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, died Saturday. She was 48.
Beverly Hills police Lt. Mark Rosen told
reporters outside the Beverly Hilton
that Houston was pronounced dead at
3:55 p.m. in her room on the fourth
floor of the hotel. Her body remained
there and Beverly Hills detectives were
investigating.
"There were no obvious signs of any
criminal intent," Rosen said.
Houston's publicist, Kristen Foster,
said the cause of death was unknown.
Rosen said police received a 911 call
from hotel security about Houston at
3:43 p.m. Saturday. Paramedics who
were already at the hotel because of a
Grammy party unsuccessfully tried to
resuscitate the singer, he said.
Houston's end 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 cast a heavy pall on Sunday's
ceremony.
Her longtime mentor Clive Davis was
to hold his annual concert and dinner
Saturday, and a representative of the
show said it would proceed.
Producer Jimmy Jam, who had
worked with Houston, said he
anticipated the evening would become
a tribute to her, and he expected there
to be one at the Grammys as well.
Houston was supposed to appear at
the gala, and Davis had told The
Associated Press that she would
perhaps perform: "It's her favorite
night of the year ... (so) who knows
by the end of the evening," he said.
Houston had been at rehearsals for
the show Thursday, coaching singers
Brandy and Monica, according to a
person who was at the event but was
not authorized to speak publicly about
it. The person said Houston looked
disheveled, was sweating profusely
and liquor and cigarettes could be
smelled on her breath.
Two days ago, she performed at a
pre-Grammy party with singer Kelly
Price.
The Rev. Al Sharpton said he would
call for a national prayer Sunday
morning during a service at Second
Baptist Church in Los Angeles.
"The morning of the Grammys, the
world should pause and pray for the
memory of a gifted songbird,"
Sharpton said in a written statement.
In a statement, Recording Academy
President and CEO Neil Portnow said
Houston "was one of the world's
greatest pop singers of all time who
leaves behind a robust musical
soundtrack spanning the past three
decades."
"Her powerful voice graced many
memorable and award-winning
songs," Portnow said. "A light has
been dimmed in our music
community today, and we extend our
deepest condolences to her family,
friends, fans and all who have been
touched by her beautiful voice."
At her peak, Houston was 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 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.
Another multiplatinum album,
"Whitney," came out in 1987 and
included hits like "Where Do Broken
Hearts Go" and "I Wanna Dance With
Somebody."
The New York Times wrote that
Houston "possesses one of her
generation's most powerful gospel-
trained voices, but she eschews many
of the churchier mannerisms of her
forerunners. She uses ornamental
gospel phrasing only sparingly, and
instead of projecting an earthy, tearful
vulnerability, communicates cool self-
assurance and strength, building pop
ballads to majestic, sustained peaks of
intensity."
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, died Saturday. She was 48.
Beverly Hills police Lt. Mark Rosen told
reporters outside the Beverly Hilton
that Houston was pronounced dead at
3:55 p.m. in her room on the fourth
floor of the hotel. Her body remained
there and Beverly Hills detectives were
investigating.
"There were no obvious signs of any
criminal intent," Rosen said.
Houston's publicist, Kristen Foster,
said the cause of death was unknown.
Rosen said police received a 911 call
from hotel security about Houston at
3:43 p.m. Saturday. Paramedics who
were already at the hotel because of a
Grammy party unsuccessfully tried to
resuscitate the singer, he said.
Houston's end 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 cast a heavy pall on Sunday's
ceremony.
Her longtime mentor Clive Davis was
to hold his annual concert and dinner
Saturday, and a representative of the
show said it would proceed.
Producer Jimmy Jam, who had
worked with Houston, said he
anticipated the evening would become
a tribute to her, and he expected there
to be one at the Grammys as well.
Houston was supposed to appear at
the gala, and Davis had told The
Associated Press that she would
perhaps perform: "It's her favorite
night of the year ... (so) who knows
by the end of the evening," he said.
Houston had been at rehearsals for
the show Thursday, coaching singers
Brandy and Monica, according to a
person who was at the event but was
not authorized to speak publicly about
it. The person said Houston looked
disheveled, was sweating profusely
and liquor and cigarettes could be
smelled on her breath.
Two days ago, she performed at a
pre-Grammy party with singer Kelly
Price.
The Rev. Al Sharpton said he would
call for a national prayer Sunday
morning during a service at Second
Baptist Church in Los Angeles.
"The morning of the Grammys, the
world should pause and pray for the
memory of a gifted songbird,"
Sharpton said in a written statement.
In a statement, Recording Academy
President and CEO Neil Portnow said
Houston "was one of the world's
greatest pop singers of all time who
leaves behind a robust musical
soundtrack spanning the past three
decades."
"Her powerful voice graced many
memorable and award-winning
songs," Portnow said. "A light has
been dimmed in our music
community today, and we extend our
deepest condolences to her family,
friends, fans and all who have been
touched by her beautiful voice."
At her peak, Houston was 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 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.
Another multiplatinum album,
"Whitney," came out in 1987 and
included hits like "Where Do Broken
Hearts Go" and "I Wanna Dance With
Somebody."
The New York Times wrote that
Houston "possesses one of her
generation's most powerful gospel-
trained voices, but she eschews many
of the churchier mannerisms of her
forerunners. She uses ornamental
gospel phrasing only sparingly, and
instead of projecting an earthy, tearful
vulnerability, communicates cool self-
assurance and strength, building pop
ballads to majestic, sustained peaks of
intensity."
Comments
Post a Comment