Summary

Whitney Elizabeth Houston (Newark, August 9, 1963 - Beverly Hills, February 11, 2012) was an award-winning American singer, songwriter, actress, producer, supermodel and entrepreneur. She is considered by music critics to be the greatest singer of all time. Her powerful vocals, which reached very high extensions, especially in melismas and vibratos, combined with soft tessituras, and her extreme artistic talent in composing lyrics and melodies, made her known as The Voice and Queen of the Ballad.

Houston was the most awarded artist of all time, according to Guinness World Records, in 2009. Her list of awards includes: two Emmy Awards, seven Grammy Awards; sixteen Billboard Music Awards, twenty-two American Music Awards, for a total of 415 awards won in her career up to 2013. One of the most successful artists in the music world, she has sold more than 400 million records worldwide.

Inspired by several prominent soul singers in her family, including her mother, Cissy Houston, and cousins Dionne Warwick and Dee Dee Warwick, Houston began singing with the New Jersey church's junior gospel choir at age 11. After she began working as a backing vocalist in her mother's New York nightclub shows in 1977, she was discovered by Clive Davis in 1983, the year her professional career began. He was the manager of Arista Records. Houston has released six studio albums and three soundtrack albums, all of which have been certified diamond, multi-platinum, platinum, and gold by the Recording Industry Association of America. Her self-titled debut album, released in 1985, became the best-selling debut album by a female artist, with 25 million copies sold. Her second album, Whitney (1987), became the first album by a female artist to debut at number one on the Billboard 200. Whitney achieved major successes on the popular music charts, as well as her prominence on MTV, beginning with her How Will I Know video, enabled several African-American female artists to follow her success.

Houston's first film role was in the movie The Bodyguard (1992), in which she had a huge success as the protagonist. The original soundtrack for the film won the 1994 Grammy Award for Album of the Year. Her first single, I Will Always Love You, became the best-selling single by a female artist in the history of music. The album is the only one by a female artist in the top five of all time, ranking fourth. Houston continued to star in and contribute to film soundtracks, including the films Waiting to Exhale (1995) and The Preacher's Wife (1996). Three years after the release of her fourth album, My Love Is Your Love (1998), Whitney renewed her contract with Arista Records. She released her fifth studio album, Just Whitney, in 2002, and the Christmas album entitled One Wish: The Holiday Album in 2003. Amid extensive media coverage of her personal and professional turmoil, Houston ended her troubled 14-year marriage to singer Bobby Brown in 2006. In 2009, Houston released her seventh and final studio album, I Look to You.

Whitney Houston has been recognized internationally as one of the greatest artists of all time due to her talent, legacy, and most importantly, her remarkable and legendary voice. Thanks to this remarkable vocal talent, Whitney has often been called The Voice. Whitney is often compared to great artists of the past, such as Frank Sinatra, Aretha Franklin and Elvis Presley, and is also among Rolling Stone Magazine's 500 Greatest Entertainers of All Time.

Whitney died on February 11, 2012. The Los Angeles County Coroner's Office report stated in principle that the death was accidental. The singer drowned in a hotel bathtub. According to the experts there were indications of a heart disease and traces of cocaine use.

Her mother, Cissy Houston, and two first cousins, Dionne Warwick and Dee Dee Warwick, were recognized gospel, R&B and soul singers, and her third cousin, Leontyne Price, a famous opera singer, all of which resulted in the constant presence of music in the young Whitney's life. At the age of 11, Whitney began singing in the gospel choir of a Baptist church in Newark, and would later accompany her mother in some concerts. Even though she was an evangelical Baptist, Whitney graduated from high school in a Catholic school. She began her artistic career in 1977, working as a backing vocalist in her mother's concerts, where, by this time, she was already composing her first songs, which she would sing sporadically in bars and nightclubs in the area when her mother's concerts were not scheduled. After appearing in her mother's album Think It Over, in 1978, Whitney became better known in the artistic world and began performing as a backing vocalist for many famous singers, among them: Chaka Khan and Jermaine Jackson. In the same year, at the age of 15, she did a duet with Michael Zager on the single Life's a Party. In 1980 she started her modeling career. Passed in a beauty contest in a reputable agency, she started modeling in small events representing several famous brands, besides doing photographic essays. This was the beginning of her successful career as a photographic model, and she was on the cover of several magazines around the world, among them Seventeen and Glamour. Her experience in the fashion world turned her into a supermodel.

1983-1991: Stardom

Whitney was offered a contract at Arista Records in 1983. A representative of that label realized Whitney's great artistic potential while she was singing in a New York City nightclub. He then asked Clive Davis, a businessman and music producer and founder of Arista Records, to see Whitney's work as a backing vocalist and to see her perform covers and sing her own songs. When Davis went to the club and saw her, he was convinced that she had a wonderful talent, a true gift, and immediately invited her to record her first album. It took approximately two years for Whitney to finish her first album, as Davis was looking for songs appropriate to her powerful voice and for the right producers to direct her, which resulted in the great success of the album. In 1984, the year she became famous in the United States, Whitney did a duet with Teddy Pendergrass (Hold Me). Released as a single, it had moderate success in the United States, entering the Top 40. During this time, Whitney decided to make special appearances in Gimme a Break and Silver Spoons. But it was when she appeared in the soap opera As The World Turns as herself that her popularity grew greatly.

On February 14, 1985, her first album was released, called Whitney Houston. It took a while to become successful, but when the single You Give Good Love reached #3 in Billboard Magazine sales skyrocketed. The other singles, Saving All My Love for You, How Will I Know and Greatest Love of All, reached #1 on Billboard's bestseller list and remained there for 14 weeks. The album would sell twenty five million copies worldwide, with thirteen million of them being sold in the United States alone, it was the best selling album of the year ahead of Madonna's True Blue and became the best selling debut album by an artist. Another song, All at Once, was played significantly on the radio, but Arista decided not to release it as a single so as not to expose Whitney too much to the media, because the singer became world famous within a few months. With success came multiple awards, and in 1986, Whitney won her first Grammy: Best Female Pop Vocal Performance, with Saving All My Love For You and went on her first world concert tour, The Greatest Love Tour. That same year, Whitney was voted Artist of the Year by Billboard magazine.

Released in June 1987 Whitney, the singer's second album, became the first album by an artist to debut at the top of the US and UK bestsellers simultaneously, making her the first female artist to achieve such a feat. The first single, I Wanna Dance with Somebody (Who Loves Me) (originally I'm Gonna Dance with Somebody) when performed on the 1987 world tour didn't take long to become a huge hit for the singer and in 1988 made her win her second Grammy. Other singles from the same album that became hits: Didn't We Almost Have It All, So Emotional and Where Do Broken Hearts Go. All of these songs gave Whitney a record seven consecutive singles to reach #1 in the US, breaking the records of the Beatles and the Bee Gees (who were tied with six each). To date, no artist has managed seven consecutive #1s on Billboard Magazine's best-selling singles list. A fifth single, Love Will Save The Day, became a moderate hit when it entered at number nine on that publication's list. The album would sell twenty million copies worldwide, with nine million of them in the USA alone. She went on another world tour, The Moment of Truth Tour, and a number of more awards would be presented to her including the Album of the Year award in 1988. During the opening ceremony of the 1988 Olympics Whitney would sing One Moment in Time. Released as a single, the song from the Olympics that year, it would go on to hit #1 on the UK Top 40 singles list and #5 on the US Top 40. In 1989 Whitney embarked on a tour with BeBe & CeCe Winans doing backing vocals, showing that success did not go to her head.

