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Whitney Houston

American singer and actress (1963–2012) From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Whitney Houston
For the album, see Whitney Houston (album).

Whitney Elizabeth Houston (August 9, 1963 – February 11, 2012) was an American singer, actress, film producer, and philanthropist. Commonly referred to as "the Voice",[1][2] she is one of the most awarded performers of all time.[3] A cultural icon, her crossover appeal, chart achievements and music videos influenced the breaking down of gender and racial barriers.[4][5] Known for her vocal delivery and live performances, Houston was ranked second on Rolling Stone's list of the greatest singers of all time in 2023. Her life has been the subject of several documentaries and biopics.

Quick Facts Born, Died ...
Whitney Houston
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Houston at the Welcome Home Heroes concert, 1991
Born
Whitney Elizabeth Houston

(1963-08-09)August 9, 1963
Newark, New Jersey, U.S.
DiedFebruary 11, 2012(2012-02-11) (aged 48)
Beverly Hills, California, U.S.
Burial placeFairview Cemetery, Westfield, New Jersey
Occupations
  • Singer
  • actress
  • film producer
  • model
  • record producer
  • songwriter
  • philanthropist
Years active1977–2012
Works
Spouse
​
​
(m. 1992; div. 2007)​
ChildrenBobbi Kristina Brown
MotherCissy Houston
Relatives
Awards
Musical career
Genres
Labels
Websitewhitneyhouston.com
Signature
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Houston signed to Arista Records at the age of 19. Her first two studio albums, Whitney Houston (1985) and Whitney (1987), topped the Billboard 200 for 14 and 11 weeks, respectively. The former remains the best selling debut album by a solo artist in history, while the latter made her the first woman to debut atop the US and UK charts. Houston took a more urban turn with her third album, I'm Your Baby Tonight (1990), and performed an acclaimed rendition of "The Star-Spangled Banner" at Super Bowl XXV in 1991. The soundtrack of her film debut The Bodyguard (1992) won the Grammy Award for Album of the Year, topped the Billboard 200 for 20 weeks, and remains the best-selling soundtrack album of all time. Its lead single, "I Will Always Love You", won the Grammy Award for Record of the Year and became the best-selling single by a woman in history. Houston continued her work in the film industry, including starring roles in Waiting to Exhale (1995), The Preacher's Wife (1996) and Cinderella (1997). The soundtrack of The Preacher's Wife became the best-selling gospel album of all time.

Houston's first studio album in eight years, My Love Is Your Love (1998), found critical and commercial success, and she renewed her contract with Arista Records for $100 million in 2001, one of the largest recording deals of all time.[6] However, her next album, Just Whitney (2002), received mixed reviews, while her drug use and a tumultuous marriage to singer Bobby Brown began to overshadow her music career. After divorcing Brown, Houston returned to the top of the Billboard 200 with her final album, I Look to You (2009). On February 11, 2012, Houston accidentally drowned in a bathtub at the Beverly Hilton hotel in Beverly Hills, California, with heart disease and cocaine use as contributing factors. News of her death coincided with the 2012 Grammy Awards and was covered internationally along with her memorial service.

Houston is one of the best-selling music artists of all time, with sales of more than 220 million records worldwide.[7][8] Her first two albums, along with The Bodyguard soundtrack, rank among the best-selling albums of all time and made her the only black artist to score three RIAA diamond-certified albums. "I Wanna Dance with Somebody (Who Loves Me)" and "I Will Always Love You" are among the best-selling singles ever, with the latter being certified diamond by RIAA. Houston scored 11 Billboard Hot 100 number-one singles and remains the only artist to have seven consecutive singles top the chart. She has been inducted into multiple halls and walks of fame. Guinness World Records named Houston the highest-earning posthumous female celebrity.[9] Her assets amounted to $250 million, earned over a 25-year career.[10]

Early life and family

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New Hope Baptist Church, where Houston sang in the choir as a child

Whitney Elizabeth Houston was born on August 9, 1963, at Presbyterian Hospital in Newark, New Jersey, to Emily "Cissy" (née Drinkard) and John Russell Houston Jr.[11] Cissy was a Grammy-winning gospel and soul singer who was a member of The Drinkard Singers and the founder of The Sweet Inspirations before becoming a solo artist.[12][13] John was a former Army serviceman who later became an administrator under Newark mayor Kenneth A. Gibson. According to her mother, Houston was named after actress Whitney Blake.[14] Houston was given the nickname "Nippy" by her father.[15]

Whitney's parents were both African-American. Cissy Houston stated that she has partial Dutch and Native American ancestry.[16] Houston was a cousin of singers Dionne and Dee Dee Warwick as well as a distant cousin of opera singer Leontyne Price. Aretha Franklin became an "honorary aunt" while Darlene Love was Houston's godmother.[17][18][19] Houston's paternal great-great-grandfather Jeremiah Burke Sanderson was an American abolitionist and advocate for the civil and educational rights of black Americans during the mid-19th century.[20][21] Houston had three older brothers: paternal half-brother John III;[22] maternal half-brother Gary, a basketball player and singer;[23] and Michael.[24]

At three, Houston witnessed the Newark race riots of 1967.[25][26] Three years later, in 1970, the Houston family relocated to a suburban area of East Orange, New Jersey. Houston's parents married in the spring of 1964, just months before Houston's first birthday.[27] Initially a happy union, the marriage dissolved by Houston's teen years after Houston's father suffered a near-fatal heart attack. By 17, Houston's parents separated; divorcing over a decade later.[28]

Houston was raised in the Baptist faith. She joined the church choir at New Hope Baptist Church in Newark at the age of five, and she also learned to play piano at New Hope.[25][26] She later recalled being exposed to the Pentecostal church nearby as well. Houston made her solo performance debut at New Hope singing the hymn "Guide Me O Thou Great Jehovah" at the age of 12.[29] When Houston became a teenager, she told her mother that she wanted to pursue a career in music. Throughout her teenage years, she would be trained how to sing by Cissy.[30] Along with her mother, her cousins and Franklin, Houston was influenced by singers such as Chaka Khan, Gladys Knight, and Roberta Flack.[31]

Houston attended Franklin Elementary School (now Whitney E. Houston Academy of Creative and Performing Arts) before transferring to Mount Saint Dominic Academy, a Catholic girls' high school in Caldwell, New Jersey, by sixth grade.[29] She graduated from Mount Saint Dominic in 1981.[32]

Career

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1977–1984: Career beginnings

Houston's professional career began when she joined her mother's band as a background singer at fourteen while Cissy performed at Manhattan cabaret clubs. Houston gave her first solo during Cissy's performance at Manhattan's Town Hall in February 1978, performing "Tomorrow" from the Broadway musical, Annie, where she received her first standing ovation.[33][34] Houston began a career as a session vocalist backing up artists like her mother, Michael Zager, Chaka Khan and Lou Rawls.[35][36] Houston was the featured vocalist in Zager's disco song "Life's a Party" (1978). Houston became a fashion model in 1980 and a year later, became one of the first black models to appear on the cover of a fashion magazine landing a cover of Seventeen.[37] With her looks and girl-next-door charm, Houston became one of the most sought-after teen models in the country, later appearing in fashion spreads for Glamour, Cosmopolitan and Young Miss.[36] Houston continued her music career during this period, recording demos of gospel recordings with producer Steven Abdul Khan Brown.[38] Houston's vocal talent made her sought after for recording deals, but were turned down by her mother, who insisted that Houston finish high school.[35][39]

In September 1981, following the advice of her cousin Dionne Warwick, Houston signed with Tara Productions and hired Gene Harvey as her manager.[40] Daniel Gittelman and Seymour Flics would also be part of the team to work closely with Houston.[41][42] In 1982, Houston was featured as the lead vocalist on the song "Memories" by the band Material on their album One Down. In his Village Voice review of One Down, Robert Christgau called the song "one of the most gorgeous ballads you've ever heard".[43] In early 1983, Houston was the featured lead vocalist on the song "Eternal Love", co-written by Paul Jabara and featured on his album Paul Jabara & Friends.[44] After auditions with CBS and Elektra Records, Houston would be discovered by Gerry Griffith, then the A&R representative for Arista Records, while Houston performed with her mother at the Seventh Avenue South nightclub in Manhattan.[45] Griffith convinced Arista head Clive Davis to make time to see her perform at another nightclub called Sweetwaters the following week. Davis was impressed and immediately offered a worldwide record deal, which Houston eventually signed on April 10, 1983.[46] Houston was introduced to a national audience in June 1983, performing the song "Home" from the Broadway musical The Wiz on The Merv Griffin Show.[47][46][48][49]

