Whitney Houston dead

[angel91604]

My aunt used to be her biggest fan. A sad lost for the music world!!!!!!!!!

LOS ANGELES – Whitney Houston, who reigned 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, has died, Fox News confirms. She was 48.

Publicist Kristen Foster said Saturday that the singer had died.

The Beverly Hills Police Department responded to an emergency call at the Beverly Hills Hotel Saturday, Lt. Mark Rosen, of the Bevery Hills Police Department said.

Oct. 28, 2006: In this photo, musician Whitney Houston arrives at the 17th Carousel of Hope Ball benefiting the Barbara Davis Center for Childhood Diabetes in Beverly Hills, Calif.

Feb. 11, 2012: This photo shows a crime lab automobile outside of the Beverly Hills Hilton in Beverly Hills, California.

Members of hotel staff and fire department officials attempted to revive a person on the fourth floor, who has since been confirmed to be Houston, Rosen said.

Officials did not see obvious signs of criminal intent, and are currently investigating to determine the cause of death, he said.

At her peak, Houston the golden girl of the music industry. From the middle 1980s to the late 1990s, she was one of the world's best-selling artists. She wowed 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 had the he perfect voice, and the perfect image: a gorgeous singer who had sex appeal but was never overtly sexual, who maintained perfect poise.

She influenced a generation of younger singers, from Christina Aguilera to Mariah Carey, who when she first came out sounded so much like Houston that many thought it was Houston.

But by the end of her career, Houston became a stunning cautionary tale of the toll of drug use. Her album sales plummeted and the hits stopped coming; her once serene image was shattered by a wild demeanor and bizarre public appearances. She confessed to abusing cocaine, marijuana and pills, and her once pristine voice became raspy and hoarse, unable to hit the high notes as she had during her prime.

"The biggest devil is me. I'm either my best friend or my worst enemy," Houston told ABC's Diane Sawyer in an infamous 2002 interview with then-husband Brown by her side.

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.

Houston first started singing in the church as a child. In her teens, she sang backup for Chaka Khan, Jermaine Jackson and others, in addition to modeling. It was around that time when music mogul Clive Davis first heard Houston perform.

"The time that I first saw her singing in her mother's act in a club ... it was such a stunning impact," Davis told "Good Morning America."

"To hear this young girl breathe such fire into this song. I mean, it really sent the proverbial tingles up my spine," he added.

Before long, the rest of the country would feel it, too. Houston made her album debut in 1985 with "Whitney Houston," which sold millions and spawned hit after hit. "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.

Another multiplatinum album, "Whitney," came out in 1987 and included hits like "Where Do Broken Hearts Go" and "I Wanna Dance With Somebody."

The New York Times wrote that Houston "possesses one of her generation's most powerful gospel-trained voices, but she eschews many of the churchier mannerisms of her forerunners. She uses ornamental gospel phrasing only sparingly, and instead of projecting an earthy, tearful vulnerability, communicates cool self-assurance and strength, building pop ballads to majestic, sustained peaks of intensity."

Her decision not to follow the more soulful inflections of singers like Franklin drew criticism by some who saw her as playing down her black roots to go pop and reach white audiences. The criticism would become a constant refrain through much of her career. She was even booed during the "Soul Train Awards" in 1989.

"Sometimes it gets down to that, you know?" she told Katie Couric in 1996. "You're not black enough for them. I don't know. You're not R&B enough. You're very pop. The white audience has taken you away from them."

Some saw her 1992 marriage to former New Edition member and soul crooner Bobby Brown as an attempt to refute those critics. It seemed to be an odd union; she was seen as pop's pure princess while he had a bad-boy image, and already had children of his own. (The couple had a daughter, Bobbi Kristina, in 1993.) Over the years, he would be arrested several times, on charges ranging from DUI to failure to pay child support.

But Houston said their true personalities were not as far apart as people may have believed.

"When you love, you love. I mean, do you stop loving somebody because you have different images? You know, Bobby and I basically come from the same place," she told Rolling Stone in 1993. "You see somebody, and you deal with their image, that's their image. It's part of them, it's not the whole picture. I am not always in a sequined gown. I am nobody's angel. I can get down and dirty. I can get raunchy."

It would take several years, however, for the public to see that side of Houston. Her moving 1991 rendition of "The Star Spangled Banner" at the Super Bowl, amid the first Gulf War, set a new standard and once again reaffirmed her as America's sweetheart.

In 1992, she became a star in the acting world with "The Bodyguard." Despite mixed reviews, the story of a singer (Houston) guarded by a former Secret Service agent (Kevin Costner) was an international success.

It also gave her perhaps her most memorable hit: a searing, stunning rendition of Dolly Parton's "I Will Always Love You," which sat atop the charts for weeks. It was Grammy's record of the year and best female pop vocal, and the "Bodyguard" soundtrack was named album of the year.

