I am stunned. I mean, we all know about her demons, but I’m stunned.
She was THE VOICE. People throw around ‘gift from God’, but, let’s be honest, Whitney Houston’s voice was a ‘gift’. SO many female ‘singers’ these days are mere poseurs, but Whitney was the real thing. RIP, Whitney.
Whitney Houston, superstar of records, films, dies
By NEKESA MUMBI MOODY, AP Music Writer – 2 minutes ago
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Whitney Houston, who ruled as pop music’s queen until her majestic voice and regal image were ravaged by drug use, erratic behavior and a tumultuous marriage to singer Bobby Brown, has died. She was 48.
Houston’s publicist, Kristen Foster, said Saturday that the singer had died, but the cause and the location of her death were unknown.
News of Houston’s death came on the eve of music’s biggest night — the Grammy Awards. It’s a showcase where she once reigned, and her death was sure to case a heavy pall on Sunday’s ceremony. Houston’s longtime mentor Clive Davis was to hold his annual concert and dinner Saturday; it was unclear if it was going to go forward.
At her peak, Houston the golden girl of the music industry. From the middle 1980s to the late 1990s, she was one of the world’s best-selling artists. She wowed audiences with effortless, powerful, and peerless vocals that were rooted in the black church but made palatable to the masses with a pop sheen.
Her success carried her beyond music to movies, where she starred in hits like “The Bodyguard” and “Waiting to Exhale.”
She had the he perfect voice, and the perfect image: a gorgeous singer who had sex appeal but was never overtly sexual, who maintained perfect poise.
She influenced a generation of younger singers, from Christina Aguilera to Mariah Carey, who when she first came out sounded so much like Houston that many thought it was Houston.
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 demeanor and bizarre public appearances. She confessed to abusing cocaine, marijuana and pills, and her once pristine voice became raspy and hoarse, unable to hit the high notes as she had during her prime.
“The biggest devil is me. I’m either my best friend or my worst enemy,” Houston told ABC’s Diane Sawyer in an infamous 2002 interview with then-husband Brown by her side.
It was a tragic fall for a superstar who was one of the top-selling artists in pop music history, with more than 55 million records sold in the United States alone.
She seemed to be born into greatness. She was the daughter of gospel singer Cissy Houston, the cousin of 1960s pop diva Dionne Warwick and the goddaughter of Aretha Franklin.
Houston first started singing in the church as a child. In her teens, she sang backup for Chaka Khan, Jermaine Jackson and others, in addition to modeling. It was around that time when music mogul Clive Davis first heard Houston perform.
“The time that I first saw her singing in her mother’s act in a club … it was such a stunning impact,” Davis told “Good Morning America.”
“To hear this young girl breathe such fire into this song. I mean, it really sent the proverbial tingles up my spine,” he added.
Before long, the rest of the country would feel it, too. Houston made her album debut in 1985 with “Whitney Houston,” which sold millions and spawned hit after hit. “Saving All My Love for You” brought her her first Grammy, for best female pop vocal. “How Will I Know,” ”You Give Good Love” and “The Greatest Love of All” also became hit singles.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/02/15/whitney-houston-funeral-livestream-online_n_1280244.html
NEW YORK — Fans worldwide who want to bid Whitney Houston farewell will be able to watch her private funeral on the Internet.
Her publicist, Kristen Foster, announced that The Associated Press will be allowed a camera at the Saturday ceremony in Newark, N.J. The AP will stream the service on . The event also will be available to broadcasters via satellite. http://livestream.com/aplive
Houston was born in Newark. She died in Beverly Hills, Calif., on Saturday at the age of 48. Her body was flown back to her native New Jersey on Monday.
The service will be at New Hope Baptist Church, where she sang as a child. She will be buried in Fair View Cemetery in Westfield, where her father, John Russell Houston Jr., was buried in 2003.
Whitney Houston To Be Honored By Congressional Black Caucus http://huff.to/wQuxxx
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Tribute to Whitney Houston
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Tribute to Whitney Houston
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Tribute to Whitney Houston
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Obama’s Prayers With Whitney Houston’s Family
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/02/13/obamas-whitney-houston_n_1274548.html
WASHINGTON — The White House says President Barack Obama’s thoughts and prayers are with Whitney Houston’s family, especially her daughter.
Press secretary Jay Carney says it’s hard not to be an admirer of the singer’s “immense talent.” And, he says it’s a tragedy to lose somebody so talented at such a young age.
Carney said he wasn’t sure if Obama and Houston ever had met.
The 48-year-old singer died Saturday.
Why Chaka Khan decided not to perform at Whitney Grammys tribute
http://music.msn.com/music/article.aspx?news=703338
Chaka Khan has pulled out of plans to perform a Whitney Houston tribute at the Grammy Awards on Sunday.
Khan was set to honor her former backup singer at the Los Angeles ceremony, but she took to Twitter before the event started to let fans know she felt awkward about a memorial performance the day after Houston’s death.
She writes, “As I grieve the loss of my friend and ‘little sister,’ I don’t feel it appropriate to perform at this time. Continue to pray for the family.”
Whitney Houston
Remembered with Prayer at Grammy Awards
http://www.tmz.com/
2012 Grammy Awards host wasted no time addressing the passing of Whitney Houston, leading the star-packed audience in a prayer in her honor.
Immediately after, LL showed a clip of Whitney singing “I Will Always Love You” at the Grammys back in 1994.
Jennifer Hudson is expected to perform a musical tribute to Whitney later in the show. According to Us Magazine, JHud broke down crying while rehearing earlier in the day and had to restart her number several times before she could finish it.
Jennifer did Whitney Justice. She held it together, but she def was feeling the loss…
I missed it. I had to go someplace. DAMN!