Houston did not begin work on an album immediately.[50] The label wanted to make sure no other label signed her away and Davis wanted to ensure he had the right material and producers for her debut album. Some producers passed on the project because of prior commitments.[51] After seeing her perform in New York, Michael Masser offered to pair Houston with Teddy Pendergrass, on the duet, "Hold Me", which appeared on his album, Love Language.[52] Released in May 1984, the song gave Houston her first taste of success, becoming a top-10 hit on the R&B and adult contemporary charts.[53] Houston also received notice in 1984 after being paired up with Jermaine Jackson, with whom the duet, "Take Good Care of My Heart", was featured on Jackson's Dynamite album, while also appearing with Jackson performing the song and another duet, "Nobody Loves Me Like You Do", on an episode of As the World Turns. All three songs eventually appeared on her debut album. During this period, Houston continued to model, appeared in a commercial for the Canada Dry soft drink, and also began singing commercial jingles, including one for the restaurant brand, Steak & Ale.[54]

1985–86: Whitney Houston and rise to international prominence

After more than a year of sessions, Whitney Houston was released on Valentine's Day, February 14, 1985.[55] After debuting at number 166 on the Billboard 200 for the week of March 30, 1985, the album would hit the top 10 of the chart in its 23rd week.[56] It reached number one in March 1986, starting a 14-week run, which remains the longest run for a female debut album in history.[57][58] Worldwide, the album topped the charts in seven other countries and reached the top five in seven others. Critics praised Houston and the album, with Rolling Stone calling her "one of the most exciting new voices in years" while The New York Times called the album "an impressive, musically conservative showcase for an exceptional vocal talent".[59][60]

The album's leading single, "You Give Good Love", produced by Kashif, became Houston's first top-10 single on the Billboard Hot 100 in July.[61] The song generated some controversy after advice columnist Ann Landers included it in her list of songs she deemed "trashy music".[62] Houston later defended the song during an interview with the Chicago Tribune.[63] Later, in October, Houston scored her first number-one single on the Billboard Hot 100 with "Saving All My Love for You". When "How Will I Know" and "Greatest Love of All" hit number one on the same chart, Houston set a record by being the first female artist to produce three number one singles off a single album. Eventually, the album would be certified Diamond in the United States for sales of 14 million copies,[64] and sell over 30 million worldwide becoming the best-selling solo debut album in music history and the best-selling debut album in history by a female artist.[65] The album is also listed in the Guinness World Records as the best-selling R&B studio album by a female artist in history.[66][67][68] The album also produced the international hit, "All at Once", which hit the top five in several European countries and went gold in Japan.[69]

Houston would win her first Grammy Award at the 1986 ceremony for the ballad, "Saving All My Love for You", which won the Grammy for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance, to which she had performed in the program to a stunning reception that later resulted in her winning an Emmy Award that September.[70] Houston's album was also nominated for Album of the Year, losing out to Phil Collins' No Jacket Required.[71][72] Houston failed to receive a nomination for Best New Artist, prompting Clive Davis to write an angry open letter to the Recording Academy, who defended the decision citing Houston's 1984 hit with Teddy Pendergrass.[73] Houston also won two American Music Awards, including Favorite Soul/R&B Song for "You Give Good Love",[74] as well as the NAACP Image Award for Outstanding New Artist. Houston eventually received five more American Music Awards at the 1987 ceremony, including American Music Award for Favorite Pop/Rock Female Artist.[75] Houston won 14 Billboard Number One awards in 1985 and 1986, winning Top Pop Artist in the latter year, with the album earning Top Pop Album honors, the first album by a female artist to receive that distinction.[57]

The initial success of the album was attributed to Houston's appearances in late-night talk shows as well as music videos; both formats were not usually available to emerging black acts.[57] During the album's early promotional run, Houston and her label struggled to submit the music video to "You Give Good Love" for MTV. At that time, the channel received harsh criticism for not playing enough videos by artists of color while favoring predominantly white acts.[76] Years later, Houston explained in an interview with the channel how the video was rejected because it was a "very kind of R&B song".[77] However, the music video to "Saving All My Love for You" eventually got airplay due to the song "hit(ting) so hard and explod(ing) so heavy" that the channel "had no choice but to play it", according to Houston.[77] In December 1985, the video to "How Will I Know" was submitted and accepted by MTV brass and sent the video to heavy rotation almost immediately after it debuted that month, then a rare occurrence for a black female artist.[78][79] Following opening spots on tours by Jeffrey Osborne and Luther Vandross, Houston opened at Carnegie Hall in October 1985.[80][81] In July 1986, she embarked on her first world tour, The Greatest Love World Tour, performing a total of 53 dates.

Houston's debut album is listed as one of Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Albums of All Time and on the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's Definitive 200 list.[82][83] Houston's grand entrance into the music industry is considered one of the 25 musical milestones of the last 25 years, according to USA Today.[84]

1987–89: Whitney

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Houston performing during the 1987-88 Moment of Truth World Tour

In June 1987, Houston's second album, Whitney, was released. Critics complained that the material was too similar to her previous album. Rolling Stone said, "the narrow channel through which this talent has been directed is frustrating".[85] The album nonetheless enjoyed commercial success. Houston became the first woman in music history to debut at number one on the Billboard 200 chart.[86] Houston was also the first artist ever to enter number one in the US and UK simultaneously, while also reaching number one in every country it charted.[87][88] The album stayed at number one on the Billboard 200 for its first eleven weeks, a record for an R&B female artist and only one of five albums to spend their first 10 weeks or more at number one on the chart.[89] The album's first single, "I Wanna Dance with Somebody (Who Loves Me)", was also a massive hit worldwide, peaking at number one on the Billboard Hot 100 and topping the singles chart in 17 countries, including Australia, West Germany and the UK.[90] Houston made more history when three more singles from the album - "Didn't We Almost Have It All", "So Emotional" and "Where Do Broken Hearts Go" – also reached number one on the same chart within a six-month stretch, making Houston the first artist in history to score seven consecutive number one hits on the Billboard Hot 100 beating the previous record of six, held by the Beatles and Bee Gees.[87] Houston remains the only artist to ever accomplish this feat as of 2025.[88] Houston also became the first female artist to earn four number one singles on a single album, besting her previous record of three from her debut. A fifth single, "Love Will Save the Day", reached number nine on the Hot 100, making Houston one of several artists to record more than five top-10 singles off a single album.[91] Whitney has sold more than 20 million copies worldwide, with 10 million copies sold in the United States alone, where it has been certified Diamond.[64][92]

Houston earned several accolades from the album, including the Grammy Award nomination for Album of the Year, winning her second Grammy for "I Wanna Dance With Somebody (Who Loves Me)".[93][94] Additional accolades include four American Music Awards, six Billboard awards and a Soul Train Music Award.[95][96][97] Houston launched her second world tour, the Moment of Truth World Tour, in July 1987. The North American leg of the tour grossed more than $20 million, becoming the highest-grossing female tour of the year and one of the top 10 North American tours of 1987.[98][99] Houston eventually toured 156 dates, including nine sold-out dates at London's Wembley Arena. The singer's unprecedented successes helped her to earn notices on Forbes magazine. In 1987, she was ranked the eighth highest-ranking entertainer of the year on its Forbes 40 list, earning $43 million in that year alone.[100] The highest-earning musician and highest black female entertainer on the list, she was only the third highest after Bill Cosby and Eddie Murphy.[100] In 1988, she ranked 17th.[101][102]

During this period, Houston showed support to Nelson Mandela and the anti-apartheid movement, participating in the Nelson Mandela 70th Birthday Tribute concert at London's Wembley Stadium on June 11, 1988, which was watched by more than half a billion viewers and raised $1 million in charities, while also bringing awareness to apartheid.[103] Houston had refused to work with agencies who did business with South Africa during her modeling years in the early-80s.[104][105] In August of the year, Houston headlined Madison Square Garden for a United Negro College Fund benefit concert to raise money to fund historically black colleges and universities, raising a quarter of a million dollars.[106] That same year, Houston recorded a song for NBC's coverage of the 1988 Summer Olympics, "One Moment in Time", which became a top five hit in the US, while reaching number one in the UK, Germany and Europe and later won Houston a Grammy nomination and a Sports Emmy, alongside producer Narada Michael Walden.[107][108][109][110] In January 1989, Houston formed The Whitney Houston Foundation For Children, a nonprofit organization that has raised funds for the needs of children around the world. The organization cares for homelessness, children with cancer or AIDS and other issues of self-empowerment.[111][112] The organization now functions under the name, the Whitney E. Houston Legacy Foundation.