She returned to the big screen in 1995-96 with "Waiting to Exhale" and "The Preacher's Wife." Both spawned soundtrack albums, and another hit studio album, "My Love Is Your Love," in 1998, brought her a Grammy for best female R&B vocal for the cut "It's Not Right But It's Okay."

But during these career and personal highs, Houston was using drugs. In an interview with Oprah Winfrey in 2010, she said by the time "The Preacher's Wife" was released, "(doing drugs) was an everyday thing. ... I would do my work, but after I did my work, for a whole year or two, it was every day. ... I wasn't happy by that point in time. I was losing myself."

In the interview, Houston blamed her rocky marriage to Brown, which included a charge of domestic abuse against Brown in 1993. They divorced in 2007.

Houston would go to rehab twice before she would declare herself drug-free to Winfrey in 2010. But in the interim, there were missed concert dates, a stop at an airport due to drugs, and public meltdowns.

She was so startlingly thin during a 2001 Michael Jackson tribute concert that rumors spread she had died the next day. Her crude behavior and jittery appearance on Brown's reality show,

"Being Bobby Brown," was an example of her sad decline. Her Sawyer interview, where she declared "crack is whack," was often parodied. She dropped out of the spotlight for a few years.

Houston staged what seemed to be a successful comeback with the 2009 album "I Look To You." The album debuted on the top of the charts, and would eventually go platinum.

Things soon fell apart. A concert to promote the album on "Good Morning America" went awry as Houston's voice sounded ragged and off-key. She blamed an interview with Winfrey for straining her voice.

A world tour launched overseas, however, only confirmed suspicions that Houston had lost her treasured gift, as she failed to hit notes and left many fans unimpressed; some walked out.

Canceled concert dates raised speculation that she may have been abusing drugs, but she denied those claims and said she was in great shape, blaming illness for cancellations.

Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/2012/02/11/whitney-houston-dies-at-48/#ixzz1m8I9YTTd

[Brother_Bliss]

It's really strange to hear names that I grew up with as having died. I would note my mother talking about this person and that person dying and what a shock it was, etc, etc... and now I am 36 and starting to do the same as familiar names start dropping off the world scene. It's weird.

[bohemian]

It happens all the time to me, Bob!

We say: "We've all moved up a notch!"

But it shows what damage drugs can do.

[sianrose]

I think she had a good voice but I do not like that style of music....just shows having... talent...money ...fame etc etc....like Amy Winehouse... Michael Jackson...means nothing...

[ava]

It's really strange to hear names that I grew up with as having died. I would note my mother talking about this person and that person dying and what a shock it was, etc, etc... and now I am 36 and starting to do the same as familiar names start dropping off the world scene. It's weird.

I feel the same way.

I remember when Elvis died. We were in our living room watching tv, and the announcement came on, and my mom was so upset. Now I am 40, and the celebrities I grew up with are dying, it is definitely weird.

She had an incredible voice, very sad to throw that away over drugs and alcohol.

[Áine]

I hate to be harsh... but like both Michael Jackson... Amy Winehouse etc... she was a druggie... who needed rehab... I think her problems stemmed from marrying Bobby Brown.. who knows what music she could have continued to make, its very sad

[Aelon]

Now Apple is cashing in of her death.

[BlaqueCalalilly]

It is really sad ..I just wish people would focus more on her music since she did more of that....and not just focus on the drugs....

I mean none of us really know what a person goes though to make them go that route....so personally I try not to judge people because of their drug or alcohol use whether or not they were druggies or not they were human and still deserve respect

[Musky]

I get real tired of that. We hear that a lot depending on who the person is.

She was a great talent, a great singer, but she was also a druggie! That is the whole person. One aspect does not cancel out the other. You have to take the good with the bad. Having talent does not excuse bad behavior. It was a great loss to the music world and I'm sorry that a person is dead, but she didn't have to be.

[BlaqueCalalilly]

No offence but I get really tired of people bashing people when we really don't know what is going on with said person ...last I checked Jehovah is the judge not us....It comes off as a bit judgmental ... when we keep bringing up what they ( the star) did ... I like to think if Jehovah can forgive and not focus on our sins we could do the same courtesy to others whether they are witnesses or not .... as we do have some whom are witnesses now who were "Druggies" and committed all kinds of horrific things....but we changed ...some non-witnesses didn't have that chance and some have died because of it. Idon't now maybe I'm sympathetic to people who are in these situations due to where I volunteer at.

My thing is if you can't say anything nice about the person then don't say any thing at all ....

[Musky]

This is a news forum and we are discussing a news article in which it talks about her drug problems. In other articles there was an interview where she herself admitted to a "substance abuse problem".