I'm Your Baby Tonight was released in November 1990. The first singles from that album, I'm Your Baby Tonight and All The Man That I Need went to #1 in the US, giving her a total of nine #1s in that country so far. Other moderate hits would come with Miracle and My Name is Not Susan. Another song from the album, I Belong to You, was played on some US radio stations and became a minor hit. The album sold twelve million copies worldwide, four million of them in the USA alone. Soon Whitney would go on another world tour, the I'm Your Baby Tour, which broke attendance records all over the world and confirmed what everyone already knew: Whitney was here to stay. In January 1991, she sang The Star-Spangled Banner, the national anthem of the United States, at the XXV Super Bowl in Tampa, Florida. Later released as a single and video, it would become the only version of the American national anthem to become a hit, selling one million copies. The money raised from the sales of the single was donated to the American Red Cross. This moment was forever etched in music history, and more than a decade later people remember that wonderful performance by Whitney that shook the structures of the Super Bowl. In 2005, Beyoncé Knowles talked on her DVD about this historic moment and the emotion of singing The Star Spangled Banner, she said: "Whitney Houston was fantastic and I just wish I had the opportunity to at least do something like what she did, because it was incredible. Also in 1991, Whitney used her identification with the public to benefit the victims of the Gulf War, when she performed a benefit concert shown on HBO under the title Welcome Home Heroes with Whitney Housn.

1992-1997: Professional affirmation, marriage and motherhood

In 1992, Whitney made her first film, The Bodyguard, which she starred in along with Kevin Costner. Whitney was classified as a very successful and talented actress, acclaimed by the world critics. The film became a phenomenon, a true box-office success, grossing over $500 million worldwide. Counting on a good soundtrack, Whitney recorded six new songs for the film's soundtrack, including a version of Dolly Parton's classic "I Will Always Love You" with which she exceeded all expectations, becoming a great success for the singer, immortalizing her in world music. Released as a single in November of the same year, it became her tenth #1 hit in the United States and remained there for 14 consecutive weeks. In time, it became her best-selling single to date, with more than ten million copies. The song I Have Nothing was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Song. Other hits released as a single from the soundtrack of The Bodyguard: I'm Every Woman (re-recording of a Chaka Khan song), Run to You and Queen of the Night (written by Whitney herself). The album stayed twenty weeks at #1 and sold over 38 million copies worldwide, with 17.5 million in the United States alone, making it the best-selling soundtrack in history Certified by the Guinness Book of Records, and was certified 17x platinum and then diamond in the United States. In March 2005, after 13 years of release, the album returned to the charts in Spain at #25. At this time she began to manage her career, opening a fashion agency and a musical entertainment company, as well as beginning her work as a music producer, of her own songs and of artists who hired her.

After four years of dating, Whitney married singer Bobby Brown in Trenton, New Jersey, on July 18, 1992. On March 4, 1993, in Livingston, she gave birth by normal delivery to her only daughter: Bobbi Kristina Houston Brown, who during her childhood made small musical appearances on Whitney Houston's albums. Both sang the songs My Love is Your Love and Little Drummer Boy together. Despite this, her daughter did not pursue a career in the arts, although she did make minor appearances as an actress in films and TV series during her short life.

In 1994, with The Bodyguard world tour, Whitney made her first appearance in Brazil, taking part in the Hollywood Rock event. She did two shows, one in São Paulo and the other in Rio de Janeiro, where she performed a live performance of I Will Always Love You, the biggest hit of her career, and also sang at the closing ceremony of the World Cup 94.

In 1995 Whitney acted in another film, Waiting to Exhale (Speaking of Love), which was also a great success with audiences and critics, based on a book by Terry McMillans about the lives of four African-American women. The other characters are played by Angela Bassett, Loretta Devine and Lela Rochon. The director of the film was Forest Whitaker. It was shot in the spring of 1995 and opened in theaters in December of the same year. It grossed an estimated $80 million at the worldwide box office. The soundtrack to Waiting to Exhale included three new Whitney songs: Exhale (Shoop, Shoop), Count on Me (duet with CeCe Winans) and Why Does It Hurt So Bad. The single Exhale (Shoop, Shoop) debuted at #1, becoming her eleventh #1 in the United States and the second single in history to do so. The album sold over seventeen million copies worldwide, with over seven million in the United States alone.

His next film, The Preacher's Wife, was a remake in which he starred alongside Denzel Washington. The film began shooting in January 1996, and opened in theaters on December 13 of the same year. Whitney had been planning for a long time to release a gospel album, and the soundtrack for this film was the unique opportunity to do so. The Preacher's Wife soundtrack was released a month before the movie and became the best-selling gospel album in history, and was also nominated for an Academy Award for best original soundtrack. Whitney sings 14 of the 15 tracks on the album, including the hits I Believe in You and Me and Step by Step.

1997-2001: Maturing

Whitney's next work was the made-for-TV musical film, Cinderella, shot in the summer of 1997. It was produced by Whitney's own production company, Brown House Productions. The film was aired on November 2, 1997, on ABC. It attracted a record audience of over sixty million viewers (one of the most watched programs in the history of American television). The film stars Brandy, Whoopi Goldberg, and Whitney as the Fairy Godmother.

In 1998 she recorded a duet with Mariah Carey, When You Believe, for the soundtrack of the animated film The Prince of Egypt. The song created a buzz, due to it being a duet with America's two greatest vocalists. Still, the song was met with poor reviews and although it was a hit worldwide, it ranked 15th in North America. The song was released as a single in November and won the Oscar for Best Original Song in March 1999 with Whitney and Mariah performing it at the awards ceremony.

After a long wait, Whitney returned to the studio to release her first non-track album after eight years, My Love Is Your Love was released on November 17, 1998. The album was supposed to be a Best Of, but Whitney and her mentor Clive Davis liked the result so much that they eventually believed that the release could be a success. The album, which was recorded in 6 weeks, had major contributions from the American r&b world, such as Wycleaf Jean, Lauryn Hill, Missy Elliott or Rodney Jerkins. Consequently due to the record time the album had little time to be promoted before its release and ended up at number 13 in the United States. Many described this moment as the beginning of the end of Whitney's career, but as she herself said "it's not how it begins, it's how it ends". The album got the best reviews of her career ever. The single My Love is Your Love became one of the best sellers of the year and the track It's Not Right But It's Okay won a Grammy. The album is the best-selling R&B album of all time in Europe, reaching sales of 13 million worldwide, putting Whitney back on top. Among the tracks released as singles are It's Not Right But It's Okay and If I Told You That, Heartbreak Hotel, My Love Is Your Love, I Learned From The Best and the Academy Award-winning When You Believe. The album sold twelve million copies worldwide, five of them in the United States alone, and Whitney won her sixth Grammy for the single It's Not Right, But It's Okay in February 2000. The first shows of the Your Love is My Love World Tour brought rave reviews, celebrating the singer's return.

In 1999 Whitney participated in the second VH-1's Divas Live, and her performance was characterized as "unsurpassed" by Jon Pareles in The New York Times. Soon after, in celebration of her 15-year career, she released Whitney: The Greatest Hits a compilation of her greatest hits on May 16, 2000. A double album, which, in addition to the most popular songs on the radio, includes new songs, innovative duets and remixes of the most popular hits. Along with the album, a DVD was also released containing her main music videos, early moments in her career, interviews, latest appearances, concert performances, and backstage work. The double album sold nine million copies worldwide. After a long period away from the stage, on September 7, 2001, Whitney made a special appearance alongside Usher and Mya to celebrate the 30th anniversary of her friend Michael Jackson's solo career at Madison Square Garden in New York City. The trio opened the show to the sound of Wanna Be Starting' Something'. On September 10, Whitney was supposed to duel One Day In Your Life with Michael Jackson, but she did not attend the concert. Also in the same year, Whitney released Love, Whitney a compilation of her greatest romantic hits.