1990–91: I'm Your Baby Tonight and "The Star-Spangled Banner"

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Houston in 1990

With the success of her first two albums, Houston became an international crossover superstar, appealing to all demographics. However, some black critics believed she was "selling out".[113] They felt her singing on record lacked the soul that was present during her live concerts.[114] At the 1989 Soul Train Music Awards, when Houston's name was called out for a nomination, a few in the audience jeered.[115][116] Houston defended herself against the criticism, stating, "If you're gonna have a long career, there's a certain way to do it and I did it that way. I'm not ashamed of it."[114] Houston took a more urban direction with her third studio album, I'm Your Baby Tonight, released in November 1990. The first album in which she served as executive producer and exerted creative control for the first time in her career, Houston chose mostly black producers such as the team of L.A. Reid and Babyface, as well as Luther Vandross and Stevie Wonder, while maintaining Narada Michael Walden as one of the main producers. The album showed Houston's versatility on a new batch of tough rhythmic grooves, soulful ballads and uptempo dance tracks. Reviews were mixed to positive. Rolling Stone felt it was her "best and most integrated album",[117] while Entertainment Weekly, at the time thought Houston's shift towards an urban direction was "superficial".[118]

The album reached number three on the Billboard 200, staying inside the top 10 for 22 weeks, becoming the tenth best-selling album of 1991, while topping the Top R&B Albums chart, staying there for eight consecutive weeks, becoming the best-selling R&B album of 1991.[119] Houston set another chart record when the first two singles from the album, the title track and "All the Man That I Need", each topped the Billboard Hot 100, making Houston the first solo female artist to produce multiple number one singles from three albums.[120][a] The album included another top 10 pop hit, "Miracle", and the top 20 hit, "My Name Is Not Susan", which produced one of the first remixes of a pop song to feature a rapper, as female rapper Monie Love, participated.[121] The album became her third consecutive multi-platinum album, going four-times platinum in the US, while selling 10 million copies worldwide.[64][122] Houston earned Grammy Award nominations for three songs from the album as well as four American Music Award nominations, while winning eight Billboard awards, including four Billboard Music Awards, such as Top R&B Artist and Top R&B Album. A bonus track from the album's Japanese edition, "Higher Love", was remixed by Norwegian DJ and record producer Kygo and released posthumously in 2019 to commercial success. It topped the US Dance Club Songs chart and reached number two in the UK, becoming Houston's highest-charting single in the country since 1999.[123]

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Houston performing "My Name is Not Susan" on the Welcome Home Heroes concert in 1991

During the Persian Gulf War, on January 27, 1991, Houston performed "The Star-Spangled Banner", the US national anthem, at Super Bowl XXV at Tampa Stadium.[124] Houston's vocals were pre-recorded, prompting criticism.[125][126][127][128] Dan Klores, a spokesman for Houston, said: "This is not a Milli Vanilli thing. She sang live, but the microphone was turned off. It was a technical decision, partially based on the noise factor. This is standard procedure at these events."[129] Nevertheless, a commercial single and video of the performance reached the Top 20 on the US Hot 100, giving Houston the biggest chart hit for a performance of the national anthem.[b][130][131]

Houston donated her share of the proceeds to the American Red Cross Gulf Crisis Fund and was named to the Red Cross Board of Governors.[124][132][133] Her rendition was critically acclaimed and is considered the benchmark for singers;[128][134] VH1 listed the performance as one of the greatest moments that rocked TV.[135] Following the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, the single was rereleased, with all profits going towards the firefighters and victims of the attacks. It reached number 6 in the Hot 100 and was certified platinum.[136] The song's re-charting made Houston the first woman in history to chart the same song inside the top 20 of the Billboard Hot 100.[137] Later in 1991, Houston put together her Welcome Home Heroes concert with HBO for the soldiers fighting in the Persian Gulf War and their families. The free concert took place at Naval Station Norfolk in Norfolk, Virginia in front of 3,500 servicemen and women. HBO descrambled the concert so that it was free for everyone to watch.[138] The show gave HBO its highest ratings ever.[139] Houston then embarked on her third world tour, the I'm Your Baby Tonight World Tour, which Houston would give 96 shows, including a historic ten-date sold-out residency at Wembley Arena in London. The concert tour produced mixed to positive reviews. While The Sun Sentinel argued that Houston should've opted for smaller venues and theaters that were "far more suitable to her sophistication and talent",[140] USA Today praised Houston for "shak[ing] the confinements of her recordings' calculated productions and gets downright gutsy and soulful".[141]

1992–94: The Bodyguard

With the success of her music, Houston received offers of film work, including work with Robert De Niro, Quincy Jones and Spike Lee, but she did not feel the time was right.[116] Her first film role was in The Bodyguard, released in 1992. Houston played a star who is being stalked by a crazed fan and hires a bodyguard (played by Kevin Costner) to protect her. Houston's mainstream appeal allowed audiences to look past the interracial nature of her character's relationship with Costner's character.[142] However, controversy arose as some felt Houston's face had been intentionally left out of the advertising to hide the film's interracial relationship. In a 1993 interview with Rolling Stone, Houston said that "people know who Whitney Houston is – I'm black. You can't hide that fact."[31]

The film received mixed reviews. Writing for The Washington Post, Rita Kempley wrote that Houston was merely "playing herself", but came out "largely unscathed if that is possible in so cockamamie an undertaking".[143] Janet Maslin of The New York Times felt that Houston lacked chemistry with Costner.[144] Houston was nominated for a Razzie Award but also received favorable acting nods, including a nomination for Outstanding Actress at the NAACP Image Awards, four acting nods at the 1993 MTV Movie Awards and a People's Choice Award nod for Favorite Actress in a Dramatic Motion Picture.[145][146] Upon its release, The Bodyguard grossed more than $121 million in the U.S. and $410 million worldwide, making it one of the top 100 highest-grossing films in history at its time of release.[147] It remains in the top 50 of most successful R-rated films in box-office history.[148]

The film's soundtrack also enjoyed success. As executive producer of the soundtrack, Houston recorded six tracks, two of which she produced.[149][150] Rolling Stone described it as "nothing more than pleasant, tasteful and urbane".[151] The soundtrack opened at number two on the Billboard 200 and took the number-one spot the following week, eventually accumulating 20 weeks atop the chart, the first of only two female albums to do so. The soundtrack became one of the fastest-selling albums in history.[152] It became the first album in music history to sell more than a million copies in a single week under the Nielsen Soundscan tracking system.[153][154] The Bodyguard became the first album in history by a female artist to be certified diamond by the RIAA after it passed the ten-million mark in early November 1993.[64] It has since gone on to sell more than 18 million copies alone in the US, with total sales reaching 45 million copies worldwide, becoming the best-selling album by a female artist and the best-selling soundtrack album in history,[155] earning Houston several Guinness World Records.[156] At the 1994 Grammy Awards, Houston won the Grammy for Album of the Year for the soundtrack and was the first black woman to win as producer as well as artist.[157] In addition to the Grammy, Houston also won a record-setting eight American Music Awards, eleven Billboard Music Awards, five NAACP Image Awards and earned the Soul Train Music Award for the Sammy Davis Jr. Entertainer of the Year honor.[158][159][160][161][162] Houston also earned international honors for the soundtrack, including a Juno Award, five World Music Awards, six Japan Gold Disc Awards and a Brit Award.[163][164]