Coroner is reporting they aren’t making a final decision on Whitney’s death until more tests are available. There were no visible signs of trauma or foul play.
Hey 3Chics! Check this out.
Dubai Fountains Synchronized With Whitney Houston’s “I Will Always Love You”
Wow! Chills!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
that was beautiful
Spendidly magnificant!
Please send up prayers for Bobbi Kristina Brown. Lord Have Mercy!
Whitney Houston’s Daughter Bobbi Kristina Rushed to the Hospital http://bit.ly/xeC6Ah
Whitney Houston’s 18-year-old daughter, Bobbi Kristina Brown, was just rushed to Cedears-Sinai Hospital in Los Angeles … TMZ has learned.
According to our sources … Bobbi was taken out of the Beverly Hilton, where Whitney died yesterday, on a stretcher.
Law enforcement sources tell TMZ police and fire responded to a call for a medical emergency, but would not confirm who was transported.
Lord have mercy on this child!
Whitney Houston’s Daughter Bobbi Kristina Had a ‘Complete Breakdown
http://www.people.com/people/package/article/0,,20569493_20569582,00.html
As medics arrived to an unresponsive Whitney Houston in room 434 of the Beverly Hilton on Saturday, the late pop star’s daughter had also heard the news and had a “complete breakdown,” according to a source.
Bobbi Kristina, 18, was in the lobby of the hotel around the time when Houston’s body was pronounced dead at 3:55 p.m.
Houston was found partially submerged in the bathtub of her room, according to the source.
“[Bobbi Kristina] was screaming, ‘What’s wrong with her? What’s wrong with her?,” says the source.
According to police, a member of Houston’s entourage first found Houston, 48.
Later that evening, at around 11 p.m., Bobbi Kristina was taken to Cedars Sinai Medical Center “because she was having a complete breakdown,” adds the source.
PRAYERS FOR HER
http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/kelly-price-remembers-whitney-houston-20120212
On Thursday night, just two days before her death, Whitney Houston showed up at R&B singer Kelly Price’s pre-Grammy celebration. The two old friends even sang a duet of “Yes, Jesus Loves Me.”
Talking to Rolling Stone last night, Price – who was clearly struggling to control her emotions before succumbing to tears near the end of the interview – said that the song was a fitting one.
“She’s a church girl, she related to the church girl in me. I’m a church girl, I related to the church girl in her,” Price said. “And at the end of the day, whatever was going on, our conversation could always go back to the foundation of our lives, starting out singing in church. And no matter what was going on we could always go back to that.”
One of the reasons Price wanted to speak under the difficult circumstances was to address resurfacing rumors surrounding Houston’s problems with addiction. Price wanted to talk about the Houston she saw Thursday night.
Reuters Top News @Reuters
Whitney Houston mourned at the New Jersey church of her youth http://reut.rs/zzyqUI
No illegal drugs have been found in the hotel room where Whitney Houston died — at least not yet — but prescription drugs were present, and it’s possible the singer drowned in the bathtub … TMZ has learned.
Sources tell us … when EMTs arrived Whitney’s body was already removed from the bathtub so it will take an autopsy to determine if she OD’d, drowned or died from some other cause.
http://www.tmz.com/2012/02/11/whitney-houston-prescription-drugs-drowned-dead-dies-bathtub-body/#.TzdyPKAJ5B8.twitter
Whitney Houston Dead: Singer Dies at 48, Body Found in Beverly Hilton Hotel
http://www.theboombox.com/2012/02/11/whitney-houston-dead-dies-at-48/
UPDATE: CNN reports that Houston’s body was found in her room at the Beverly Hilton hotel by her bodyguard. Attempts to resuscitate the singer were made by emergency personnel but she did not respond. Her body still remains at the hotel. Beverly Hills Police Lt. Mark Rosen said that Houston was pronounced dead 3:55PM PST in her room on the fourth floor. “There were no obvious signs of any criminal intent at this time,” Rosen states.
Reports also reveal that Whitney Houston’s mother spoke to her 20 to 35 minutes before she died. Veteran singer Dionne Warwick, Houston’s cousin, was in contact with her Saturday, speaking about which table they would sit at during Clive Davis’ annual Grammy party later that evening.
I was in straight denial even after seeing folks tweet RIP Whitney Houston. I still asked Anita if it were true. I saw the tweets but my mind blocked it out. I didNOT want to accept what my eyes saw. I lost it!
a tweet from Donna Brazile:
May Jesus love, Luther Vandross greet, Lou Rawls comfort, Michael Jackson dance, Etta James welcome, and Ray Charles see Whitney ASAP.
ROBIN HARRIS @rhshoop727
All Of Whitney Houston’s Awards And Accomplishments http://www.buzzfeed.com/daves4/all-the-awards-won-by-whitney-houston
RIP Whitney Houston!
Love You!
I don’t know what to do with myself right now. I’m heartbroken, stunned, & shocked at hearing the news of Whitney’s passing. Lord Have Mercy!
Prayers for Bobbi Kristina.
Thoughts and prayers to Bobbi Kristina!
Praying for mom, Cissy, as well. She never gave up on Whitney. I watched my grandmother bury 3 of her own children. Can’t imagine Cissy’s pain right now.
Amen, Lisa!
this hits almost as hard as Michael. Whitney was the voice…it was just joy
May the BLESSINGS BE, Whitney. Our Songbird has flown on.
****TEARS****
I just can’t believe it. It’s a shock
No words. We’ve lost Michael and now Whitney. WTH? Like @dannie22 said, “Im just devastated.”
…I’m in tears! Just shaken.
Im just devestated. I dont know what to say
I’m shocked. Just shocked!
OMG! OMG! Whitney!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
So incredibly sad! ****Tears****
RIP, Whiteney Houston!
I’ll Always Love You