Whitney Houston, the multimillion-selling singer who emerged in the 1980s as one of her generation’s greatest R & B voices, died on Saturday in Beverly Hills, Calif. She was 48. Her death came as the music industry descended on Los Angeles for the annual celebration of the Grammy Awards, and Ms. Houston was one of its queens. She was staying at the Beverly Hilton hotel on Saturday to attend a pre-Grammy party being hosted by Clive Davis, the founder of Arista Records, who had been her pop mentor.
Whitney Houston was born on Aug. 9, 1963, in Newark. She sang in church, and as a teenager in the 1970s and early 1980s, she worked as a backup studio singer. Clive Davis signed her after hearing her perform in a New York City nightclub, and spent two years supervising production of the album “Whitney Houston,” which was released in 1985. From the start of her career , Ms. Houston had the talent, looks and pedigree of a pop superstar. She was the daughter of Cissy Houston, a gospel and pop singer who had backed up Aretha Franklin, the cousin of Dionne Warwick. (Ms. Franklin is Ms. Houston's godmother.) Ms. Houston’s range spanned three octaves, and her voice was plush, vibrant and often spectacular. She could pour on the exuberant flourishes of gospel or peal a simple pop chorus; she could sing sweetly or unleash a sultry rasp.
All of Ms. Houston’s studio albums were million-sellers, and two have sold more than 10 million copies in the United States alone: her 1985 debut album and the 1992 soundtrack to “The Bodyguard,” which includes “I Will Always Love You.” Besides her daughter Bobbi Kristina, now 18, Ms. Houston is survived by her mother.
Whitney has won 38 awards including (but not limited to) 5 Grammys, 17 American Music Awards, 5 Billboard Awards, and, 7 Soul Train Music Awards.
"Greatest Love Of All"
"Where Do Broken Hearts Go"
"I WIll Always Love You"