The soundtrack's lead single was "I Will Always Love You", written and originally recorded by Dolly Parton. Houston's version was highly acclaimed by critics, regarding it as her "signature song" or "iconic performance". Rolling Stone and USA Today called her rendition a tour-de-force.[165][166] The song went on to become the longest-running number one single in the history of both the Billboard Hot 100 at the time for a record setting 14 weeks. The song also became Houston's fourth record-setting "triple-crown" number one Billboard hit after it topped the R&B and AC charts.[167][c] It has gone on to sell more than ten million units in the United States and was certified diamond in January 2021, making Houston just one of four female artists to earn a diamond-certified single and album.[168][169] It remains the best-selling US single by a female artist.[170][171][172][173] A global smash, the song topped the charts in 34 countries and went on to sell 24 million units worldwide, becoming the best-selling single ever by a female solo artist.[174][175] Houston earned the Grammys for Record of the Year and Best Pop Female Vocal Performance.[176] The soundtrack's follow-up singles, "I'm Every Woman" and "I Have Nothing", both reached number four on the Billboard Hot 100. Houston set a new Billboard Hot 100 chart record for the week of March 13, 1993 when the two singles joined "I Will Always Love You" in simultaneously charting inside the top 20 in the same week, the first for an artist in the Nielsen SoundScan era and first for a female artist in general.[177][178][179][180][181] The fourth single, "Run to You", achieved modest success in the US and UK, while "Queen of the Night" reached the top 40 in several global charts and a remixed version topped the US dance chart. The success of The Bodyguard led to Houston becoming a cover story for Rolling Stone in its June 10, 1993 issue.[182]

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Houston performing at a state dinner in the White House honoring South African president Nelson Mandela in 1994

Houston then embarked on what was her most expansive global tour to date with The Bodyguard World Tour, where she toured for nearly two years to mostly sold-out audiences across five continents. Houston eventually ranked as the third highest-earning female entertainer of 1993-94, according to Forbes, named as one of the 100 most powerful people in Hollywood by Premiere and placed in the top five of Entertainment Weekly's annual "Entertainer of the Year" ranking.[183][184]

In October 1994, Houston attended and performed at a state dinner in the White House honoring newly elected South African president Nelson Mandela.[185][186] At the end of her world tour, Houston performed three concerts in South Africa to honor President Mandela, playing to more than 200,000 people; this made her the first major musician to visit the newly unified and apartheid free nation following Mandela's winning election.[187] Portions of Whitney: The Concert for a New South Africa were broadcast live on HBO with funds of the concerts being donated to various charities in South Africa. The event was considered the nation's "biggest media event since the inauguration of Nelson Mandela".[188] In May 1995, Houston hosted the 8th Annual Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards.[189] A month later, in June 1995, Houston's Whitney Houston Foundation for Children was awarded a VH1 Honor for all of their charitable work.[190]

1995–97: Waiting to Exhale, The Preacher's Wife and Cinderella

In 1995, Houston starred alongside Angela Bassett, Loretta Devine and Lela Rochon in her second film, Waiting to Exhale, a motion picture about four African-American women struggling with relationships. Houston played the lead character Savannah Jackson, a TV producer in love with a married man. She chose the role because she saw the film as "a breakthrough for the image of black women because it presents them both as professionals and as caring mothers".[191] After opening at number one and grossing $67 million in the US at the box office and $81 million worldwide,[192] it proved that a movie primarily targeting a black audience could cross over to success, while paving the way for other all-black movies such as How Stella Got Her Groove Back and the Tyler Perry movies that became popular in the 2000s.[193][194][195] The film is also notable for its portrayal of black women as strong middle class citizens rather than as stereotypes.[196] The reviews were mainly positive for the ensemble cast. The New York Times said: "Ms. Houston has shed the defensive hauteur that made her portrayal of a pop star in 'The Bodyguard' seem so distant."[197] Houston was nominated for a second acting NAACP Image Awards nod for Outstanding Actress in a Motion Picture for her role in the film, but lost to co-star Bassett.[198]

Houston participated in the film's accompanying soundtrack as both artist and executive producer. Produced by Babyface, Houston declined to record the entire album, but insisted on "[wanting] it to be an album of women with vocal distinction" and thus gathered several African-American female artists for the soundtrack, to go along with the film's message about strong women.[191] Consequently, the album featured a range of contemporary R&B female recording artists along with Houston, such as Mary J. Blige, Brandy, Toni Braxton, Aretha Franklin and Patti LaBelle. Houston recorded three songs for the soundtrack. Houston's "Exhale (Shoop Shoop)" was the soundtrack's leading single and became just the third single in music history to debut at number one on the Billboard Hot 100, becoming Houston's eleventh and final number one single on the chart.[199][d] The two other Houston songs, "Count On Me" and "Why Does It Hurt So Bad", were also released as singles. The former song, a duet with longtime friend, gospel singer CeCe Winans in which Houston co-wrote, became a top ten hit on the Billboard Hot 100, while the latter peaked inside the top 30. At the 1997 Grammy Awards, Houston was nominated for three Grammys, including her first as a songwriter in the Best Song Written for Visual Media, as well as Best Female R&B Vocal Performance, won two American Music Awards, including one for Favorite Soundtrack and two ASCAP honors. The album reached number one on the Billboard 200 in January 1996 and would later be certified seven-times platinum in the United States, with total worldwide sales reaching 12 million.[199] The soundtrack received strong reviews; as Entertainment Weekly stated: "the album goes down easy, just as you'd expect from a package framed by Whitney Houston tracks ... the soundtrack waits to exhale, hovering in sensuous suspense"[200] and has since ranked it as one of the 100 Best Movie Soundtracks.[201]

In 1996, Houston starred in the holiday comedy The Preacher's Wife, with Denzel Washington. Largely an updated remake of The Bishop's Wife (1948), the film starred Houston as the choir-singing wife of a struggling pastor, played by Courtney B. Vance, who receives help from a guardian angel played by Denzel Washington. For the role, Houston earned $10 million for the role, making her one of the highest-paid actresses in Hollywood at the time and the highest-earning African-American actress in Hollywood.[202] The movie, with its all African-American cast, was a moderate success, earning about $50 million at the U.S. box offices.[203] The movie gave Houston the strongest reviews of her acting career. The San Francisco Chronicle said Houston "is rather angelic herself, displaying a divine talent for being virtuous and flirtatious at the same time" and she "exudes gentle yet spirited warmth, especially when praising the Lord in her gorgeous singing voice".[204] Houston won the NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actress in a Motion Picture for her role in the film.[205] For the film's accompanying gospel soundtrack, Houston co-produced nine of the album's 15 tracks with Mervyn Warren. Six of the more traditional gospel material was recorded with the Georgia Mass Choir at the Great Star Rising Baptist Church in Atlanta. Houston also recorded a duet with Shirley Caesar and the soundtrack also featured her mother Cissy Houston. Upon its release, it became the first gospel album by a female artist to debut at number one on the Billboard Top Gospel Albums chart.[206] The album sold six million copies worldwide, including three million alone in the US, becoming the best-selling gospel album ever.[207] The album featured two hit singles, the Grammy-nominated "I Believe in You and Me" and "Step by Step". In addition to its commercial success, it was also received positively by critics. The album itself was nominated for the Best R&B Album at the 1998 Grammys. However, Houston snubbed the ceremony due to the album not getting a gospel nomination.[208][e] That year, Houston received two Dove Awards for the album, including Best Traditional Gospel Recorded Song for "I Go to the Rock" and two NAACP Image Awards.

In 1996, Houston announced the formation of her film production company, BrownHouse Productions, and was joined by Debra Martin Chase. Their goal was "to show aspects of the lives of African-Americans that have not been brought to the screen before" while improving how African-Americans are portrayed in film and television.[209] Their first project was a made-for-television remake of Rodgers and Hammerstein's Cinderella. In addition to co-producing, Houston starred in the film as the Fairy Godmother along with Brandy, Jason Alexander, Whoopi Goldberg and Bernadette Peters. Houston was initially offered the role of Cinderella in 1993, but other projects intervened.[210] The film is notable for its multi-racial cast and non-stereotypical message.[211] An estimated 60 million viewers tuned into the special giving ABC its highest TV ratings in 16 years.[212] The movie received seven Emmy nominations including Outstanding Variety, Musical or Comedy, while winning Outstanding Art Direction in a Variety, Musical or Comedy Special.