Houston would go to rehab twice before she would declare herself drug-free to Winfrey in 2010. But in the interim, there were missed concert dates, a stop at an airport due to drugs, and public meltdowns.

I am not judging her, just commenting on a known fact that has been reported all over the free world. Should we censor articles to make everything look rosy?

[BlaqueCalalilly]

I was referring to our own comments on the situation ...the media will cover the issue enough we however don't have to contribute to it.

[Musky]

Fortunately we have a forum where we can express our opinions freely within reason and what I said was very much within reason. It's my opinion based on known fact. Nothing "judgmental" about it. Thanks for posting your opinion too!

[Áine]

No offence but I get really tired of people bashing people when we really don't know what is going on with said person ...last I checked Jehovah is the judge not us....It comes off as a bit judgmental ... when we keep bringing up what they ( the star) did ... I like to think if Jehovah can forgive and not focus on our sins we could do the same courtesy to others whether they are witnesses or not .... as we do have some whom are witnesses now who were "Druggies" and committed all kinds of horrific things....but we changed ...some non-witnesses didn't have that chance and some have died because of it. Idon't now maybe I'm sympathetic to people who are in these situations due to where I volunteer at.

My thing is if you can't say anything nice about the person then don't say any thing at all ....

I wasn't judging her.... but at the same time there is no point in air brushing reality !!

Yes she had a beautiful voice... although I never thought of her as a particularly nice person. She became caught up with drug users, and became a user herself... and now of late she was dependant on prescribed medication and drank heavily especially during the preceding few days before her death... it became a downward spiral, and I am sure that there are many other very talented celebrates on the same slippery slope

[tnerb]

No offence but I get really tired of people bashing people when we really don't know what is going on with said person ...last I checked Jehovah is the judge not us....It comes off as a bit judgmental ... when we keep bringing up what they ( the star) did ... I like to think if Jehovah can forgive and not focus on our sins we could do the same courtesy to others whether they are witnesses or not .... as we do have some whom are witnesses now who were "Druggies" and committed all kinds of horrific things....but we changed ...some non-witnesses didn't have that chance and some have died because of it ....

In my opinion its not judging its fact...she was a drug addict whatever past she had lead her to the addiction, but being a drug addict means that she was letting her life be ruled by demons. We all make choice's the fact is that she choose to be a addict..yes Jeh reads the heart but the scriptures say 'thats what some of you were' meaning they changed. to say that she never had a chance to change i feel is a ignorant statement...maybe she never had a chance to learn about Jeh but then again maybe she did...there's a lot of 'buts' but really should we be concerned about the 'stars' of this world or just let Jeh handle it and we can be more concerned about the sanctification of Jeh name

[destiny]

Well here is my opinion- i do have one..lol

I feel like elizabeth- I work with this population of individuals, and I have nothing but sympathy and pity for them.

1.Why? -Becasue there go I, But for the grace of God!

2. The WHOLE world is lying in the power of the Wicked one.....the root cause is ...Satan

3. We have all sinned and fall short of Jehovahs mark and are deserving of Death.

A sinner/unbeliever who lives a "clean upstanding life" such as maybe the President of the U.S......In jehovahs eyes is NO Better...

than people we call "Druggies".-------The president lifestyle is just as destructive, unless he comes into a knowledge of the truth, and put faith in Jehovahs Ransom sacrifice.

So, no need to emphasis their bad decisions in life--maybe pray that the family one day come into the truth.

People led destructive lives and die of complications every day--yes, the STARS will fall and the homeless man on the street will fall.

our job is to Preach to them, not Judge!

that's my opinion.... Oh by the way, I know of Jehovahs Witnesses who are hooked on drugs---(prescription drug IS a drug)...

and are found passed out in their homes from time to time. Do we say oh she/he is a Druggie?.....and are deserving of what ever they get? Absolutely not! We just leave them to Jehovah and pray for them.

[ava]

We all make choice's the fact is that she choose to be a addict.

People do not choose to be an addict. They don't wake up one morning and say "I am going to be a drug addict"

Drug addiction and alcohol addiction are diseases. People turn to drugs and alcohol when they can't cope with whatever their problems are. I have dealt with this in my own family, and it is very scary and very serious. I have members who have had lives that I do not wish on anyone, and mentally and emotionally, they were truly messed up. The drugs and the alcohol is what they turned to so as to cope. Was it the wrong thing to turn to? Of course it was. But when you feel you have nothing and nowhere to turn, and you are seriously messed up, you don't think like a normal person would think.

So, I have sympathy for whatever it was that made Whitney turn to drugs to cope, because there obviously was something going on in her life that made her feel that drugs was the only way to deal with her problems. We will see Whitney in the resurrection, so let's try not to be too harsh to her in this life, cause it would be pretty sad if we referred to her as a "druggie" after Armageddon.

