1. Iconic singer Whitney Houston takes her final bow and passes into
legend: 1963-2012
By Robert Foreman
Passaic County Pulse
If I should stay, I would only be in your way. So I'll go, but I know I'll think of you ev'ry step
of the way. And I will always love you. I will always love you. You, my darling you. Hmm.
Bittersweet memories that is all I'm taking with me. So, goodbye. Please, don't cry. We both know
I'm not what you need.
When Whitney Houston first sang those lyrics in 1992, little did anyone know that 'I Will
Always Love You' would become a cultural phenomenon and launch her into the stratosphere of the
entertainment industry. In a career that spanned over 25 years, Houston went through great peaks
and valleys, which included platinum-selling albums, number one hits, a tumultuous marriage and
a very public battle with substance abuse. Although she went from being America's Sweetheart to
a repeated target of comedians' jokes and media scrutiny, Houston always held tight to her faith in
God, be it in her personal life or her music. Perhaps, it was Houston's ability to stand tall in the face
of adversity that made so many people continually root for her to find that elusive 'Hollywood
happy ending.'
Sadly, the final chapter of Houston's story would have no happy ending. On February 11th,
2012, the Grammy-winner was discovered dead in the bathtub of a Beverly Hills hotel room, prior
to her mentor Clive Davis' annual pre-Grammy party. The party, which was being held in the same
hotel, would become a semi-tribute for Houston, as her body was being removed. The Grammy
Awards received their highest ratings in years, as people tuned in to see the award show's solemn
remembrance of Houston the following night. As the news of Houston's passing spread across the
globe, many of her fans, peers and supporters grieved the passing of an icon, but they also reflected
on how the 'skinny girl from New Jersey' changed the course of music history.
From the moment she released her debut album, 'Whitney Houston,' in 1985, it became
apparent that Houston was unlike any singer that had come before or since. She had regal beauty,
massive vocal range and versatility, unbelievable stage presence and a megawatt star power that
was unmatched by any other female singer. Over the course of her career, Houston would inspire
other singers, male and female, including Mariah Carey, Celine Dion, Beyonce, Robin Thicke,
Jennifer Hudson, Mary J. Blige, Rihanna, R. Kelly, Toni Braxton, Britney Spears, LeAnn Rimes
and countless others.
Born in Newark, Houston was raised in East Orange and she came with an impressive
musical pedigree. Her mother, Cissy, is a Grammy-winning gospel/R&B singer, who did
background vocals for the likes of Elvis Presley, Mahalia Jackson and Whitney's unofficial
godmother, Aretha Franklin. Houston's cousin, Dionne Warwick, is a legend in her own right.
From her earliest church solos, it was apparent that Houston was born to sing. She took her first
steps into the entertainment industry as a model, becoming one of the first African-American

2. women to appear on the cover of such magazines as Seventeen. Eventually, she began singing
background vocals for various artists, including Lou Rawls, Jermaine Jackson and Chaka Khan.
Houston appeared on Khan's hit song 'I'm Every Woman,' which she would record herself years
later. But Houston's big break came when she was discovered by Davis when he watched her
perform in a nightclub act alongside her mother.
After being signed to Arista Records, Houston, a mezzo soprano, was carefully groomed by
Davis, who would go on to call her his 'greatest discovery.' At her peak, Houston ruled the music
charts and was fittingly dubbed 'The Voice.' Her first album was, at the time, the biggest selling
debut album by a solo artist and it spawned such classics as 'You Give Good Love,' 'Saving All My
Love For You', 'How Will I Know' and 'The Greatest Love of All.'
Her second album, 'Whitney,' became the first album by a female singer to debut at No. 1 on
the charts and it spawned more hits, including 'I Wanna Dance With Somebody (Who Loves Me),'
'So Emotional,' 'Didn't We Almost Have It All' and 'Where Do Broken Hearts Go?' Between her
first two albums Houston scored 7 consecutive No. 1 hits, the first, and only, singer to ever
accomplish that feat. Houston would release other studio albums, including 'I'm Your Baby
Tonight,' 'My Love is Your Love,' 'Just Whitney' and her final album in 2009, 'I Look To You,'
which debuted at number one around the world.
With her model looks and star power, it was inevitable that Hollywood would come calling for
Houston's services, and in 1992 she made her movie debut in The Bodyguard. She would follow
that up with Waiting to Exhale and The Preacher's Wife. Her final film, a remake of the cult classic
Sparkle, is set to be released over the summer. Naturally, Houston recorded new music for all of
her films. Her most successful being The Bodyguard soundtrack, which, to date, has sold over 44
million copies and still stands as the best-selling soundtrack of all time. Houston recorded six
songs for the album, including the remakes of Dolly Parton's country hit, 'I Will Always Love You,'
and Khan's 'I'm Every Woman.' Other songs she recorded for the soundtrack were 'I Have
Nothing,' 'Run to You,' 'Queen of the Night' and 'Jesus Loves Me.'
Houston's pristine 'good girl' image began to unravel during her marriage to R&B bad-boy
Bobby Brown. With constant reports of marital infidelity, spousal abuse, missed concert dates and
drugs, not to mention Brown's arrests, court appearances and jail stints, Houston's personal life and
career seemed to go into a freefall. Houston's tailspin continued with an infamous interview with
Diane Sawyer on Primetime Live and the ill-advised reality show, Being Bobby Brown. Houston
and Brown would eventually divorce in 2007. The marriage produced one child, 18-year-old
Bobbi-Kristina Houston Brown, who was briefly hospitalized for anxiety and exhaustion
following her mother's death.
But despite all of the tabloid headlines, Houston's final legacy will be that voice. During her
peak, she was considered the best live singer on the planet, and she was one of the few singers who
actually sounded better in concert than she did on her albums. For a generation of music buyers
who came of age during Houston's darkest days that may seem unbelievable. But one only has to
go back and watch any of her live performances from the 80's and 90's to see why she was, and still
is, considered the benchmark by which all other singers are measured against. Her rendition of the
'Star Spangled Banner,' from the 1991 Super Bowl, is still considered to be among the greatest
ever performed and any singer who tackles it is always compared to Houston. While Houston was
criticized for the national anthem being pre-recorded, she sang it live later that same year during
her Welcome Home Heroes concert on HBO and silenced the critics.