Houston and Chase then obtained the rights to the story of Dorothy Dandridge. Houston was to play Dandridge, the first African-American actress to be nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actress. Houston wanted the story told with dignity and honor.[209] However, Halle Berry also had rights to the project and got her version going first.[213] Later that year, Houston paid tribute to her idols, such as Aretha Franklin, Diana Ross and Dionne Warwick, by performing their hits during the three-night HBO Concert Classic Whitney: Live from Washington, D.C. The special raised more than $300,000 for the Children's Defense Fund.[214] In February 1998, Houston received the Quincy Jones Award for outstanding career achievements in the field of entertainment at the 12th Soul Train Music Awards.[215][216]

1998–2000: My Love Is Your Love and Whitney: The Greatest Hits

By 1998, Houston had not recorded a full-length studio album in eight years. During discussion about a possible greatest hits album with Clive Davis, however, it was agreed that Houston should return to the studio for a brand new album instead. Recorded and mixed in a six-week period - fastest for any Houston recording – Houston released the album, My Love Is Your Love, on November 17, 1998. The album featured production from Rodney Jerkins, Wyclef Jean and Missy Elliott. Led by the Academy Award-winning duet, "When You Believe",[217] with singer Mariah Carey off the Prince of Egypt soundtrack in a week full of star-studded releases, the album debuted and peaked at number 13 on the Billboard 200, while later topping the European Top 100 Albums chart for six weeks, starting in August 1999.[218][219] The album gave Houston some of her strongest reviews ever. Rolling Stone said Houston was singing "with a bite in her voice"[220] and The Village Voice called it "Whitney's sharpest and most satisfying so far".[221] Billboard magazine noted the album had a "funkier and edgier sound than past releases" and saw Houston "handling urban dance, hip hop, mid-tempo R&B, reggae, torch songs and ballads all with great dexterity".[222]

The album launched five top 40 singles in the Billboard Hot 100, including three top five singles, "Heartbreak Hotel", "It's Not Right but It's Okay" and "My Love Is Your Love". "When You Believe" reached No. 15 on the Hot 100 while the album's final single, "I Learned from the Best", reached No. 27. The album would itself stay on the charts for more than two years and would later be certified four times platinum in the US for sales of four million copies, moving 15 million copies globally altogether.[64][223] Four of the five singles reached number one on the US Dance Club Songs chart thanks to remixes by the likes of Hex Hector, Junior Vasquez and Thunderpuss. In Europe, the title track became massively successful, topping the Eurochart Hot 100 and selling more than three million copies worldwide.[224] In February 2000, Houston won her sixth and final competitive Grammy for "It's Not Right but It's Okay" in the Best Female R&B Vocal Performance category.[225] The European success of the album helped it to win the MTV Europe Music Award for Best R&B.[226][227][228] Houston earned four additional Grammy nominations for the album and the music video for "Heartbreak Hotel" gave Houston her first MTV Video Music Award nomination in 13 years.[229]

In 1999, Houston participated in VH-1's Divas Live '99, alongside Brandy, Mary J. Blige, Tina Turner and Cher. The same year, Houston hit the road with her 70-date My Love Is Your Love World Tour. While the North American leg was plagued by cancellations with Houston's publicist citing "throat problems and a 'bronchitis situation'",[230] the European leg became hugely successful ending the year as the highest-grossing arena tour of the year in Europe.[231] In November 1999, the Recording Industry Association of America hosted its Century Awards and named Houston the top-selling R&B female artist of the century with certified US sales of 51 million records at the time while the soundtrack to The Bodyguard received awards for being the top-selling soundtrack album of the century and the best-selling album of the century by a female artist.[232] In March 2000, Houston earned a special honor at the 2000 Soul Train Music Awards as the female artist of the decade for her extraordinary artistic contributions during the 1990s.[233][234]

In May 2000, Whitney: The Greatest Hits was released worldwide. The double disc set reached number five in the United States, reaching number one in the United Kingdom.[235] In addition, the album reached the Top 10 in many other countries.[236] While ballad songs were left unchanged, the album features house/club remixes of many of Houston's up-tempo hits. Included on the album were four new songs: "Could I Have This Kiss Forever" (a duet with Enrique Iglesias), "Same Script, Different Cast" (a duet with Deborah Cox), "If I Told You That" (a duet with George Michael) and "Fine" and three hits that had never appeared on a Houston album: "One Moment in Time", "The Star-Spangled Banner" and "If You Say My Eyes Are Beautiful", a duet with Jermaine Jackson from his 1986 Precious Moments album.[237] Along with the album, an accompanying VHS and DVD was released featuring the music videos to Houston's greatest hits, as well as several hard-to-find live performances including her 1983 debut on The Merv Griffin Show and interviews.[238] The set was later certified five times platinum in the US for sales of five million copies, while worldwide sales reached 11 million.[64][239]

2000–2008: Just Whitney, Princess Diaries, and Cheetah Girls

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Houston outside the Capitol Hill, Washington, D.C., on October 16, 2000

Houston's "good girl" image from previous decades came under scrutiny in the beginning of the 2000s. Reports of erratic behavior, showing up hours late to interviews, photo shoots, rehearsals and canceling several concerts, had been following her since the late 1990s.[240][241]

Houston failed to show up to induct Clive Davis into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in March 2000.[242] Weeks later, Houston was scheduled to perform at the Academy Awards but was fired from the event by musical director and longtime friend Burt Bacharach. At the time, her publicist cited throat problems as the reason for the cancellation. In his book, The Big Show: High Times and Dirty Dealings Backstage at the Academy Awards, author Steve Pond revealed that "Houston's voice was shaky, she seemed distracted and jittery, and her attitude was casual, almost defiant"; though she was supposed to perform "Over the Rainbow", she would sing a different song during rehearsals.[243] Houston later admitted she had been fired.[244] Houston, however, did show up for a scheduled performance to celebrate Arista's 25th anniversary with Clive Davis, her performance received good reviews.[245]

In May 2000, Houston's longtime executive assistant and friend, Robyn Crawford, resigned from Houston's management company.[242]

Despite increasing negative press, Houston continued to find success. She produced the film The Princess Diaries (2001) alongside fellow BrownHouse partner Debra Martin Chase. Starring Anne Hathaway and Julie Andrews, the film became an unexpected success in the box office, grossing more than $165 million worldwide. Houston and Chase became the first black people in box office history to produce a film that surpassed $100 million in the box office.[246] In August 2001, Houston signed one of the biggest record deals in music history, with Arista/BMG. She renewed her contract for $100 million to release six new albums, for which she would also earn royalties.[247][248][249]

A performance at Michael Jackson: 30th Anniversary Special in September 2001 led to increasing rumors of drug use and possible health issues due to Houston's extremely thin frame.[250] She canceled a second performance scheduled for the following night.[251] Within weeks, Houston's rendition of "The Star-Spangled Banner" was re-released after the September 11 attacks, with the proceeds donated to the New York Firefighters 9/11 Disaster Relief Fund and the New York Fraternal Order of Police. The single reached No. 6 on the US Hot 100, topping its previous position.[252][253]

Houston released her fifth studio album, Just Whitney, in December 2002. The album debuted at number nine on the Billboard 200 and was certified platinum, though it received mixed reviews.[254][255][244] In August 2003, Houston's second television film as a producer, The Cheetah Girls, premiered on the Disney Channel. A soundtrack of the film, executive produced by Houston, became successful, reaching double platinum status in the US. Later that November, Houston released her first Christmas album, One Wish: The Holiday Album, which featured traditional holiday songs and was certified gold in the US.[256]

In April 2004, Houston's second film as producer, The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement, was equally successful in the box office like its predecessor, earning $134 million in the box office. For most of the year, Houston toured internationally.[257][258] Houston's success behind the scenes continued in 2006 with the airing of The Cheetah Girls 2, which Houston served as executive producer. The film remains one of the highest-rated Disney Channel Original Movies (DCOM) in history with more than 8.1 million viewers tuning in for the premiere.[259]

2009–2012: I Look to You

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Houston performing "I Look to You" on Good Morning America, September 1, 2009

Houston released I Look to You in August 2009. The album debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 with 305,000 copies sold, marking a strong return.[260] The album's success was followed by her performance on various European television shows and her appearance as a guest mentor on The X Factor in the UK. Despite a wardrobe malfunction during her performance of "Million Dollar Bill", the single still achieved commercial success.[261] Following the album's release, Houston embarked on the Nothing but Love World Tour, her first world tour in more than 10 years. Despite some negative reviews and rescheduled concerts, Houston continued to perform.[262]

In January 2010, Houston was nominated for two NAACP Image Awards and won Best Music Video for "I Look to You".[263] On January 16, she received the Entertainers Award at the BET Honors, acknowledging her lifetime achievements spanning more than 25 years.