[destiny]

We will see Whitney in the resurrection, so let's try not to be too harsh to her in this life, cause it would be pretty sad if we referred to her as a "druggie" after Armageddon.

yup, whitney has finished this life course--We still have to endure to the end........without getting destroyed at armagedon.

[Áine]

really wish I hadn't bothered to post !

[Musky]

cause it would be pretty sad if we referred to her as a "druggie" after Armageddon.

That's a pretty silly argument!

What about poor Rahab? She's going to read how she was always referred to in the Bible and our publications as "Rahab the Harlot"! LOL

I'm sure once resurrected, people won't care too much about what other people thought of them before they died.

[ava]

cause it would be pretty sad if we referred to her as a "druggie" after Armageddon.

That's a pretty silly argument!

What about poor Rahab? She's going to read how she was always referred to in the Bible and our publications as "Rahab the Harlot"! LOL

I'm sure once resurrected, people won't care too much about what other people thought of them before they died.

No it's not a silly argument. If you hate someone now, and that person dies, when that person is resurrected, how are you going to feel about them? If you can't get along with them now, then you are going to be in serious trouble when they are resurrected.

I have heard elders say in talks, that we need to work on treating people with respect NOW, because if we are disrespectful to people this side of armageddon, then we are going to have problems when we see them resurrected.

And the term "druggie" can be offensive to many. The term is used when someone is zoned out on drugs 24/7, which Whitney was not. She was an addict, but by all accounts, she was doing better. Her family and friends said after her stint in rehab last year, she was doing good. And the police have reported that they did find prescription drugs in her room, but nothing alarmingly out of the ordinary. The one police said he actually has more prescription meds then she did. Apparently they found one bottle of amoxicillian for her throat infection, one bottle of xanex and one sleeping medicine.

We have brothers and sisters in the congregations who are struggling with addictions to alcohol and prescription drugs, I would hate to think any one of us would point them out and say "brother so and so is a druggie" Just not the best word to use is all.

If you have never dealt with addiction to drugs or alcohol, or have had a close friend or family member who has, it is hard to grasp and understand why someone turns to drugs and alcohol to cope.

[destiny]

I was talking with a friend just the other day and I was saying...Honestly, I don't know how the people out in the world cope without Jehovah.

We who know Jehovah have a difficult enough time coping with with the difficulties of what this world has to offer--how much more the people out theres who does not have a hope-- People turn to different things to cope- food, alcohol, excessive recreation, entertainment,....the list goes on, drug is only another thing on the list, and should not be singled out as being the unforgivable sin........it is something they use to help them cope. If we treat them unkind, and refer to them as "Druggies".when they come into the truth ( because jehovah is bringing in'all sorts' of men..it would be much more difficult for us to adjust our thinking and to treat them as brothers and sisters.

[Musky]

If you hate someone now' date=' and that person dies, when that person is resurrected, how are you going to feel about them? If you can't get along with them now, then you are going to be in serious trouble when they are resurrected.[/quote']

Now you've turned it into a "hating" issue? NOBODY said anything about hating her. I said she was a talented singer and it's too bad her drug and alcohol use killed her! Just like so many others who get fame and fortune and can't think of doing anything better with their lives but slowly kill themselves. Unfortunately, it's a common, sad story. When and if she's resurrected and I also make it there, I won't harbor any hard feelings, and like her, (hopefully) I'll be grateful to Jehovah for his mercy. If it makes you feel better to put a rosy spin on it, then so be it. Do whatever makes you feel better. I'm finished posting in this thread, she just isn't that important.

[ava]

If you hate someone now' date=' and that person dies, when that person is resurrected, how are you going to feel about them? If you can't get along with them now, then you are going to be in serious trouble when they are resurrected.[/quote']

Now you've turned it into a "hating" issue? NOBODY said anything about hating her. I said she was a talented singer and it's too bad her drug and alcohol use killed her! Just like so many others who get fame and fortune and can't think of doing anything better with their lives but slowly kill themselves. Unfortunately, it's a common, sad story. When and if she's resurrected and I also make it there, I won't harbor any hard feelings, and like her, (hopefully) I'll be grateful to Jehovah for his mercy. If it makes you feel better to put a rosy spin on it, then so be it. Do whatever makes you feel better. I'm finished posting in this thread, she just isn't that important.

I have not turned it into a hating issue, I just used that as an example is all.

And I am not sure what your comment about "do whatever makes you feel better" means, lol.

[trottigy]

If you can't get along with them now, then you are going to be in serious trouble when they are resurrected.

I thought Musky got along with every one ;)

I am glad you 2 are moderators. We get a good balance. Have fun you guys.

Hey, when is Bob putting on the BBQ?