Rest in peace: Whitney Houston's death has left the showbiz world in mourning
The showbiz world is in mourning after news emerged that soul singer Whitney Houston has died aged 48.
The singer was pronounced dead in the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Los Angeles yesterday (February 11) at 3.55pm local time, and Houston’s publicist confirmed the tragic news.
After news of the death emerged, Whitney’s celebrity friends and co-stars flooded social networking site Twitter with tributes to the singer.
Mariah Carey, who sang a duet with Whitney on the hit When You Believe, changed her picture on Twitter to one of the two stars together, smiling and hugging.
She also posted messages that read: “Heartbroken and in tears over the shocking death of my friend, the incomparable Ms. Whitney Houston.”
Heartbroken and in tears over the shocking death of my friend, the incomparable Ms. Whitney Houston.
— Mariah Carey (@MariahCarey) February 12, 2012
Mariah added: “My heartfelt condolences to Whitney's family and to all her millions of fans throughout the world.”
Another Tweet read: “She will never be forgotten as one of the greatest voices to ever grace the earth.”
Dolly Parton, who wrote Whitney's iconic hit I Will Always Love You, featured in movie the Bodyguard in which Whitney starred, said: “mine is only one of the millions of hearts broken over the death of Whitney Houston. I will always be grateful and in awe of the wonderful performance she did on my song and I can truly say from the bottom of my heart, "Whitney, I will always love you. You will be missed."
Piers Morgan also paid tribute to the singer, writing: “Stunned by Whitney Houston's death at just 48 - one of the greatest voices ever heard. #RIP”
Singer Brandy, who had been getting coaching off Whitney for her appearance at tonight’s Grammy Awards, alongside fellow singer Monica, simply wrote: “Whyyyyyyyyyyyy???????????????”
Rihanna Tweeted: “'No words! Just tears #DearWhitney."
Rapper Tinchy Stryder added: "R.I.P Whitney Houston your voice will forever live on! O:) xo"
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Justin Bieber also paid tribute on Twitter, writing: "just heard the news. so crazy. One of the GREATEST VOICES EVER just passed. RIP Whitney Houston. My prayers go out to her friends and family.”
Music legend Aretha Franklin, who was Whitney’s godmother, said the news was "unbelievable". She said: “'I just can't talk about it now. It's so stunning and unbelievable. I couldn't believe what I was reading coming across the TV screen.”
The 69 year old added: “My heart goes out to Cissy (Houston's mother), her daughter Bobbi Kris, her family and (ex-husband) Bobby (Brown).”
And shaken X Factor boss Simon Cowell took to Twitter to write: “I am so sad to hear about Whitney. We have lost one of the greatest singers of all time.”
I am so sad to hear about Whitney. We have lost one of the greatest singers of all time.
— Simon Cowell (@SimonCowell) February 12, 2012
Speaking in an interview with Sky, Cowell said: “There are always moments in your life that are horrible to remember. The day John Lennon died, the day Elvis died.
“More recently Michael Jackson, last year Amy Winehouse and now Whitney. I know quite a few people who had been working with her over the years. We all knew Whitney had issues."
Referring to the singer’s shaky appearance on the 2009 series of the show, Simon continued: ”I last met her when she came on the X Factor. You could see at the time there were still a few problems but she was a delight to work with on the day.
“She probably wasn’t all together but it was still Whitney Houston and you were in the presence of a legend and I will never forget that day.”
Simon also revealed that he had been considering Whitney for one of the roles on the new series of X Factor – with talks due to start tomorrow (February 13).
Speaking to Piers Morgan on CNN, Simon said: “We were ironically going to meet on Monday and of course one of the names we were going to be talking about in that meeting as a possible mentor on the new series of X Factor was going to be Whitney.
“Given the choice, I would have liked to have taken her under my wing as well, because she would have been the ultimate, ultimate mentor to any contestant coming on the show.”
He added: “Ever since doing this job, particularly doing talent shows over the last 10 years, the No1 singer anyone ever wanted to emulate, if they really wanted to be a superstar, was always Whitney.”
The cause of death remains unclear. An autopsy is expected to take place in the next few days.
Police said there were no "obvious signs" of any criminal intent in relation to Houston's death.
Police spokesman Mark Rosen told reporters Houston had been pronounced dead at 15:55pm (23:55 GMT) in her room on the fourth floor of the Beverly Hilton Hotel. He said: "She has been positively identified by friends and family (who) were with her at the hotel, and next of kin have already been notified."
In the most recent reports, it is claimed that the singer was reportedly found dead by a friend.
The singer passed away just hours before she was set to take to the stage to perform at record producer Clive Davis's annual pre-Grammy party on Saturday (February 11), held at the Beverly Hilton.
Whitney was also due to appear at the Grammy Awards tonight (February 12), and had been attending rehearsals, working with singers Brandy and Monica.
Singer Jennifer Hudson is now expected to lead a tribute to Houston at tonight’s Grammy Awards.
Whitney Houston was one of the best-selling artists in the world. Famous for hits such as her signature I Will Always Love You, and I Wanna Dance With Somebody (Who Loves Me), the star hit her peak in the 80s and 90s, and sold over 170 million albums around the globe.
However her career was often overshadowed by problems in her private life, with the singer battling drink and drug abuse demons, and frequent reports emerging about her turbulent marriage to R&B singer Bobby Brown. In recent years, the singer’s appearances become more and more erratic, including her performance on X Factor in 2009, which had at the time been tipped as her big comeback.
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