Later in 2010, Houston was cast in the remake of the 1976 film Sparkle, where she served as both a star and executive producer. The film marked her final acting role before her untimely death.[264] The movie was released on August 17, 2012. It and featured "Celebrate", the last song Houston recorded, which was released in May 2012.[265]

Personal life

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Religion

Houston was a Christian, and she made it a point to sing gospel songs when on tour.[266][267] During her childhood, she regularly attended New Hope Baptist Church where she joined the children's choir and later performed solos on a regular basis there. Houston was also influenced by Pentecostalism after she began attending a Pentecostal church not too far from New Hope. Houston's mother Cissy wrote that while at New Hope, Houston "got saved" and she later told her that she "accepted the Savior into her life" at around 12 years old.[268] Two of Houston's final recordings - "His Eye Is on the Sparrow" and "Celebrate", from the 2012 film, Sparkle - posthumously made the Billboard gospel charts. Her last public performance prior to her death was an impromptu duet of "Jesus Loves Me" with friend and former collaborator Kelly Price at the Tru nightclub in Hollywood.[269]

Relationships, marriage, and family

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Houston and her daughter Bobbi Kristina Brown in 2009

Houston first met Robyn Crawford when Crawford was 19 and Houston was 16; the two were summer camp counselors. According to Crawford, the two were romantically involved for a few years until Houston began seeking a record contract.[270][271][272] Crawford and Houston continued their professional relationship and platonic friendship until Crawford left Houston's employ in 2000.[242]

In the 1980s, Houston was romantically linked to musician Jermaine Jackson,[273] American football star Randall Cunningham, and actor Eddie Murphy.[116]

Houston met R&B singer Bobby Brown at the 1989 Soul Train Music Awards. After a three-year courtship, the two were married on July 18, 1992.[274] The two singers occasionally collaborated on songs, including the hit record, "Something in Common".[257] The following year, Houston gave birth to their daughter Bobbi Kristina Brown (March 4, 1993 – July 26, 2015),[275] the couple's only child. Houston and Brown tried having another child throughout their marriage; however, Houston suffered several miscarriages, including one during the filming of The Bodyguard,[276] another in July 1994,[277] and another in December 1996.[278]

During their marriage, Brown had several run-ins with the law for drunken driving, drug possession and battery, including some jail time.[279][280] In December 2003, Brown was charged with battery following an altercation during which he threatened to beat Houston and then assaulted her. Police reported that Houston had visible injuries to her face.[257]

Starting in April of the following year, the reality show Being Bobby Brown was taped and later premiered on Bravo, in June 2005. The show drew criticism for what critics perceived to be unflattering moments from the couple,[281] but still achieved high ratings. However, the show was not renewed for a second season after Houston declined further participation.[282][283] In September 2006, a year after Being Bobby Brown aired, Houston filed for legal separation from Brown, later filing for divorce the following month, citing irreconcilable differences.[284][285] The divorce was granted on April 24, 2007.[286]

On January 11, 2000, while Houston was traveling with her husband Bobby Brown, airport security guards discovered half an ounce of marijuana in her handbag at Keahole-Kona International Airport in Hawaii. She departed before authorities could arrive.[287][288] Charges levied against her were later dropped.[289]

In 2002, Houston became embroiled in a legal dispute with John Houston Enterprise, a company started by her father. The company, run by Kevin Skinner, sued her for $100 million, claiming unpaid compensation. Houston's father died in February 2003, and the lawsuit was dismissed in April 2004, with no compensation awarded.[290][291][292]

Health

Houston had several miscarriages during her marriage.[278]

Rolling Stone published a story in June 2000 stating that Cissy Houston and others had held a July 1999 intervention in which they unsuccessfully attempted to persuade Whitney to obtain drug treatment.[242]

In her 2019 memoirs, A Song for You: My Life with Whitney Houston, Houston's longtime executive assistant and friend, Robyn Crawford, said she departed from Houston's management company after Houston declined to seek help for her drug dependency. Houston claimed that they parted ways over Houston's husband, Bobby Brown.[270][293][244]

In September 2001, Houston's extremely thin appearance led to rumors about her health. Her publicist stated, "Whitney has been under stress due to family matters and when she is under stress she doesn't eat."[250] In 2009, Houston acknowledged that drug use had been the reason for her weight loss in 2001.[294]

In 2002, Houston gave an interview with Diane Sawyer to promote her upcoming album. During the interview, she addressed rumors of drug use, famously saying, "crack is wack". She admitted to using various substances but denied having an eating disorder.[244]

In September 2009, Houston was interviewed by Oprah Winfrey. In the interview, she admitted to using drugs with Brown during their marriage and described her struggles with addiction.[295] She told Winfrey that before The Bodyguard her drug use was light, that she used drugs more heavily after the film's success and the birth of her daughter and that by 1996 "[doing drugs] was an everyday thing ... I wasn't happy by that point in time. I was losing myself."[296] Houston told Oprah that she had attended a 30-day rehabilitation program.[297] Houston also acknowledged to Oprah that her drug use had continued after rehabilitation, and that at one point, her mother obtained a court order and the assistance of law enforcement to press her into receiving further drug treatment.[298] (In her 2013 book, Remembering Whitney: My Story of Love, Loss, and the Night the Music Stopped, Cissy Houston described the scene she encountered at Whitney Houston's house in 2005 as follows: "Somebody had spray-painted the walls and door with big glaring eyes and strange faces. Evil eyes, staring out like a threat ... In another room there was a big framed photo of [Whitney] — but someone had cut [her] head out. It was beyond disturbing, seeing my daughter's face cut out like that".[299]) When Winfrey asked Houston if she was drug-free, Houston responded, "'Yes, ma’am. I mean, you know, don’t think I don’t have desires for it.'"[300]

In May 2011, Houston enrolled in rehabilitation again due to drug and alcohol problems, which she stated was part of her "longstanding recovery process".[301]

Death

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Further information: Death of Whitney Houston
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Flowers near the Beverly Hilton Hotel

On February 11, 2012, Houston was found unconscious in Suite 434 at the Beverly Hilton, submerged in the bathtub.[302][303] Houston reportedly appeared "disheveled" and "erratic" in the days before her death.[304] Beverly Hills paramedics arrived about 3:30 pm, found Houston unresponsive, and performed CPR. Houston was pronounced dead at 3:55 pm PST.[305][306] The cause of death was not immediately known;[307][305] local police said there were "no obvious signs of criminal intent".[308] On March 22, 2012, the Los Angeles County Coroner's Office reported that Houston's death was caused by drowning and the "effects of atherosclerotic heart disease and cocaine use".[309][310] The manner of death was listed as "accident".[311]

Houston's death coincided with the 54th Annual Grammy Awards, which took place the day following her death and included a tribute to Houston; it was later credited for the Grammys' second-highest ratings in history.[312] The February 11, 2012, Clive Davis pre-Grammy party that Houston had been expected to attend, which featured many of the biggest names in music and film, went on as scheduled – although it was quickly turned into a tribute to Houston.[313] Numerous other public figures also expressed their grief, including Mariah Carey, Quincy Jones, Darlene Love, Aretha Franklin and Oprah Winfrey.[314][315] Houston's death was covered internationally in the media, along with her memorial service, which was held for Houston at her home church, New Hope Baptist Church, in Newark, New Jersey, on February 18, 2012.[316]

Houston's music surged in popularity following her death. According to representatives from Houston's record label, Houston sold 8 million records worldwide in the first 10 months of the year she died.[317] The single "I Will Always Love You" returned to the Billboard Hot 100 after almost 20 years, peaking at number three and becoming a posthumous top-10 single for Houston, the first one since 2001. Houston set a Guinness World Record for a female artist by placing 10 albums inside the Billboard 200 simultaneously.[318] In October 2023, Houston made the list of the top 10 highest-earning posthumous celebrities on Forbes, earning $30 million, later winning a posthumous Guinness World Records entry as the highest-earning posthumous female celebrity, her record 31st.[319][320]

Artistry

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Houston's vocal ability earned her the nickname "the Voice".