2002-2005: Personal and professional upheavals

In December 2002, Whitney released Just Whitney, which had a major impact on her career due to personal problems. The singer admitted to the press that she had been suffering from depression since she was a teenager and had been using cocaine, marijuana and other types of drugs, besides excessive drinking. The first single from the new CD, Whatchulookinat, was a great failure in the United States, perhaps because of its aggressive tone of voice where Whitney criticizes everyone who says her career is over, due to her accounts of her chemical dependency. With this, the record company was forced to distribute One Of Those Days, a single that was better received and praised by the critics. Soon after, the single Try It On My Own, an autobiographical ballad, hit radio stations in April 2003. As far as love songs go, the album features a re-recording of a big hit from the 1970s, the melodic You Light Up My Life, which was produced by Baby Face and did not become a single.

In November 2003 Whitney released a Christmas album, entitled One Wish: The Holiday Album. The album brought some Christmas classics sung impressively by Whitney, the unreleased track was One Wish, the song that gives the album its name and has the best of contemporary gospel style. After a five-day stay in a drug rehab center in March 2004 (repeated in March 2005 for two months), she embarked on the international Soul Divas tour with Natalie Cole and Dionne Warwick which lasted throughout that summer. On September 14, 2004, she gave a live performance of I Believe In You And Me and I Will Always Love You at the World Music Awards, as a tribute to her producer and former friend Clive Davis. Whitney's performance was simply perfect, with Celine Dion reportedly crying as she listened to Whitney perform the songs, and Courtney Love saying "My God, that's the best singer in the world". More recently, Whitney was featured on the American reality show Being Bobby Brown.

2006-2007: A New Beginning

In September 2006 Whitney separated from her then-husband Bobby Brown, getting her divorce on April 24, 2007, after a 14-year marriage full of polemics, involving physical aggressions, humiliation, betrayal and involvement with drugs, where Houston decided to put an end to so much suffering, and filed for divorce, leaving home with her daughter, getting her custody in court. Despite being shaken, she appeared to the media very happy and smiling, saying she is recovered, and everyone praised her as beautiful at the Society Of Singers ELLA Awards, accompanied by her producer, Clive Davis, and her cousin, the diva Dionne Warwick.

On October 28, 2006, Whitney made a surprise appearance at the 17th Carousel of Hope Ball and was cheered by everyone at the charity event. Whitney looked stunning in a long, tight black Armani dress, and wore diamond earrings and bracelets that further enhanced her beauty. Whitney's appearance was so mesmerizing that it caused singer Katharine McPhee, who was to perform on the night, to give up her scheduled song and honor her with her classic I Have Nothing, beautifully performed.

In December 2006 Whitney was featured on the cover of "Raça Brasil" magazine due to her victorious recovery from drug and alcohol addiction, and her recent separation from Bobby Brown.

During the Grammy pre-Grammy party hosted by Clive Davis at the Beverly Hilton Hotel on February 10, Whitney was in attendance and was the celebrity who garnered the most attention that night. She walked the red carpet arm in arm with Davis, and several celebrities at the party were asked about their opinions of the singer, who praised her highly.

According to sources close to the singer, Whitney was ready for a big comeback with an album of original songs. She was giving more attention to her daughter Bobbi Kristina, and completely devoted to her new recording production. The singer was living at the time in Laguna Beach, close to her psychologist Warren Boyd, the same one who helped Courtney Love overcome her addiction to alcohol and drugs. At this time the singer was constantly suffering from depressive and anxiety attacks, due to her recent divorce, and also due to drug and alcohol withdrawal, and needed constant psychotherapy sessions. According to Davis, her producer, they had at this time started work on a new album, which that year was a fantastic work.

Also in 2007, Whitney was voted The Queen of the Ballad once again, by the BlackAmericanWeb website, which highlighted her career as a singer and all her accomplishments.

In September of that year, the singer signed a new contract with Arista Records for an incredible $100 million. The deal with the label included several albums, which put her back among the big names in music.

On October 18, Whitney made a surprise appearance at the Swarovski Fashion Rocks in London, where she was cheered by those in attendance, including Donatella Versace. She wore a white Valentino dress. Her voice was much deeper than in other appearances, which surprised the audience, used to her soft voice, but this did not disappoint, and she was applauded by hundreds of people.

In the same year, a new compilation entitled Whitney Houston: The Best So Far was released, bringing together the greatest hits of her career. The album entered the best-sellers list occupying #3 in the UK, #5 in the USA, and #9 in Brazil.

2008: The Turn Around

In 2008 Whitney announced that she would record her seventh album of new songs. The singer also stated that she had six new songs for her album, scheduled to be released in the first half of 2009 on the J Record label. The singer refused to write because of her problems with drugs, cheating and anorexia in the previous years.

On May 8, Whitney had a great show in London, participating in the Legend Ball charity event, where she was cheered by all those present. The international media described "A fantastic Whitney Houston in London" and with this spectacular performance, the Diva showed that her past problems are behind her.

On July 26, 2008 a new song from the singer's album leaked onto the internet, Like I Never Left, in partnership with the singer Akon, who also produced the song. It became an instant hit, with more than 2.5 million plays on Last FM, just 24 hours later. Whitney has stated that the song will not be her first single. Rumor has it that her first new single will be I Didn't Know My Own Strength, a song written by Diane Warren and produced by David Foster.

On February 7, 2009, Whitney Houston made a glorious appearance at the Pre-Grammy party, hosted annually by Clive Davis. Whitney sang big hits such as: I Will Always Love You, I Believe in You and Me, It's Not Right But It's Okay and I'm Every Woman.

On April 17, 2009, Diane Warren revealed to Vibe Magazine that she wrote I Didn't Know My Own Strength especially for Whitney and this would be her comeback song. Rap-Up Magazine also confirmed that producer Swizz Beatz had worked on a song called Million Dollar Bill with Alicia Keys.

Whitney's new album was released on August 31, 2009 under the title I Look To You.

2009: The release of I Look To You

After a long wait Whitney Houston's long awaited comeback album I Look To You was finally released on August 31, 2009. The album debuted at #1 in the US selling 305,000 copies in the first week alone and went to #1 in 12 other countries. Produced by big names in music such as Stargate, Akon, R. Kelly,, David Foster, Jhontà Autin, Eric Hudson and Swizz Beatz along with Alicia Keys, with the supervision of Clive Davis, the album is marked by strong songs like "Call You Tonight", "Wort It" and "Salute", a song with strong hip-hop influence.

The first single was I Look To You, a romantic gospel ballad, debuted at #27 R&B Hot 100 on Billboard.

The second single Million Dollar Bill reached #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 Dance chart, becoming #1 for the 14th time in her career. The single had an even better reception in Europe where it reached #5 on the U.K. Hot 100. The Million Dollar Bill video clip was released on September 16, 2009.

On September 14, 2009 Whitney Houston gave her first interview in seven years, appearing on the premiere of The Oprah Winfrey Show. The interview was billed as "the most anticipated music interview of the decade", and Oprah Winfrey declared it to be the best interview she has ever done in her career. The interview was divided into two parts and Whitney talked about her troubled marriage, separation, career, family and drug problems.

