We Will Always Love you Whitney …
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.
At her peak, Ms. Houston was the golden girl of the music industry. From the mid-’80s to the late 1990s, she was one of the world’s best-selling artists, wowing 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 influenced a generation of younger singers, from Christina Aguilera to Mariah Carey. But by the end of her career, Ms. Houston became a stunning cautionary tale of the toll of drug use. Her album sales plummeted and the hits stopped coming. She confessed to abusing cocaine, marijuana and pills, and her once pristine voice became raspy and hoarse.
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.
Ms. Houston first started singing in the church as a child. In her teens, she sang backup for Chaka Khan and Jermaine Jackson, among others. It was around that time when music mogul Clive Davis first heard her perform.
Ms. Houston made her album debut in 1985 with “Whitney Houston.” “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.
Read on to see what other celebs tweeted about the sad news
Katy Perry: “So devastating. We will always love you Whitney, R.I.P.”
Nicki Minaj: “Jesus Christ, not Whitney Houston. Greatest of all time.”
Justin Bieber: “just heard the news. so crazy. One of the GREATEST VOICES EVER just passed. RIP Whitney Houston. My prayers go out to her friends and family”
Demi Lovato: This can’t be true… One of my idols gone?? No. This is so unbelievably sad… #RIPWhitneyHouston
Rihanna: “No words! Just tears #DearWhitney”
Mariah Carey: “Heartbroken and in tears over the shocking death of my friend, the incomparable Ms. Whitney Houston. My heartfelt condolences to Whitney’s family and to all her millions of fans throughout the world. She will never be forgotten as one of the greatest voices to ever grace the earth.”
Kevin Jonas: Watching the events on @CNN this is so sad and crazy.
Ariana Grande: R.I.P Whitney Houston… Thank you for your music and for inspiring me to sing. <3 I love you with all my heart forever.
Around the world mourning and loss figure diva,
We will always love you Whitney …