Houston had a four-octave vocal range.[321] She was referred to as "the Voice" because of her vocal talent.[322]

Jon Pareles of The New York Times stated Houston "always had a great big voice, a technical marvel from its velvety depths to its ballistic middle register to its ringing and airy heights".[323] In 2023, Rolling Stone ranked Houston second on their list of the greatest singers of all time, stating, "The standard-bearer for R&B vocals, Whitney Houston possessed a soprano that was as powerful as it was tender. Take her cover of Dolly Parton's 'I Will Always Love You', which became one of the defining singles of the 1990s; it opens with her gently brooding, her unaccompanied voice sounding like it's turning over the idea of leaving her lover behind with the lightest touch. By the end, it's transformed into a showcase for her limber, muscular upper register; she sings the title phrase with equal parts bone-deep feeling and technical perfection, turning the conflicted emotions at the song's heart into a jumping-off point for her life's next step."[324]

Matthew Perpetua of Rolling Stone also acknowledged Houston's vocal prowess, enumerating 10 performances, including "How Will I Know" at the 1986 MTV VMAs and "The Star-Spangled Banner" at the 1991 Super Bowl. "Whitney Houston was blessed with an astonishing vocal range and extraordinary technical skill, but what truly made her a great singer was her ability to connect with a song and drive home its drama and emotion with incredible precision", he stated. "She was a brilliant performer and her live shows often eclipsed her studio recordings."[325]

Elysa Gardner of the Los Angeles Times in her review for The Preacher's Wife Soundtrack highly praised Houston's vocal ability, commenting, "She is first and foremost a pop diva – at that, the best one we have. No other female pop star – not Mariah Carey, not Celine Dion, not Barbra Streisand – quite rivals Houston in her exquisite vocal fluidity and purity of tone and her ability to infuse a lyric with mesmerizing melodrama."[326] Singer and entertainer Michael Jackson named Houston as one of his musical inspirations, calling her a "wonderful singer, real stylist. You hear one line, and you know who it is."[327]

R&B singer Faith Evans stated: "Whitney was not just a singer with a beautiful voice. She was a true musician. Her voice was an instrument and she knew how to use it. With the same complexity as someone who has mastered the violin or the piano, Whitney mastered the use of her voice. From every run to every crescendo—she was in tune with what she could do with her voice and it's not something simple for a singer—even a very talented one—to achieve. Whitney is 'the Voice' because she worked for it. This is someone who was singing backup for her mom when she was 14 years old at nightclubs across the country. This is someone who sang backup for Chaka Khan when she was only 17. She had years and years of honing her craft on stage and in the studio before she ever got signed to a record label. Coming from a family of singers and surrounded by music; she pretty much had a formal education in music, just like someone who might attend a performing arts high school or major in voice in college."[328]

Jon Caramanica of The New York Times commented, "Her voice was clean and strong, with barely any grit, well suited to the songs of love and aspiration. [ ... ] Hers was a voice of triumph and achievement and it made for any number of stunning, time-stopping vocal performances."[329] Mariah Carey stated, "She [Whitney] has a really rich, strong mid-belt that very few people have".[330] In her review of I Look to You, music critic Ann Powers of the Los Angeles Times wrote, "[Houston's voice] stands like monuments upon the landscape of 20th century pop, defining the architecture of their times, sheltering the dreams of millions and inspiring the climbing careers of countless imitators". Powers added, "When she was at her best, nothing could match her huge, clean, cool mezzo-soprano".[331]

Lauren Everitt from BBC News commented on the melisma used in Houston's recording. "An early 'I' in Whitney Houston's 'I Will Always Love You' takes nearly six seconds to sing. In those seconds the former gospel singer-turned-pop star packs a series of different notes into the single syllable", stated Everitt. "The technique is repeated throughout the song, most pronouncedly on every 'I' and 'you'. The vocal technique is called melisma and it has inspired a host of imitators. Other artists may have used it before Houston, but it was her rendition of Dolly Parton's love song that pushed the technique into the mainstream in the 90s. [ ... ] But perhaps what Houston nailed best was moderation." Everitt said that "[i]n a climate of reality shows ripe with 'oversinging,' it's easy to appreciate Houston's ability to save melisma for just the right moment."[332]

Houston's vocal stylings have had a significant impact on the music industry. Stephen Holden from The New York Times, in his review of Houston's Radio City Music Hall concert on July 20, 1993, praised her attitude as a singer, writing, "Whitney Houston is one of the few contemporary pop stars of whom it might be said: the voice suffices. While almost every performer whose albums sell in the millions calls upon an entertainer's bag of tricks, from telling jokes to dancing to circus pyrotechnics, Ms. Houston would rather just stand there and sing." With regard to her singing style, he added: "Her [Houston's] stylistic trademarks – shivery melismas that ripple up in the middle of a song, twirling embellishments at the ends of phrases that suggest an almost breathless exhilaration – infuse her interpretations with flashes of musical and emotional lightning."[333]

Houston struggled with vocal problems in her later years. Gary Catona, a voice coach who began working with Houston in 2005, stated: "'When I first started working with her in 2005, she had lost 99.9 percent of her voice ... She could barely speak, let alone sing. Her lifestyle choices had made her almost completely hoarse'".[334] After Houston's death, Catona asserted that Houston's voice reached "'about 75 to 80 percent'" of its former capacity after he had worked with her.[335] However, during the world tour that followed the release of I Look to You, "YouTube videos surfaced, showing [Houston's] voice cracking, seemingly unable to hold the notes she was known for".[335]

Houston's vocal performances incorporated a wide variety of genres, including R&B, pop, rock,[336] soul, gospel, funk,[337] dance, Latin pop,[338] disco,[339] house,[340] hip hop soul,[341] new jack swing,[342] opera,[343] reggae,[344] and Christmas.[345] The lyrical themes of her songs are mainly love, religion, and feminism.[346] The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame stated: "Her sound expanded through collaborations with a wide array of artists, including Stevie Wonder, Luther Vandross, Babyface, Missy Elliott, Bobby Brown, and Mariah Carey."[336] AllMusic commented that, "Houston was able to handle big adult contemporary ballads, effervescent, stylish dance-pop and slick urban contemporary soul with equal dexterity".[347]

Legacy and cultural impact

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Further information: Cultural impact of Whitney Houston
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Houston performing "Where Do Broken Hearts Go" during her HBO-televised concert "Welcome Home Heroes"

Houston has been regarded as one of the greatest vocalists of all time and a cultural icon.[5][348] She is also recognized as one of the most influential R&B artists in history.[349][350] During the 1980s, MTV was coming into its own and received criticism for not playing enough videos by black artists. With Michael Jackson breaking down the color barrier for black men, Houston did the same for black women. She became the first black woman to receive heavy rotation on the network following the success of the "How Will I Know" video.[4][351][352] Stephen Holden of The New York Times said that Houston "revitalized the tradition of strong gospel-oriented pop-soul singing".[353] Ann Powers of the Los Angeles Times referred to Houston as a "national treasure".[331]

The Independent's music critic Andy Gill also wrote about Houston's influence on modern R&B and singing competitions, comparing it to Michael Jackson's, stating that "Jackson was a hugely talented icon, certainly, but he will be as well remembered (probably more so) for his presentational skills, his dazzling dance moves, as for his musical innovations. Whitney, on the other hand, just sang and the ripples from her voice continue to dominate the pop landscape." Gill said that there "are few, if any, Jackson imitators on today's TV talent shows, but every other contestant is a Whitney wannabe, desperately attempting to emulate that wondrous combination of vocal effects – the flowing melisma, the soaring mezzo-soprano confidence, the tremulous fluttering that carried the ends of lines into realms of higher yearning".[354]