3. Throughout the years, and even now with her passing, it is not uncommon to find someone who
says that Houston's music was the soundtrack to their life. There was just something about
Houston's voice that could make even the most mundane of lyrics resonate with power. While her
once-angelic voice was damaged by years of substance abuse, as well as age, it still had a quality to
it that was still unmistakably Houston. Although she was lambasted by some fans and critics for
not being able to belt the notes the way she once could, there were times when one might catch a
rare glimpse of the 'old Whitney' during a performance. But despite the dulled power of her voice
in recent years, Houston still amassed a legacy that few singers will ever be able to touch.
In total, she released 7 studio albums, 3 soundtracks, a Christmas album entitled, 'One Wish'
and two greatest hits compilations, selling over 170 million albums & singles worldwide. (That
number is currently rising as her album sales have skyrocketed since her death) Over the course of
her storied career, Houston tallied up 415 awards, more than any other female singer in history. In
fact, the Guinness Book of World Records has called her 'the most awarded female act of all-time,'
which includes 7 Grammy Awards, 31 Billboard Music Awards, a record-setting 22 American
Music Awards and 2 Emmy Awards. She also produced for television and film, including the hit
television remake of Rogers & Hammerstein's Cinderella.
When one thinks of Houston's passing, it is hard not to think of the loss of another musical
icon; Michael Jackson. In the 80's and 90's, Jackson and Houston reigned as the King and Queen of
Pop music. Together, they were the first African-American artists to not only transcend race and
musical genres, but become global superstars in the process. They struggled with personal
demons, were hounded by the press and died when they appeared to be on the cusp of making
career comebacks. Houston discussed Jackson's death during her 2009 interview on The Oprah
Winfrey Show, and spoke of taping an appearance for his 30th Anniversary Celebration, where
both of the music icons appeared frail. The singer noted to Winfrey that she looked at Jackson, and
then at herself, and thought "No, I don't want this to be like this. This can't happen. Not both of us."
Little did anyone know that both Houston and Jackson would be lost to the world, less than three
years apart.
However, unlike Jackson there would be no huge, public memorial for Houston. Instead,
Houston's family opted for a private funeral at Newark's New Hope Baptist Church, where the
singer first honed her voice on gospel. The four-hour funeral, which was filled with tears and
laughter, was streamed live around the world and was a true celebration of Houston, the person, as
well as the icon. Numerous celebrity, media and political figures attended the invitation-only
service, including Kevin Costner, Houston's co-star in The Bodyguard, Stevie Wonder, Newark
Mayor Cory Booker, Oprah Winfrey, R. Kelly, Diane Sawyer, the Winans’ family, Clive Davis,
Tyler Perry and Alicia Keys, to name a few. Houston's ex-husband, Bobby Brown, also attended,
but left under a cloud of controversy. Governor Chris Christie, who ordered all flags on the state's
government buildings to fly at half-staff the day of Houston's funeral, was also in attendance. In
the most moving moment of the funeral, pallbearers carried Houston's casket from the church, as
her recording of ‘I Will Always Love You' filled the air. The singer was buried in Westfield, next to
her father, the following day.
While many were shocked by Houston's sudden death, few were surprised. For like Michael
Jackson, Elvis Presley and Billie Holiday before her, Houston was blessed with extraordinary
talent, while simultaneously appearing cursed with both great heartbreak and, at times,
self-destructive behavior. While an autopsy has been done, an ultimate determination of what
caused Houston's death is still weeks away. But, regardless, of what the report concludes about her

4. last moments, her place in the pantheon of musical legends is secure. So, as her fans, peers and
critics debate the merits of her record-setting legacy, Houston is now free to do in death what she
could never seem to do in the final years of her life. Whitney can finally exhale.