Whitney Houston

Whitney Elizabeth Houston (August 9, 1963 – February 11, 2012) was an American singer, actress, film producer, and philanthropist. Nicknamed "the Voice", she is one of the most awarded entertainers of all time, having been inducted into numerous halls of fame. Her crossover appeal on popular music charts and her performances influenced the breaking down of racial barriers and popular culture. Houston has been recognized for her vocal delivery, distinctive timbre, and for popularizing the use of gospel singing techniques in pop music. In 2023, ''Rolling Stone'' ranked her second on their list of the greatest singers of all time. Houston has sold over 220 million records worldwide, becoming one of the best-selling music artists in history. She also enhanced her popularity by producing and starring in multicultural movies. Her life and career have been the subject of multiple documentaries and television specials.

Houston began singing at New Hope Baptist Church in Newark, New Jersey, as a child and became a background vocalist while in high school. She was one of the first black women to appear on the cover of ''Seventeen'' after becoming a teen model in 1981. With the guidance of Arista Records chairman Clive Davis, Houston signed to the label at age 19. Her first two studio albums, ''Whitney Houston'' (1985) and ''Whitney'' (1987), both peaked at number one on the ''Billboard'' 200 and are among the best-selling albums of all time. She is the only artist to have seven consecutive number-one singles on ''Billboard'' Hot 100 since 1988. Her third studio album, ''I'm Your Baby Tonight'' (1990), yielded two US number-one singles, the title track and "All the Man That I Need". Houston's rendition of "The Star-Spangled Banner" at Super Bowl XXV in 1991 received widespread media coverage.

Houston made her acting debut with the romantic thriller film ''The Bodyguard'' (1992), which despite its mixed reviews became the tenth highest-grossing film to that date. Its soundtrack won the Grammy Award for Album of the Year and remains the bestselling soundtrack album of all time. The lead single "I Will Always Love You" won the Grammy Award for Record of the Year and became the best-selling female single in history. Houston went on to star and record soundtracks for the films ''Waiting to Exhale'' (1995) and ''The Preacher's Wife'' (1996). The former soundtrack scored her 11th ''Billboard'' Hot 100 number-one single, "Exhale (Shoop Shoop)", while the latter, produced by Houston herself, became the bestselling gospel album of all time. In 1998, Houston released her first studio album in eight years, ''My Love Is Your Love,'' which critics considered one of her best albums''.'' As a film producer, she produced hit series such as ''The Princess Diaries,'' ''The Cheetah Girls'' and movies such as ''Cinderella'' (1997) and ''Sparkle'' (2012)''.''

Following the success, she renewed her contract with Arista Records for $100 million in 2001, one of the biggest recording deals of all time. However, her personal problems began to overshadow her music career. Her 2002 studio album, ''Just Whitney'', received mixed reviews, while her drug use and a tumultuous marriage to singer Bobby Brown received widespread media coverage. After divorcing Brown, Houston returned to the top of the ''Billboard'' 200 chart with her final studio album, ''I Look to You'' (2009). In February 2012, Houston accidentally drowned in a bathtub at the Beverly Hilton hotel in Beverly Hills, with heart disease and cocaine use as contributing factors. News of her death coincided with the 2012 Grammy Awards, which took place the day following her death, and was covered internationally along with her memorial service. Coverage of Houston's death was ranked as the most memorable entertainment event in television history, according to a study by Sony Electronics and the Nielsen Television Research Company. Her assets amounted to $250 million, earned over a 25-year career. Provided by Wikipedia