According to Linda Lister in Divafication: The Deification of Modern Female Pop Stars, she has been called the "Queen of Pop" for her influence during the 1990s, commercially rivaling Mariah Carey and Celine Dion.[355] Rolling Stone stated that Houston "redefined the image of a female soul icon and inspired singers ranging from Mariah Carey to Rihanna".[356] In 2013, ABC named Houston the greatest woman in music.[357] Houston's entrance into the music industry is considered one of the 25 musical milestones of the last 25 years, according to USA Today in 2007. It stated that she paved the way for Mariah Carey's chart-topping vocal gymnastics.[84] Many major publications including the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Fox News, NBC News and The Independent dubbed Houston the “greatest singer of her generation”.[358][359][360][361]

Awards and achievements

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Madame Tussaud wax figure of Houston
Further information: List of awards and nominations received by Whitney Houston and Whitney Houston chart records and achievements

Houston won numerous accolades throughout her career, including two Emmy Awards, eight Grammy Awards (including two Grammy Hall of Fame honors), 14 World Music Awards, 16 Billboard Music Awards (36 Billboard awards in all) and 22 American Music Awards. Houston currently holds the record for most American Music Awards in a single night with eight, a record for a woman and tied in general with fellow musician Michael Jackson.[362] Houston was the first artist to win more than 11 awards in one night at its fourth annual ceremony in 1993, which set a Guinness World Record at the time.[363] Houston continues to hold the record for the most WMAs won in a single year, winning five trophies at the sixth World Music Awards in 1994.[364] Houston is also the black female artist with the most Guinness World Records in history with 31.

A premier black female entertainer, Houston was inducted into the BET Walk of Fame and the Soul Train Hall of Fame. In 2001, Houston became the first artist to receive the BET Lifetime Achievement Award.[365][366] In 2010, she was honored at The BET Honors with the Entertainers Award. In 2008, Billboard magazine released a list of the Hot 100 All-Time Top Artists to celebrate the US singles chart's 50th anniversary, ranking Houston at number nine.[367][368] In November 2010, Billboard released its "Top 50 R&B/Hip-Hop Artists of the Past 25 Years" list and ranked Houston at number three who not only went on to earn eight number-one singles on the R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart, but also landed five number ones on R&B/Hip-Hop Albums.[369]

Houston is one of the best-selling recording artists of all time, with more than 220 million records sold worldwide.[370][371] She was ranked the best-selling female R&B artist of the 20th century by the RIAA in 1999.[372] Houston sold more physical singles than any other female solo artist in history.[373] As of 2025, she is ranked as one of the best-selling artists in the United States by the RIAA with 61 million certified albums.[374] Houston released seven studio albums and two soundtrack albums, all of which have been certified diamond, multi-platinum or platinum.[375]

Houston became the first female artist to go diamond with an album after her soundtrack to The Bodyguard went ten-times platinum in November 1993. In January 1994, her debut album Whitney Houston was the first studio album by a woman to be certified ten-times platinum, making her the first solo artist to receive two diamond-certified albums. When her sophomore album, Whitney (1987), was certified diamond in October 2020, Houston became the first black recording artist in history to have three diamond-certified albums.[64] Those three albums are also among the best-selling albums of all time. Houston is the only black female artist with six or more albums to sell more than ten million units worldwide. The Bodyguard remains the best-selling soundtrack and best-selling female album of all time, with global units of over 50 million, while "I Will Always Love You" remains the best-selling single by a female artist at 24 million units worldwide. In addition, her soundtrack for The Preacher's Wife is the best-selling gospel release ever.[376]

She held an honorary Doctorate in Humanities from Grambling State University, Louisiana.[377] Houston was inducted into the New Jersey Hall of Fame in 2013.[378] She was inducted into the official Rhythm and Blues Music Hall of Fame in its second class in 2014.[379] In 2020, Houston was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame after her first nomination.[380][381] In October 2020, the music video for "I Will Always Love You" surpassed 1 billion views on YouTube, making Houston the first solo 20th-century artist to have a video reach that milestone.[382] In May 2023, Houston was one of the first of 13 artists to be given the Brits Billion Award by the BPI for reaching 1 billion career streams in the United Kingdom.[383] Houston is one of only a handful of artists in the 20th century to have multiple songs streamed a billion times on Spotify with her 1987 hit, "I Wanna Dance with Somebody (Who Loves Me)", and her posthumous 2019 hit, "Higher Love", reaching the feat in 2023 and 2024.[384][385][386]

Commemoration

Further information: Documentaries and biopics of Whitney Houston
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Whitney E. Houston Academy of Creative & Performing Arts.

Philanthropy

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Perspective

Houston was a long-time supporter of charities around the world. In 1989, she established the Whitney Houston Foundation for Children. It offered medical assistance to sick and homeless children, fought to prevent child abuse, taught children to read, created inner-city parks and playgrounds and granted college scholarships, including one to the Juilliard School.[402] At a 1988 Madison Square Garden concert, Houston earned more than $250,000 for the United Negro College Fund (UNCF).[403]

Houston donated all of the earnings from her 1991 Super Bowl XXV performance of "The Star-Spangled Banner" sales to Gulf War servicemen and their families.[404] The record label followed suit and she was voted to the American Red Cross Board of Directors as a result.[405] Following the terrorist attacks in 2001, Houston re-released "The Star-Spangled Banner" to support the New York Firefighters 9/11 Disaster Relief Fund and the New York Fraternal Order of Police. She waived her royalty rights to the song, which reached number one on charts in October 2001 and generated more than $1 million.[406] Houston declined to perform in apartheid-era South Africa in the 1980s.[407] Her participation at the 1988 Freedomfest performance in London (for a then-imprisoned Nelson Mandela) grabbed the attention of other musicians and the media.[408]

In addition, Houston became an activist for the fight against HIV and AIDS during the first decade of the AIDS epidemic. In 1986, the LGBT magazine publication The Advocate reported that one of Houston's concerts at the Boston Common in Boston raised $30,000 for the AIDS Action Committee of Massachusetts and the Gay and Lesbian Counseling Service. The Whitney Houston Foundation for Children, in particular, focused on helping children who suffered from HIV/AIDS, among other issues. In 1990, Whitney took part in Arista Records' 15th anniversary gala, which was an AIDS benefit, where she sang "I Wanna Dance with Somebody (Who Loves Me)", "Greatest Love of All" and, with cousin Dionne Warwick, "That's What Friends Are For". A year later, Whitney participated in the Reach Out & Touch Someone AIDS vigil at London in September 1991 while she was finishing her historic ten-date residency at London's Wembley Arena; there, she stressed the importance of AIDS research and addressing HIV stigma.[409][410]

In June 1999, Whitney gave a surprise performance at the 13th Annual New York City Lesbian & Gay Pride Dance[411] at one of the city's West Side piers.[412] According to Instinct magazine, Houston's unannounced performance at the Piers "ushered in a new era that would eventually make high-profile artists performing at LGBTQ events virtually commonplace".[411] Before hitting the stage, Houston was asked by MTV veejay John Norris why she decided to attend the event. Houston replied, "We're all God's children, honey".[411]

Discography

Main articles: Whitney Houston albums discography, Whitney Houston singles discography, Whitney Houston videography, and List of songs recorded by Whitney Houston

Studio albums

Soundtrack albums

Filmography

Main article: Whitney Houston filmography

Films starred

Films produced

Documentaries and others

Tours

Main article: List of Whitney Houston live performances

Headlining tours

Co-headlining tours

See also

Notes

  1. Along with Houston, the other acts who have done this include the Supremes, the Beatles, Michael Jackson, Mariah Carey, Janet Jackson and The Weeknd.[120]
  2. José Feliciano's version reached number 50 in November 1968.
  3. Houston shares the feat with singer Lionel Richie.[167]
  4. It also became the first song from a soundtrack to debut at number one and is only one of four soundtrack songs to do so, the others being Celine Dion's "My Heart Will Go On" and Aerosmith's "I Don't Want to Miss a Thing", both released in 1998 and Justin Timberlake's "Can't Stop the Feeling!" in 2016.
  5. Houston told Entertainment Tonight, "basically it was my gospel album, and it was excluded from the gospel category altogether. I'm not going this year... I'm sick of work being done and people not recognizing it."[208]

References

Further reading

External links

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