Also on the show, Whitney sang the song I Didn't Know My Own Strength live at Oprah's request, and performed spectacularly.

Whitney also appeared on European television programs to promote the album. She sang the song I Look to You on Wetten Dass, a German television program. Days later, she sang Million Dollar Bill on the French television program Le Grand Journal. Whitney also appeared as a guest mentor on The X Factor in the UK along with Clive Davis and sang Million Dollar Bill on the next day's show. The performance was not very well received by the British media, but nevertheless Million Dollar Bill jumped to its peak at number 5 (its first UK top 5 in over a decade), and three weeks after the release I Look to You won a gold record. Whitney also participated in the Italian version of the X Factor, performing the same song Million Dollar Bill to good reviews, and was awarded the Gold Certificate for achieving over 50,000 sales of the I Look To You CD in Italy.

In December 2009, I Look To You, was certified platinum by the RIAA for sales exceeding one million copies in the United States alone. Currently the album has sold about 2 million copies worldwide.

On November 22, 2009 Whitney was the big honoree at the American Music Awards in Los Angeles, California and performed at the awards ceremony singing the song I Didn't Know My Own Strength. The singer received a trophy for her work from Samuel L. Jackson. Emotional, Whitney made a point of thanking her fans for their support and received a standing ovation from the audience.

2010: Whitney Houston - A Edição de Luxo do 25º Aniversário e uma Volta ao Mundo sem Amor

On January 26, 2010, Whitney re-released a special edition of her debut album, titled Whitney Houston - The 25th Anniversary Deluxe Edition in celebration of her 25-year career. The album contains five bonus tracks plus a DVD with the video clips and live performances and a previously unreleased interview.

On January 13, 2010 Whitney was honored at the BET Honors Award, citing her lifetime achievements and the success of the comeback album I Look To You. The 2010 BET Honors was held at the Warner Theater in Washington, DC and was shown on January 29, 2010. Jennifer Hudson sang the classic I Will Always Love You and Kim Burrell sang I Believe in You and Me in her honor. Whitney also received the NAACP Image Awards for Best Music Video for "I Look To You" on February 23, 2010 and received a nomination at the Echo Awards, the German version of the Grammy Awards, for Best International Artist.

A new world tour was announced on October 12, 2009 on Whitney's official website and began on December 9, 2009 in Russia as rehearsal dates, under the title I Look To You Word Tour. At the end of the rehearsals, the tour title was changed to Nothing But Love World Tour with an official "kick-off" on February 6, 2010 in Seoul, South Korea.

Whitney explained the meaning behind the title of the tour. It was how she got through the hard times.

The tour visited Asia, Australia, and Europe and raised an estimated $36 million plus from the shows.

Billboard Charts: She is currently ranked in Billboard's TOP 10, as one of the top selling US artists of the last decade (1999-2009).

2011: The Return with Sparkle Movie

In January 2011 Whitney participated in BET's Celebration Of Gospel 2011 singing the song I Look to You, along with Kim Burrel. The event was held at the Staple Center in Los Angeles and was broadcast on January 30, 2011.

In February 2011, Whitney attended the pre-Grammy party hosted by Clive Davis, which honored her cousin Dionne Warwick. At the tribute Whitney sang the classics Walk On By, I Say A Little Prayer For You and That's What Friends Are For.

In September 2011, The Hollywood Reporter magazine announced that Whitney will star in the remake of the 1976 film Sparkle, along with Jordin Sparks and Mike Epps. According to Debra Martin Chase, producer of Sparkle, Whitney will also have credits as executive producer of the film. She further stated that Whitney deserves the title considering that she was involved with the project from the beginning in 2001 when she obtained the production rights to Sparkle.

On October 19 Whitney confirmed on her official website about the new project with the film, which is a remake of the 1976 film and tells the story of Sparkle, a musical prodigy struggling to become a star.

On October 7, RCA Music Group announced the dissolution of Arista Records, along with J Records and Jive Records. With the shutdown, Whitney Houston (and all other artists previously signed to these three labels) would release their future material under the RCA Records label.

2012: Launch of Sparkle

In September 2011, The Hollywood Reporter announced that Whitney would produce and star in a remake of the film Sparkle alongside Jordin Sparks and Mike Epps. Sparkle would mark Whitney's return to theaters after 15 years, since the release of The Preacher's Wife in 1996. In the film, Whitney plays Emma, Sparkle's mother.

In addition to acting, Whitney also received credit as an executive producer. According to Debra Martin Chase, Sparkle's producer, Whitney deserved the credit, considering that she had been involved in the project from the beginning in 2001, when she obtained the production rights to the film, in which R&B singer Aaliyah was to star, but died in a 2001 plane crash. Her death derailed the production, which was to begin in 2002.

Filming took place between October 10 and November 18, 2011 and had an estimated budget of $17 million.

The film's soundtrack was released on July 31, 2012. The first single, Celebrate, a duet with Jordin Sparks, was Whitney's last studio recording, performed on February 7. It was officially released on June 5, 2012. The music video was filmed on May 30 and officially released on June 30, 2012.

His Eye Is on the Sparrow, leaked just one day after the release of Celebrate and was officially released as a single on June 8 for digital download on Amazon and iTunes.

The film was released on August 17 in the United States and debuted in fifth place in the weekend's top box office rankings, taking in $12 million in its first three days.

Several documentaries state that Whitney Houston began using cannabis and alcohol at the age of fourteen, and cocaine and LSD at sixteen, under the influence of her brother Michael Houston, also a teenager and a user of these substances, and that she began smoking cigarettes at the age of ten also under family influence. Her brother revealed in interviews that he felt extremely guilty for his sister's death.

It has also been claimed that Whitney Houston was bisexual, but due to her mother's religious conservatism, she chose never to publicly assume this. Robyn Crawford, a career production assistant and marketing director for Whitney's companies, who worked with her from 1983 to 2000, wrote and released the book A Song For You, revealing that she was the singer's girlfriend as a teenager, from 1979 to 1983, and that they met at a shelter while doing volunteer work, and soon became inseparable friends, but that after they fell in love, they never bothered to label each other as bisexual or lesbian, and just lived their relationship intensely. At seventeen, she suffered a severe blow when she discovered that her mother was cheating on her father with the pastor of the church. She and her mother stopped talking to each other, and suffering for not having the courage to reveal everything to her father, she could no longer live with him, and so decided to leave home and live with her girlfriend. At this time she was beginning her modeling career, and due to so many personal and professional pressures, Whitney began a process of alcoholic anorexia, which accompanied her throughout her life. Shortly after, her mother told Whitney's father the truth, and they divorced, but the singer never wanted to return to her home. Whitney and Robyn only split up because Whitney Houston's mother was against the relationship, and made the singer suffer a lot with constant harassment of her personal life, and the singer, after signing her first professional contract in 1983, and influenced by her mother, became afraid that the press would investigate her personal life and discover her sexuality, and thus her career would end. Thus, she moved out of her girlfriend's house and started living alone. She, at this time, tried to go back to church, advised by her mother, and even gave Robyn a Bible for her to convert, but both continued to be best friends for many years, until the singer's death.

