New York, NY (Top40 Charts) Whitney Houston, who's unique voice and breath-taking image once placed her as the queen of pop music, only to lose it all due to drug use, has died at the age of 48. The Beverly Hills
Police Department responded to an emergency call at the Beverly Hills Hotel Saturday, Lt. Mark Rosen, of the Bevery Hills
Police Department said.
Members of hotel staff and fire department officials attempted to revive a person on the fourth floor, who has since been confirmed to be Houston, Rosen said. No obvious signs of criminal intent were found. Official are currently investigating to determine the cause of death. Houston's death on the eve of the Grammy Awards sent shock waves through the music industry, with many stars expressing shock and sadness.
Houston's ex-husband Brown reportedly broke down back stage before a show with his band
New Edition in Southhaven, a few miles south of Memphis. He opted against joining his bandmates for the first song. He appeared onstage for a second song and then, after another, Brown shouted, "I love you, Whitney," before blowing a kiss to the sky with visibly teary eyes.
Her longtime mentor Clive Davis held his annual concert and dinner Saturday at the hotel where her body was found. Producer Jimmy Jam, who had worked with Houston, said he anticipated the evening would become a tribute to her.
But by the end of her career,
Houston became a stunning cautionary tale of the toll of drug use. Her album sales plummeted and the hits stopped coming; her once serene image was shattered by a wild demeanour and bizarre public appearances.
She confessed to abusing cocaine, marijuana and pills. "The biggest devil is me. I'm either my best friend or my worst enemy,"
Houston told ABC's
Diane Sawyer in a 2002 interview with then-husband
Bobby Brown by her side.
Houston's death is sure to put a damper on the Grammy's, which are considered music's biggest night of the year.
Jennifer Hudson and
Chaka Khan will perform a tribute to
Houston at the awards, according to reports.
Whitney Houston Biography
Whitney
Elizabeth Houston (August 9, 1963 - February 11, 2012) was an American singer, actress, producer, and model. In 2009, the Guinness World Records cited her as the most-awarded female act of all time. Her list of awards includes two Emmy Awards, six Grammy Awards, 30 Billboard
Music Awards, 22 American
Music Awards, among a total of 415 career awards as of 2010.
Houston was also one of the world's best-selling music artists, having sold over 170 million albums, singles and videos worldwide. Inspired by prominent soul singers in her family, including her mother Cissy Houston, cousins Dionne Warwick and
Dee Dee Warwick, and her godmother Aretha Franklin,
Houston began singing with New Jersey church's junior gospel choir at age 11. After she began performing alongside her mother in night clubs in the New York City area, she was discovered by Arista Records label head Clive Davis.
Houston released seven studio albums and three movie soundtrack albums, all of which have diamond, multi-platinum, platinum or gold certification.
Houston was the only artist to chart seven consecutive No. 1 Billboard Hot 100 hits ("Saving All My Love for You", "How Will I Know", "Greatest Love of All", "I Wanna Dance with Somebody (Who Loves Me)", "Didn't We Almost Have It All", "So Emotional" and "Where Do Broken Hearts Go"). She was the second artist behind Elton John and the only female artist to have two number-one Top Billboard 200 Album awards (formerly "Top Pop Album") on the Billboard magazine year-end charts. Houston's 1985 debut album Whitney Houston, became the best-selling debut album by a female act at the time of its release. The album was named Rolling Stone's best album of 1986, and was ranked at number 254 on Rolling Stone's list of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time. Her second studio album Whitney (1987), became the first album by a female artist to debut at number one on the Billboard 200 albums chart. Houston's crossover appeal on the popular music charts as well as her prominence on MTV, starting with her video for "How Will I Know", influenced several African-American female artists to follow in her footsteps.
Houston's first acting role was as the star of the feature film The Bodyguard (1992). The film's original soundtrack won the 1994 Grammy Award for Album of the Year. Its lead single "I Will Always Love You", became the best-selling single by a female artist in music history. With the album, Houston became the first act (solo or group, male or female) to sell more than a million copies of an album within a single week period. The album makes her the only female act in the top 10 list of the best-selling albums of all time, at number four. Houston continued to star in movies and contribute to their soundtracks, including the films Waiting to Exhale (1995) and The Preacher's Wife (1996). The Preacher's Wife soundtrack became the best-selling gospel album in history. Three years after the release of her fourth studio album My Love Is Your Love (1998), she renewed her recording contract with Arista Records. She released her fifth studio album Just Whitney in 2002, and the Christmas-themed One Wish: The Holiday Album in 2003. In 2009, Houston released her seventh studio album I Look to You.
On February 11, 2012, Houston died of unknown causes at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills, California.
Whitney Houston discography:
Whitney Houston (1985)
Whitney (1987)
I'm Your Baby Tonight (1990)
The Bodyguard (1992)
The Preacher's Wife (1996)
My Love Is Your Love (1998)
Just Whitney (2002)
One Wish: The Holiday Album (2003)
I Look to You (2009)
Whitney Houston Singles:
"Hold Me" (with Teddy Pendergrass) - 1984
"All at Once" - 1985
"Someone for Me (Remix)" - 1985
"You Give Good Love" - 1985
"Saving All My Love for You" - 1985
"Thinking About You" - 1985
"How Will I Know" - 1985
"Greatest Love of All" - 1986
"I Wanna Dance with Somebody" - 1987
"Didn't We Almost Have It All" - 1987
"So Emotional" - 1987
"Where Do Broken Hearts Go" - 1988
"Love Will Save the Day" - 1988
"One Moment in Time" - 1988
"I Know Him So Well" (with Cissy Houston) - 1988
"Takin' a Chance" - 1989
"I'm Your Baby Tonight" - 1990
"All the Man That I Need" - 1990
"The Star Spangled Banner" - 1991
"Miracle" - 1991
"My Name Is Not Susan" -1991
"I Belong to You" - 1991
"We Didn't Know" (with Stevie Wonder) - 1992
"I Will Always Love You" - 1992
"I'm Every Woman" - 1993
"I Have Nothing" - 1993
"Run to You" - 1993
"Queen of the Night" - 1993
"Exhale (Shoop Shoop)" - 1995
"Count on Me" (with CeCe Winans) - 1996
"Why Does It Hurt So Bad" - 1996
"I Believe in You and Me" - 1996
"Step by Step" - 1997
"My Heart Is Calling" - 1997
"When You Believe"(with Mariah Carey) - 1998
"Heartbreak Hotel" (with Faith Evans and Kelly Price) - 1999
"It's Not Right but It's Okay" - 1999
"My Love Is Your Love" - 1999
"I Learned from the Best" - 2000
"Could I Have This Kiss Forever" (with Enrique Iglesias) - 1999
"If I Told You That" (with George Michael) - 2000
"Same Script, Different Cast" (with Deborah Cox) - 2000
"Fine" - 2000
"The Star Spangled Banner" - 2001
"Whatchulookinat" - 2002
"One of Those Days" - 2002
"Try It on My Own" - 2003
"Love That Man" - 2003
"I Look to You" - 2003
"Million Dollar Bill" - 2009
