Tag Archives: Whitney Houston

The Untimely Death of Legend, Whitney Houston

If you don’t live under a rock, you’ve probably heard world-renowned singer and actress, 48-year-old Whitney Houston, died February 11, 2012. This was a shock to not only her family, friends, and fans, but the entire world. Even if you didn’t like Whitney, (I mean, come on, what’s not to like), you had to have felt sorry for her. According to several reliable sources, Whitney had been drinking large quantities of alcohol in the Beverly Hilton Hotel bar that afternoon. The night before she was seen at a Pre-Grammy party, where she also drank a lot and performed. Her last performance was “Yes, Jesus Loves Me”, which was sung at her Grammy duet partner, Kelly Price’s party. Whitney, as stated before, was drinking, and many believe her voice sounded “sloppy” during the performance. Contrary to their belief, I think she was fabulous.

Her death shocked the world. On February 11, Houston was found submerged in a bathtub at 3:30 pm, and she was pronounced dead at 3:55. Her death was ruled an accident, as their were a prevalence of medications, such as Valium and Xanax. No illegal drugs were found in her system. Whitney’s memorial service was invitation-only, at the New Hope Baptist Church in Newark, her hometown.

Whitney, even in the after life, will remain a legend. In 2009, Guinness Book of World Records named her the most awarded female solo artist of all time. She has won six Grammys, but was nominated twenty-six times. Some of these award titles were Album of The Year (1994), Best Female R&B Vocal Performance (2000), and three awards for Best Female Pop Solo Performance (1986, 1988, and 1994). Her most successful year was 1994, when she left the Grammys with three awards, which were all from the album The Bodyguard! She has also received 30 Billboard Music Awards, 22 American Music Awards, and six People’s Choice Awards. Houston has one 83 major music awards, and was nominated over 123 times. Whitney’s bestselling album, self-titled Whitney Houston, was released in 1985. It sold 25 million copies worldwide, making it one of the most sold albums ever made. It features pop songs such as “All at Once” and “Greatest Love of All” that became instant classics. Her most famous and well known song, however, is arguably “I Will Always Love You” from the album, The Bodyguard. Whitney was also a talented actress, playing notable roles in movies like The Bodyguard and The Preacher’s Wife, for which she received the 1997 NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actress in a Motion Picture. Whitney Houston was an incredible talent, and will be missed dearly by the world.

~Julia Champagne

The Musical Legend

Tragedy strikes: Whitney Houston is dead. Whitney Houston, an acclaimed singer, recently passed. The 48 year old was found in the bathtub in her room at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills, CA. The date of her death was February 11, 2012. Houston had set several record.  These included charting seven consecutive #1 Billboard Hot 100 hits and being the first female artist to enter the Billboard 200 album chart at #1. Those are definitely some great achievements! Houston passed due to alleged use of drugs such as Xanax and other prescriptions. It has been reported on previous occassions that she had been struggling with drugs and alcohol before her death. In addition she’d been in rehab at least two times.

Personally, I think that Whitney Houston was one of the best artists of all time. My favorite song of hers would have to be “I Will Always Love You”, which is in the album The Bodyguard. This song became the biggest selling commercial single in history, and reaped Grammys for Record Of the Year and Best Female Pop Vocal. Whitney won six Grammys, but was nominated for 26. Houston once walked away from a Grammy show with three awards! She also won two Emmys, 30 Billboard Music Awards, and 22 American Music Awards. Although the last two award ceremonies aren’t very well-known, they are definitely accomplishments. Houston is also one of the world’s best-selling music artists, having sold over 200 million albums and singles worldwide. Even though Houston has passed away, her memory will forever live on through her music.

~Jen Cavazuti

Who’s Gone From the Grammys?

 

At 3:55 on Saturday, pop legend Whitney Houston was pronounced dead at the Beverly Hilton Hotel. She will be greatly missed by her fellow singers and, of course, her crazy music fans like me. The 48-year-old star singer of I Look To You and I Wanna Dance With Somebody died the night before the Grammys and already rumors are circulating.  I, like many other people, am wondering if her death has something to do with The Grammy Awards the next day. Although only a short time has past since her tragic demise, I have heard varying ideas of the cause of death (since it wasn’t disclosed to the public) from she drowned in the bathtub to she overdosed because she was depressed. Even with the short notice, her talent lived on that amazing night, with Jennifer Hudson honoring the six-time Grammy winner at the awards ceremony with a beautiful tribute performance.
Going back in time, most people know that Whitney Houston has struggled with drug problems in the past. There has been gazillions of debates recently about whether her substance abuse started before or after her marriage to bad-boy R&B singer Bobby Brown. Personally, I think that it was her popularity combined with her rocky marriage that sent her looking for the wrong kind of relaxation. Whitney Houston had checked into rehab various times during her life, but in 2005 her mother staged an intervention. She checked into rehab and stayed clean for several years. She even attempted a comeback in 2009 with the album, I Look To You. Fans who followed Whitney Houston and her music would have known that she planned to do a remake of the 1976 drama, “Sparkle” with Jordin Sparks. She was also offered a position as a judge on the amazing show The X Factor. So how did a singer with so much going for her suddenly get yanked from our world? No one knows yet the cause of her death, but one things for sure: her music will live on forever in our hearts.

~CarsonLee Harper