In interviews, Bobby Brown revealed that Whitney and he had an extramarital affair for four years, and that he was not responsible for introducing psychoactive substances to her, as was always reported in the press, but had met her when she was a user. He revealed in interviews that he found out that Whitney was a drug user on her wedding day, because he broke the tradition that the bride and groom cannot see each other in character before the ceremony, but he felt the urge to see her, and looked for her at her house, when he saw her dressed as a bride, an hour before the ceremony, where he realized that she was snorting cocaine, which left him very surprised and shaken, because until then he only knew that she drank alcohol to excess and smoked many cigarettes, including cannabis sativa. Bobby revealed that he had the impulse not to give up the marriage because he wanted to protect Whitney, stating that in the beginning she controlled her addiction very well, so much so that in the four years of their extra-marital relationship, she never let him know about the harder drugs she used. Bobby said that after their marriage he also became addicted to cocaine, and that he was addicted for many years, but managed to quit. The singer also told that Whitney pretended to have had a miscarriage to make him guilty and marry her quickly. In interviews Whitney revealed that she did this out of fear of losing him, and because she wanted him to leave his wife to be with her, which worked out well, because, guilty as charged, Bobby left his wife and assumed their extramarital affair, and within six months they were married, getting very upset later with this lie. The singer also revealed in interviews that she was in love, but never loved him, and that her mother insisted that she marry soon, which would give her more personal security and prestige in her career. Bobby Brown has stated that he believes Whitney only married him to escape media speculation about his sexuality, where he stated that he always knew about his wife's bisexuality, and that he was always jealous of Robyn, with whom he did not speak, causing several fights with Whitney, asking her to fire Robyn, which she did, but rehired her without him knowing. Her ex-husband also revealed that when he and Whitney fought and separated temporarily, the singer would go out with other men and also other women, but mostly she would get back together with Robyn, who had always been Whitney's emotional support point. Bobby said that the first time there was a betrayal was on the singer's part, and that for a while they both kept an open marriage, but in a discreet way. In interviews, the singer revealed that she only wanted to get revenge for her husband's aggressions. Robyn tried several ways to make her friend and ex-girlfriend Whitney quit the substances she was using, and end her abusive marriage with Bobby, but all her attempts were in vain, which made her move away from her with time, a hard blow for Whitney. Bobby Brown told in interviews that he believed that if Whitney's love affair with her best friend was accepted by her family, she would still be alive, because she was the only girlfriend that Whitney Houston truly loved.

Due to the singer's personal troubles, Whitney and Robyn broke their professional contract in 2000, when Whitney slowed down her career to take care of her health, after being diagnosed with advanced atherosclerosis, a heart disease acquired due to the abuse of psychoactive substances, mainly due to the use of cocaine, a drug she used in larger quantities and for longer periods of time, which damaged her heart valves. This disease also manifested itself due to his lifestyle, where there was excessive alcohol and sedentary lifestyle. This health problem caused him shortness of breath, dizziness, headache, and generated a condition of heart failure. At this time, he opted to start managing part of his extensive estate to avoid greater professional stress.

Another controversy mentioned in the documentary Whitney, refers to the violence suffered by the singer and her brother Gary in their childhood, abuse committed by their cousin Dee Dee Warwick. The singer and her brother never commented to anyone in the family about this delicate subject, which was one of the factors that caused Whitney to develop severe depression. Whitney's mother has revealed in interviews that she does not believe this story, which caused her to disinherit the two children from her will. The mother not believing the abuse she suffered caused Whitney to have a worsening of her depression and develop panic syndrome. Another major controversy in the documentary concerns Whitney's father, who is accused of embezzling money from the singer's estate. They didn't speak to each other for many years and she sued him, but they got in touch again in the last years of his life.

Another controversy revolves around Whitney's troubled relationship with her daughter: The family's driver claimed that Whitney and her husband intensified their chemical dependency in the early 2000s, and that they started smoking crack and injecting heroin, and that when they were very upset, they did this in front of their daughter, inside the car, while their daughter was still a child. In another moment, he revealed that when Whitney and her husband were under the effect of these substances, they verbally and physically assaulted each other in front of their daughter, and soon afterwards, Bobby Brown, under the effects of the narcotics, would graffiti the walls of the mansion where they lived, threatening Whitney with death, and she would cry a lot and lock herself in her room or in the bathroom, She would then ingest barbiturates with psychoactive substances and alcohol, and would also cut herself, sometimes even attempting suicide, where the driver had to call the ambulance to help her, when she was fainting and bleeding, and sometimes containing her with the other employees, when the singer, crying and screaming, threatened to throw herself out of the fifth floor window of their mansion. It was also revealed that Whitney's mother tried several times to get custody of her granddaughter, but the singer always hired the best lawyers to win the case.

On the Oprah Winfrey show, Whitney revealed that she could get drugs anywhere: Her dealer pretended to be a fan, and gave her a pen to sign his autograph, but the pen had a removable bottom with the substance, and she kept it with her discreetly and went to the bathroom to use it. She revealed that fame has destroyed her life, and she never imagined that she would be voted the best voice on the planet. Whitney just wanted to raise her daughter in peace and have an ordinary family, she felt bad for not having time to follow her daughter's growth, and also because her husband thought she was more successful than he was, and she could clearly see that this hurt her male ego of wanting to protect her family. She revealed that at home she tried to diminish her importance so that her husband would feel in control, as men usually prefer, but it didn't always work out. She informed that almost every day she was beaten by her husband until she bled, hiding her wounds with bandages and a lot of make-up, and that her husband beat her even when he was sober, which was rare, because he drank a lot. She said that he was extremely jealous because Whitney made much more money than he did, and that Bobby was a very jealous man, and wanted her to give up her career to be the sole caretaker of their marriage, which she refused to do. In the interview she said that her husband became her drug, because, as much as she wanted to separate, she was afraid of him and always believed that he would change, confessing that she only felt passion in the beginning of the relationship, and that with time she developed a strong emotional dependence. Whitney said that in the last two years of her marriage, they both slept in separate bedrooms, and only talked occasionally, when they did drugs together, watching TV in the living room. In the most critical periods of her depression, the singer said that she would spend a whole month locked in her room, not seeing or talking to anyone, crying, listening to music, reading the Bible, and taking drugs, which she would buy in large quantities to keep in her closet. The singer also revealed that she went through several hospitalizations and detox and rehabilitation treatments, but the maximum period she could stay without using any drugs was only six months, and that she wasn't really a vain woman as she appeared to be in front of the cameras: She hated always having to wear dresses, make-up, lots of glitter and high heels, and that constantly being a character to please the music industry ruined her psychological health.

When Whitney Houston's daughter was fifteen years old, the young girl tried to stab her mother after she forbade her to go out with her friends, but after regretting having threatened her mother, the young girl attempted suicide by slitting her wrists, staying a few weeks in a psychiatric clinic. At this time, Whitney discovered that the girl was using drugs, which made their relationship much worse, causing her daughter to leave home and go live with her father, and later with her maternal grandmother. In interviews she revealed that her daughter gave her a lot of strength to get divorced, and that both were close friends, but that their relationship suffered many ups and downs. The singer and her daughter began to have sporadic contact over time. For a few moments they moved back together, but then they drifted apart again.

In June 2011 the singer was diagnosed with pulmonary emphysema and nodules on her vocal cords due to smoking, which forced her to step away from the stage and begin intense medical treatment. The disease caused her to go through profound changes in her melodic and harmonic voice, making it much deeper and a little hoarse, which began to displease the public, which made her more depressed every day: As much as she hated fame, she loved to sing. Whitney Houston began to neglect her treatment, giving more importance to drugs and alcohol. Her carelessness caused her to develop severe respiratory failure, and the disease progressed farther, contributing to her death.

The singer faced a lot of criticism regarding her career. Black critics accused her of being "too white", singing exclusively for a "white elite", and not representing "African-American rhythms". Whitney defended herself, revealing that she only chose the best songwriters to work with, and that she was no respecter of musical genre or color: she only chose to sing what touched her heart, also taking into account her vocal profile. This criticism shook the singer's self-esteem, and she always thought she wasn't doing the right thing.

