A true legend: Whitney Houston has died at the age of 48
Whitney Elizabeth Houston was born on August 9, 1963 in Newark, New Jersey.
She was the third and youngest child of John Russell Houston, Jr and gospel singer Cissy Houston.
Born into a musical family, her mother, along with cousins Dionne Warwick and Dee Dee Warwick and her godmother, legendary singer Aretha Franklin, encouraged Whitney to sing and she joined the New Hope Baptist Church gospel choir in Newark at the age of 11.
Showing a flair and passion for music, she also learned how to play the piano.
In her teens, Whitney joined her mother performing in nightclubs but despite offers of recording contracts, Cissy insisted her daughter should stay on at school.
Whitney sang backing vocals on Chaka Khan’s 1978 hit I’m Every Woman, before she was spotted by a model scout and went on to feature in fashion shoots for Glamour and Cosmopolitan.
But Whitney never gave up on singing and it wasn’t long before she captured the attention of an A&R man from Arista Records, who saw her perform alongside her mother in New York.
Clive Davis was persuaded to watch Whitney and after being blown away by the 19 year old’s powerful voice, he offered her a recording contract.
The star’s debut album, Whitney Houston, was released in February 1985, taking the world by storm.
It featured some of her most popular tracks including Saving All My Love For You and Greatest Love of All.
The record went on to sell over 25 million copies worldwide and by 1986, a year after its initial release, Whitney Houston topped the Billboard 200 albums chart and stayed there for 14 non-consecutive weeks.
It was nominated for Album of the Year at the 1986 Grammy Awards but Whitney lifted the Grammy for Best Pop Vocal Performance for Saving All My Love For You.
Whitney won seven American Music Awards in total in 1986 and 1987, and an MTV Video Music Award.
In 1987 Whitney released album Whitney, which saw her become the first female artist in music history to debut at number one on the Billboard 200 albums chart, and the first artist to enter the albums chart at number one in both the US and UK.
The first single released from Whitney was I Wanna Dance With Somebody (Who Loves Me), which went on to become one of the singer’s most loved hits.
In 1989, she used her success to form The Whitney Houston Foundation For Children, a non-profit organization that has raised funds for the needs of children around the world.
In 1990 Whitney released I’m Your Baby Tonight, which featured singles I'm Your Baby Tonight and All the Man That I Need.
During this time she also embarked on a hugely successful world tour.
R.I.P WHITNEY
Whitney met R&B singer Bobby Brown at the 1989 Soul Train Music Awards – three years later the couple married on July 18, 1992.
Whitney’s only child, daughter Bobbi Kristina Houston Brown, was born the following year.
1992 was also the year of The Bodyguard, which saw Whitney take on her first film role. She starred alongside Kevin Costner and the film went on to be a box-office smash, featuring one of Whitney’s most iconic songs of all time I Will Always Love You – a cover of the Dolly Parton hit.
Throughout the nineties, her acting career flourished and Whitney went on to star in Waiting to Exhale and The Preacher’s Wife.
In 1998 she returned to music and released My Love is Your Love, featuring the production talents of Rodney Jerkins, Wyclef Jean and Missy Elliott.
It featured single When You Believe - a duet with Mariah Carey for The Prince of Egypt soundtrack which won an Academy Award for Best Original Song.
In 2000, Whitney released her first greatest hits collection.
Around this time, reports of drug use began to surface and marijuana was found in Houston and Brown's suitcases at a Hawaiian airport.
Charges were dropped against the stars but Whitney continued to hit the headlines after missing appearances and being sacked from a Golden Globes performance.
Despite this, in 2001, she went on to sign the biggest record deal in music history with Arista/BMG - $100 million to deliver six new albums.
In 2002, Whitney did an interview with journalist Diane Sawyer to promote her forthcoming album, which saw millions tune in as she denied drug use.
She released her fifth album, Just Whitney, which, despite mixed reviews, sold well.
In 2006, Whitney split from Bobby Brown, divorcing in 2007. She was granted full custody of their daughter Bobbi.
In 2009, Whitney released I Look To You and appeared in a highly anticipated television interview with Oprah Winfrey, which saw her admit that she and Brown had used drugs in the past.
She also performed on the UK X Factor, where she suffered a wardrobe malfunction as the strap on her dress burst.
She embarked on a world tour but again received mixed reviews and was forced to cancel some dates due to illness.
In May 2011, Whitney checked into a rehabilitation centre as part of her "longstanding recovery process”, according to her reps.
Towards the end of last year, things appeared to be on the up for the singer as it was announced she was to produce and star in a remake of 1976 film Sparkle, alongside Jordin Sparks and Mike Epps.
She was also tipped to be in the running for a role as a mentor on the US X Factor.
On Saturday, February 11 2012, Whitney Houston, aged 48, was found dead in her room at the Beverly Hills Hilton Hotel.
The cause of death is not yet known.
Stars from around the globe have paid tribute to the music legend, with close friend Mariah Carey summing up the thoughts of many by Tweeting: “She will never be forgotten as one of the greatest voices to ever grace the earth.”
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