Icon Remembered

posted in: Music News

The music industry suffered a devastating loss on Saturday, when Whitney Houston died at age forty-eight in Beverly Hills, California.

Still reeling from the loss of Don Cornelius, the music community was struck again on the eve of its biggest night. The tragic news surfaced hours before Whitney was scheduled to attend Clive Davis’ annual Pre-GRAMMY gala.  Sources say she was found in the bathtub of her hotel room at the famed Beverly Hilton.

Although her recent years were full of turbulent times”merciless public scrutiny, addiction, and a painful divorce”Whitney led a lifetime of glory prior to her pitfalls. Her voice remains one of the most beloved of our time, and her beauty and grace made her an icon.  This weekend, the world lost a true music legend, long before her time.

Music was in Whitney’s blood from the beginning.  Her mother, Cissy Houston, was a gospel singer  while her cousin Dionne Warwick is an R&B star in her own right. By age fifteen, Whitney was singing back-up vocals for Chaka Khan.

Her breakout year was 1985, when she debuted her album, Whitney Houston and became the only artist to have seven consecutive No.1 Billboard hits. Single after single soared to the top, and Whitney quickly became one of the biggest stars in the world. Saving All My Love For You, How Will I Know, So Emotional, Greatest Love Of All, Didn’t We Almost Have It All, Where Do Broken Hearts Go, I Wanna Dance (With Somebody Who Love Me) made her one of the most successful singers in the industry.

Her 1992 blockbuster hit, The Bodyguard, shot her to international crossover success and launched one of the biggest albums of her career. The movie, co-starring Kevin Costner, and subsequent soundtrack spurred hits like Run To You and I Have Nothing and led to her 1998 GRAMMY win for Album Of The Year.

She later starred in a string of successful films including Waiting To Exhale, Cinderella,and The Preacher’s Wife, alongside Denzel Washington. In 1998, she debuted her album, My Love Is Your Love after eight years off the charts; sparking another rise to the top. In 2001, she signed the biggest record deal ever; a whopping $100 million for six albums.

Whitney Houston is the most-awarded female act of all time and the best-selling female artist of all time. She has sold old 170 million albums and broken countless records for singles sales, chart placement and award wins.

Her tumultuous and highly publicized marriage to Bobby Brown ended in divorce in 2007.  After years of suspiciousbehavior and a virtual disappearance from the music scene, Whitney admitted to a serious cocaine addiction in 2009 during an interview with Oprah Winfrey. She sought help for her issues and released her album, I Look To You later that year.  The album and subsequent singles shot straight to No. 1 and it seemed Houston was on the mend.  She gave numerous performances and prompted her highly-anticipated but ultimately ill-fated The Nothing But Love World Tour in 2010,  which ended abruptly after fans complained Whitney wasn’t ready.

Without an official cause of death, it’s unclear whether Whitney’s demons led to her untimely demise.  Reports of odd behavior in the days leading up to her death have surfaced, and authorities say it may be weeks before a clear cause of death could be determined.

Only one day after the tragic news was announced, Sunday’s GRAMMY Awards were noticeably somber, with many of the attendees and organizers mourning the unexpected loss of a legend.

The evening was full of tributes and reflections on the sudden loss, and prompted host LL Cool J to open the event with a heartfelt prayer for her after acknowledging, We’ve had a death in the family.

Jennifer Hudson performed Houston’s biggest hit, I Will Always Love You during the show, prompting tears from friends and fans in the crowd.

Although her life was cut too short, her time here was spent sharing amazing music with millions of people around the world.  Her spirit and legacy of strength, resilience and talent will live on forever.  The industry has truly lost one of the greatest singers who ever lived.