Whitney Houston's last romantic relationship that became public was with the singer Ray J, a boy eighteen years younger. Both started dating in 2010 and suffered a lot of prejudice due to the age difference, and Whitney's family did not accept the relationship, also because they thought that this boyfriend only wanted the singer's money, although he was rich too. The couple had a troubled relationship, and went back and forth, with a history of betrayal, alcohol and drug abuse, and even aggression, since he was very jealous of her. Both of them were frequently seen in bars and nightclubs, and Whitney Houston's recurrent fights with several women in these places due to the great jealousy that she also felt from him, were also publicized. One of the controversies of this relationship was when, during one of the couple's turbulent separations, her boyfriend wanted to get back together with her, and Whitney did not want to go back to this abusive relationship, but he threatened to publish on the Internet intimate pictures of her, and also intimate videos of the couple, where Whitney was very upset with these threats, and did not want to see him again, but the singer's family sued him for threatening and defamation, which caused more fights between Whitney and her family, especially her mother, who did not want her to invade her life like that. However, by the time of her death, Whitney and Ray J had reconciled and were back together.

After her death, singer Jermaine Jackson, whom Whitney met in 1983 before her fame, where she was eventually the vocal baker in his band, confirmed to the media that he and the singer were lovers from 1984 to 1985. At this time Whitney was single, having only casual relationships, since she had been separated for a year from her ex-girlfriend Robyn Crawford, and had not yet met Bobby Brown. Jermaine and Whitney separated at her initiative, since the singer wanted him to separate from his wife, Hazel Gordy, so that he could take up a serious relationship with her, which he did not do. At the time, Michael Jackson, Jermaine's brother, and a close friend of Whitney, was against the extra-marital relationship. After a year apart, Jermaine and Whitney resumed the friendship they had before they got involved, and they sang together again, eventually, when there was some party or media event. Jermaine regretted that he was unable to attend the artist's funeral.

On February 9, 2012 Whitney visited singers Brandy and Monica, along with Clive Davis, at their rehearsals for the annual pre-Grammy party at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills. On the same day, Whitney made her last public appearance, along with Kelly Price, at a nightclub in Hollywood, California in a performance of the song Jesus Loves Me.

On February 11, 2012, Whitney was found dead in the bathtub of a Beverly Hills hotel room. Paramedics attempted to revive her, but without success. She was pronounced dead at around 3:55 p.m. UTC-8, Los Angeles local time. The Los Angeles Department of Forensic Medicine announced on March 22, 2012 that the official cause of death of the artist had been accidental drowning, although it revealed that there were indications of heart disease and traces of cocaine, which would have contributed to the death. The autopsy also found that the singer's nasal septum was perforated and that she had ingested a lot of barbiturates and cough syrup in the last three days leading up to her death, but that this did not directly impact her death, only made her more drowsy than usual, which may have discreetly contributed to the loss of reflexes that caused her to fall into the bathtub, facing the water.

The artist had abandoned her psychotherapy and her evangelical religion a few months before she died, where she had attended church since childhood, between comings and goings. In interviews, she revealed that when she prayed, her thoughts of suicide and cravings for alcohol and drugs would go away, but soon return.

At the time of his death, his depression had returned with force. At that time she was under psychiatric treatment, taking antidepressants and anxiolytics. One of the reasons for her relapse into addictions and the worsening of her depression was, among family fights, persecution and threats from her ex-husband, besides her love relationships that no longer worked after her divorce, was to discover that her only daughter was using drugs, where both started to fight daily, and she fought for her daughter to leave this path, trying to have her committed several times. All this made the artist withdraw from the church, from psychiatric and psychological treatment, she stopped talking to her friends and family, judging herself to be a terrible mother, which made her isolate herself socially and start using drugs again in an uncontrolled way.

Whitney had her memorial service held on February 18, 2012, at New Hope Baptist Church in Newark, New Jersey, the singer's hometown. Initially, the memorial was scheduled for two hours, but lasted four hours. Among those who honored Whitney at the funeral were Stevie Wonder, who sang a rewritten version of Ribbon in the Sky and Love's in Need of Love Today, CeCe Winans with Don't Cry for Me and Jesus Loves Me, Alicia Keys with Send Me an Angel, Kim Burrell with a rewritten version of A Change Is Gonna Come and R. Kelly with I Look to You, interspersed with hymns from the church choir and testimonials from Clive Davis, Whitney's producer; Kevin Costner; Ricky Minor, her musical director; her cousin Dionne Warwick and Ray Watson, her bodyguard for the last eleven years.

Whitney was buried on Sunday, February 19, at Fairview Cemetery in Westfield, New Jersey, next to her father, John Russell Houston, who died in 2003.

Bobbi Kristina's death

On January 31, 2015 the singer's daughter, Bobbi Kristina, was found, like her mother, drowned in a bathtub in her home in Atlanta, Georgia. Bobbi was taken unconscious to a hospital in Duluth, Georgia, where she was intubated to remain in an induced coma, in which she remained for six months fighting for her life. Her brain activity was minimal by the time she arrived at the hospital. Bobbi passed away on July 26, 2015, at the age of 22. Her funeral came to be held on August 1 at James United Methodist Church in Alpharetta, Georgia. The young woman was buried next to the graves of her mother and grandfather at Fairview Cemetery in Westfield, New Jersey.

The young woman had an improvement in her brain activity, and came out of the induced coma after five months in the hospital, and spent a week breathing without the aid of machines, but she had violent convulsive crises, and returned to the induced coma, but a month later had multiple organ failure.

The cause of death was accidental drowning due to an overdose of alcohol, cocaine, cannabis, morphine, and benzodiazepines - such situations caused him to develop pneumonia that proved fatal. At autopsy it was found that this pneumonia was caused by hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy.

The examiners were unable to ascertain whether her overdose was intentional, i.e. a suicide attempt, since the young woman was treating depression due to the death of her mother and difficulties in her marital relationship, or whether it was an accidental overdose. The reports considered that the motivation that led to her death was inconclusive.

Musical Style

In her songs Whitney Houston talks about spirituality, female power, strength, overcoming and mainly love. Her style is rooted in R&B, gospel, soul, and pop, complemented by electronic elements like keyboards and synthesizers.

Whitney began mixing pop and contemporary R&B on her third album, I'm Your Baby Tonight, bringing songs that were much more danceable or with more distinct R&B influences.

Still in the 80s, he started doing remixes of his songs, but it only became very frequent after the release of the album My Love is Your Love, which popularized the remix of I'ts Not Rught But I'ts Ok on dance floors around the world. Sometimes he re-recorded his vocals to compose remixes of some of his songs as in I'm Every Woman (1992), My Love is Your Love (1998) and I Learned From The Best (1998). He has worked with several DJs and producers throughout his career, which has helped significantly in popularizing remixed songs. His main musical influences are Aretha Franklin, Dionne Warwick, Stevie Wonder and Luther Vandross all R&B and Soul singers.

Whitney, for singing predominantly R&B, was eventually given the title Queen of R&B and recognized worldwide as such.

Nicknamed The Voice, Whitney Houston is considered to have been one of the most beautiful and powerful voices in the history of world music. Her vocal range is classified as mezzosoprano, with a 4 octave vocal register (A2-A5-A6), and her main strong vocal characteristics are melismas, vibrato and transitions.

