Whitney Houston
Biography
Whitney Elizabeth Houston, born August 9, 1963 in Newark, New Jersey, and died February 11, 2012 in Beverly Hills, was an American singer, songwriter, model and actress.
Discovered by Clive Davis at 14, she signed with Arista Records at 19 and made her TV debut on April 29, 1983 on The Merv Griffin Show performing “Home” from the musical The Wiz.
From a musical family — daughter of soul and gospel singer Cissy Houston, cousin of Dionne Warwick and Dee Dee Warwick, and goddaughter of Aretha Franklin — she began singing as a child at New Hope Baptist Church in Newark.
Nicknamed “The Voice,” a spinto mezzo-soprano with a range of about 3.2 octaves, she is regarded as one of the greatest singers in music history, with 11 Billboard Hot 100 number-one singles (including a record seven consecutive) and over 220 million records sold worldwide.
Her first albums, Whitney Houston (1985) and Whitney (1987), both reached number one on the Billboard 200. Songs like How Will I Know, Greatest Love of All and I Wanna Dance with Somebody (Who Loves Me) made her a major MTV star.
Her starring role in Bodyguard (1992) and its soundtrack — which won the Grammy for Album of the Year — were global successes; her cover of I Will Always Love You became one of the best-selling singles ever, topping charts for 14 weeks.
She also acted in and produced the soundtracks for Waiting to Exhale (1995) and The Preacher’s Wife (1996), the latter becoming the best-selling gospel album of all time. Her honors include eight Grammy Awards, 16 Billboard Music Awards and 30 Guinness World Records.
Her personal life — notably her marriage to singer Bobby Brown and health struggles — frequently made headlines. She died accidentally by drowning on February 11, 2012; her artistic legacy and influence on pop and R&B remain immense.