Whitney, during the course of her career, went through various stages of voice. She started her career as a soprano spinto, and later became a mezzosoprano, with a heavier and more powerful timbre. In 2003, the American MTV together with Blender Magazine named her the third greatest singer among the 22 Greatest Voices in music by online voting and by readers of the magazine.

In 2008, Whitney was listed in Rolling Stone in the 34th position of the 100 greatest singers of all time, stating that few vocalists could sing 45 seconds of the opening of a song unaccompanied by instruments (acapella), making mention of Whitney's version of I Will Always Love You. In her review of the album I Look To You, music critic Ann Powers of the Los Angeles Times wrote that Whitney's voice inspired the careers of many singers, and claimed that when she was at her best, nothing could compete with her mezzosoprano talent.

Whitney's vocal style has been significant in the music industry and has influenced generations. She has been called the "Queen of Pop" for her influence in the 1990s, feuding commercially with Celine Dion and Mariah Carey. Stephen Holden of The New York Times, in his review of the concert held at Radio City Music Hall on July 20, 1993, highly praised Whitney's attitude as a singer, writing that Whitney Houston is one of the few contemporary pop stars who can be said to have enough of a voice. While other artists, who sell millions of albums, resort to pyrotechnic tricks, Whitney preferred to stand there and sing. Elysa Gardner of the Los Angeles Times in her review for "The Preacher's Wife" soundtrack praised Whitney's vocal ability highly, commenting: She is first and foremost a pop diva, the best we have.

Vocal registers

A 2(A 2(B flat 2(B 2(C 3(C sharp 3(C#3) in the song "Try it On My Own" from the Just Whitney Album.

C 6(C6) in the song "Someone For Me" from the Whitney Houston album, C 6(C sharp 6(D 6(D6) in the performance of the song "I Am Changing in New York", D 6(E flat 6(E flat 6(F sharp 6(F#6) and G 6(G6) in the performance of the song "My name is not Suzan" in 1991 during the "I'm your baby tonight world tour"; G sharp 6(G#6) and A 6(A6) in the performance of the song "I Wanna Dance With Somebody" in Brunei in 1996.

During the 1980s, MTV received harsh criticism for not playing enough videos of black artists. With Michael Jackson breaking the skin color barrier for black male artists, Whitney did the same for black female artists. She became one of the few black female artists to receive high net exposure after the success of the video for "How Will I Know".

After Whitney's breakthrough, other African American female artists, such as Janet Jackson and Anita Baker, were successful in popular music. Baker commented that because of what Whitney did, there was a greater acceptance to her work and radio stations, ceased to be taboo for black female singers. Allmusic also noted her contribution to the success of black artists on the pop scene, commenting that Whitney is able to handle ballads, pop dance and soul with equal dexterity, becoming one of the first black artists to find success on MTV along with Michael Jackson. The New York Times stated that Whitney was an important icon for the black music movement and that she recognized the continuity of the soul, pop, jazz and gospel vocal tradition. Richard Corliss of TIME magazine commented on the success of her first album: "Her first album there are ten tracks, six of which were ballads. She was a phenomenon waiting to happen. And because each new star creates her own genre, her success helped other black women." Mary J. Blige said that Whitney invited her on stage during VH1 Divas Live in 1999 and this opened doors for her work all over the world.

According to The New York Times, Whitney revitalized the gospel tradition. Ann Powers of the Los Angeles Times refers to Whitney as a national treasure. "She is what many consider to be a singer, and therefore has influenced countless other vocalists, both female and male." Similarly, Steve Huey of Allmusic wrote that the shape of Whitney's prodigious technique still influences almost every pop singer - male or female - and has spawned a legion of imitators. Rolling Stone, in its biography, stated that Whitney redefined the image of a female soul icon. Essence Magazine ranked Whitney Houston as the fifth greatest R&B star of all time, calling her "The Diva."

Throughout her career Whitney has sold nearly 200 million albums, singles, and videos worldwide, making her one of the most successful artists in the history of world music. The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) lists Whitney Houston as the fourth highest selling female artist in the United States, with more than 55 million copies.

With the soundtrack to "The Bodyguard" it managed to stay at the top of the Billboard Magazine Hot 200 for 20 consecutive weeks. The album sold about 45 million copies worldwide and also generated the great hit I Will Always Love You, which remained at the top of the Hot 100 for 14 consecutive weeks, something that had never happened before.

Influence

To this day - even after her death - Whitney Houston's style and vocal ability has a significant impact on popular music and influences new singers around the world, and a number of artists have recognized Whitney as an influence. Mariah Carey, who has often been compared to Whitney, said: Houston has been a great influence on me. Later, in an interview with USA Today Mariah said, "none of us would have the same sound if Aretha Franklin or Whitney Houston had never released a record. Brandy stated, "Whitney Houston's first CD was genius. That CD introduced the world to her angelic, powerful voice. Without Whitney half of this generation of singers would not be singers," choosing Whitney's first album as inspiration. Jennifer Hudson cites her as her greatest musical influence. She told Newsday that she learned from Whitney the "difference between being able to sing and knowing how to sing." Leona Lewis, who has often been compared to Whitney, also cites her as an influence and said that she idolized her as a girl. During Celebrating Black Music in June 2006, Kelly Rowland told Ebony that she wanted to be a singer after seeing Whitney Houston singing Greatest Love of All on TV. "I wanted to sing like Whitney Houston in that red dress" Rowland said. Beyoncé Knowles told the Globe and Mail that Whitney inspired her to get out there and do what she does. Alicia Keys, in an interview about her new studio album with Billboard magazine, also said that Whitney was an artist who inspired her since she was a little girl. During the interview Lady Gaga said that Whitney Houston has been one of her "vocal idols" for years. In an interview with IBN Live Gaga revealed that time and again she used to listen to the version made by Whitney for "The Star Spangled Banner". At the 2011 Grammy Awards, Lady Gaga said that she wrote the song "Born This Way" with Whitney's voice in mind.

At the release of the Femme Fatale album, Britney Spears stated that Whitney was one of the powerful women who influenced her to release this album.

Celine Dion, Toni Braxton, Kelly Clarkson, Britney Spears,Hilary Duff Jennifer Hudson, Amerie, Regine Velasquez, Lady Gaga, and Charice have all cited Whitney Houston as a musical influence.

Awards

Whitney Houston is the most awarded artist of all time, according to Guinness World Records, with 2 Emmy Awards, 7 Grammy Awards, 16 Billboard Music Awards and 22 American Music Awards. In her entire career Whitney, has amassed a total of 500 awards by 2013. She holds the record, along with Michael Jackson, of eight American Music Awards won in a single night. Whitney also received eleven Billboard Music Awards in 1993. She also holds the record for the most WMAs won in a single edition, with five awards at the 6th World Music Awards in 1994. In May 2003, VH1 listed the "50 Greatest Women of the Video Age" and Whitney was ranked #3 behind only Madonna and Janet Jackson. She was also ranked #116 on the list of the "200 Greatest Pop Culture Icons of All Time". In 2008, Billboard magazine released a list of the Greatest Artists of All Time, to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the US Hot 100 singles chart. Whitney ranked ninth on the list. Similarly, she is ranked as one of the 100 Greatest Artists of All Time by VH1 in September 2010. In November 2010, Billboard published a list with the 50 Greatest R&B Artists

Whitney's debut album was listed as one of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time by Rolling Stone magazine and is on the list of the 200 definitive albums in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. In 2004, Billboard chose the chart success of his first album to name it one of the 110 musical milestones in its history. In 1997, the Franklin School in East Orange, New Jersey was renamed The Whitney E. Houston Academy School of Creative and Performing Arts. In 2001, Whitney was the first recipient of the special BET Lifetime Achievement Award. In 2007, USA Today stated that Whitney's debut in the music industry is considered one of the twenty-five musical milestones of the last 25 years.

Whitney Houston is also one of the most successful artists in the history of music having sold more than 200 million copies worldwide. She is the fourth best-selling female artist in the United States according to the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), with 55 million certified albums in the USA alone.

Whitney Houston, also had an Honorary Doctorate in Humanities from Grambling State University, Louisiana.

Parallel to her career, Whitney has also developed a charity work with the non-profit Whitney Houston for Children Foundation, a charity she created in 1989 to help children in need and victims of AIDS and cancer. The foundation also raises funds for needy children around the world and often hosts charity concerts. Just one show televised by HBO in 1997, Classic Whitney, which generated $300,000 for charity projects. Houston also supports college education funds for blacks and NGOs to assist children with diabetes and AIDS. Whitney has dedicated time and money to social causes since she was working as a model. At that time, she refused to work for agencies that did business with South Africa, due to the apartheid regime.

In 1991 she recorded a version of the American national anthem "The Star Spangled Banner," which became a hit and sold 1 million copies. Whitney donated the money from the sales to the Red Cross. In 2001, due to the terrorist attacks of September 11, the single "The Star Spangled Banner" was re-released and became a top seller on the US charts in October of that year, grossing over 1 million dollars. The money raised was donated to funds to support the New York City fire and police departments.

In February 2004, Whitney donated one million rubles to the Russian Aid Fund to help the victims of a terrorist attack on the Moscow subway. The funds were created by her performances in Moscow that year.

On May 8, 2008 Whitney attended the Caudwell Children's Legend Ball charity event in London to raise funds for the charity. The charity's founder, John Caudwell, in an interview with Marie Claire magazine said, "We are thrilled to have a performer of Whitney's caliber at our event."

Whitney participated, together with her sister-in-law, in a project to develop a line of scented candles. Part of the money from the sales was donated to Teen Summit, through The Patricia Houston Foundation, which develops a program with the objective of rebuilding and recovering the lives of young people and adults.

Whitney Houston was honored for her philanthropic work in 1995 by the VH1 Honors. In 1997, she received "The First Annual Triumphant SPIRIT Awards" from Essence Magazine and in 1998 the Trumpet Awards, all in recognition of her humanitarian work.

Throughout her career Whitney Houston has supported many humanitarian causes:

Studio Albums

To promote her debut album, Whitney Houston began her first world tour on July 26, 1986, The Greatest Love Tour, which visited North America, Europe, Japan and Australia.

Her second world tour was The Moment of Truth World Tour, which began in North America on July 4 in Tampa, Florida, where Whitney sang to over 70,000 people, and continued through 1988 in Europe, Japan, Hong Kong, and Australia. Especially in Europe, Whitney visited 12 countries, performing to over half a million fans, including nine consecutive nights at London's Wembley Arena. The tour was one of the ten most profitable tours of the year, and the North American leg alone grossed over $24 million, enough to make her the second highest earning artist of the year according to Forbes Magazine. Her next tour was the regional Feels So Right Japan Tour in 1990, with fourteen shows, and the I'm Your Baby World Tour in 1991, which toured North America, Europe and Japan, with a series of over 100 shows. The tour began in the United States with the Welcome Home Heroes with Whitney Houston concert on March 31, in Norfolk, Virginia. The special was aired on HBO, dedicated to the troops who fought in the Gulf War.

With the huge success of the movie The Bodyguard and its soundtrack, Whitney embarked on The Bodyguard World Tour, which was much broader than her previous tours and lasted through 1993 and 1994, with a series of more than 120 shows around the world. The tour began July 5 in Miami, Florida and toured, in addition to North America, Europe, Japan, South America including Brazil, and South Africa. The tour was a huge success and grossed more than $119 million, making it one of the most lucrative tours in history. Whitney played five consecutive nights of shows at the famous Radio City Music Hall in New York City and then six nights at the Sands Hotel & Casino in Atlantic City.

In 1997 Whitney embarked on the regional Pacific Rim Tour, and made her first visit to Thailand and Taiwan.

After the success of the My Love Is Your Love album, Whitney embarked on a new world tour in 1999 to promote her new work. The My Love is Your Love World Tour was the biggest box office hit of the year in Europe and was attended by almost half a million people.

In 2004 Whitney started the Soul Divas Tour, along with Dionne Warwick and Natalie Cole. The tour began July 7 in Hamburg, Germany and toured Russia, the United Arab Emirates, Thailand and the People's Republic of China, with sold-out shows.

In 2010 Whitney embarked on her final tour to promote the album I Look to You. The Nothing But Love World Tour, was Whitney's first world tour in over 10 years and visited Europe, Asia and Australia. It raised more than $36 million with a series of 50 shows.

World tours

In January 1994, Whitney Houston was in Brazil, during The Bodyguard World Tour, doing two shows in São Paulo, one at Morumbi Stadium on January 16th, and another one at Olympia on January 18th. On January 23rd, she took part in the Hollywood Rock event in Rio de Janeiro, where she sang big hits like: "Saving All My Love For You", "I Wanna Dance With Somebody", "Love Will Save The Day", "How Will I Know", "I Have Nothing", "I'm Every Woman" and "I Will Always Love You", driving a crowd of fans to delirium.

In Portugal

Whitney Houston gave a single concert in Portugal, on July 5, 1998, in Estádio de Alvalade, and the show is remembered by the Portuguese for saying during the concert, "Hello, Spain!

In 2001 Whitney Houston produced the movie The Princess Diaries and the sequel The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement in 2004. Whitney also produced in 2003 The Cheetah Girls (Disney Channel Original Movie), a musical based on the books by Deborah Gregory. The movie, starring Raven-Symoné, tells the story of 4 girls who dream of being superstars and create the group Cheetah Girls. The Cheetah's are rehearsing for the school talent show when they are discovered by the famous music producer Jackal Johnson.

In 2006, Whitney also produced the sequel to the film, The Cheetah Girls 2, which featured a hectic trip of the four singers to Spain.

Sources

1. Whitney Houston
2. Whitney Houston
3. ^ "Saving All My Love for You", "How Will I Know", "Greatest Love of All", "I Wanna Dance with Somebody (Who Loves Me)", "Didn't We Almost Have It All", "So Emotional" and "Where Do Broken Hearts Go"
4. [[1]]
5. a b c d e f g SteveS. Huey SteveS., Whitney Houston – Biography [online], Cytat: Genre: R&B Styles: Adult Contemporary, Contemporary R&B, Dance-Pop, Adult Contemporary R&B, Pop  (ang.).
6. Behind the glitter and glitz, the real Dolly Parton shines. Seattle Post-Intelligencer. [dostęp 2012-02-13]. (ang.).
7. RIAA – Gold & Platinum – July 29, 2010. riaa.com. [zarchiwizowane z tego adresu (2007-11-10)]..
8. 1 2 Whitney Houston // Encyclopædia Britannica (англ.)
9. Whitney Houston // Nederlandse Top 40
10. SingersAvenue - Whitney Houston’s Vocal Profile (Queen Of R&B)  (неопр.). Дата обращения: 13 марта 2015. Архивировано 28 февраля 2015 года.
11. Биография на официальном сайте Уитни Хьюстон  (неопр.). Дата обращения: 26 декабря 2009. Архивировано из оригинала 19 января 2010 года.