Who was Whitney Houston? Everything You Need to Know

Quick Facts

Also Known As: Whitney Elizabeth Houston

Died At Age: 48

Family:

Spouse/Ex-: Bobby Brown

father: John Russell Houston

mother: Cissy Houston

siblings: Gary Garland, Michael Houston

children: Bobbi Kristina Brown

Born Country: United States

Quotes By Whitney Houston African American Singers

Height: 5'8" (173 cm), 5'8" Females

Died on: February 11, 2012

place of death: Beverly Hills, California, United States

Notable Alumni: Mount Saint Dominic Academy

Cause of Death: Drowning

U.S. State: New Jersey

City: Newark, New Jersey

More Facts

education: Mount Saint Dominic Academy

Humanitarian Work: Supported children welfare organizations

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Childhood & Early Life

Whitney Elizabeth Houston was born on August 9th, 1963, in Newark, New Jersey. She is the daughter of Grammy-award-winning gospel singer, Emily “Cissy” Houston and John R. Houston, who managed his daughter’s production company.

She was no stranger to the entertainment industry, stemming from a line of singers and actresses. Not only did her mother’s vocal group, the ‘Sweet Inspirations’, sing backup for Aretha Franklin, but her cousins Dionne and Dee Dee Warwick are also renowned singers, as well as her godmother, Darlene Love.

She began performing in her church’s gospel choir as a soloist at the age of eleven and learned to play the piano. While attending Catholic school, she took voice lessons from her mother, with whom she would occasionally perform in nightclubs.

Quotes: You, Alone, Friends, I

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Career

In 1977, she was a backup singer for Michael Zager Band’s single ‘Life’s a Party’ and the following year she sang on Chaka Khan’s single ‘I’m Every Woman’. She was offered an opportunity to sign with a recording company, but her mother declined so she would finish high school.

In the early 1980s, at seventeen, she worked as a model, appearing in several magazines including, ‘Seventeen’, where she became the first African American to be featured on the cover. She also took on acting gigs appearing in TV show episodes such as, ‘Gimme a Break’, while continuing to develop her vocal skills.

In 1983, she signed with ‘Arista Records’. President Clive Davis spent the next couple years assembling lyricists and producers to balance her gospel-like sound with contemporary melodies.

In 1985, her debut album, ‘Whitney Houston’ gradually became the number one selling album of her career. She received numerous accolades and toured sold-out concerts in the U.S. and Europe.

Through the late 1980s, hits rocketed to the top of billboard charts. She reached a record of seven consecutive number one hits and became the first woman to produce four number-one singles from one album. In 1991, while contemplating an acting career and lead role in ‘The Bodyguard’, she performed her legendary rendition of the national anthem at the ‘Super Bowl’.

In 1992, she married singer Bobby Brown, who she had met a few years prior. She accepted the role in ‘The Bodyguard’, and was pregnant with daughter, Bobbi Kristina for most of the filming.

The picture grossed $390 million at the box office and its soundtrack produced one of the longest-running, number one singles of all time, Houston’s version of Dolly Parton’s ‘I Will Always Love You’.

By 1993, she was at the pinnacle of her career. She went on to star in and produce several hits such as, ‘Waiting to Exhale’ (1995), ‘The Preacher’s Wife’ (1996), and ‘Sparkle’ (2012).

Quotes: Alone

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Major Works

Her debut album, ‘Whitney Houston,’ is her most successful, selling over 24 million copies. She is best known for her role in ‘The Bodyguard’ and its soundtrack. Her rendition of ‘I Will Always Love You’ is the best-selling single by any female singer and the album sold over 200 million copies worldwide.

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Awards & Achievements

She has won over 400 awards including, six ‘Grammys’, two ‘Emmys’, ‘30 Billboard Music Awards’, and 22 ‘American Music Awards’.

In 2009, ‘Guinness World Records’ cited her as the most awarded female musician of all time.

She is the only woman to have more than one album spend at least ten weeks at No. one. She had three: ‘Whitney Houston’, ‘Whitney’, and ‘The Bodyguard’ soundtrack.

Quotes: Love, Yourself, Learning

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Personal Life & Legacy

Whitney met Bobby Brown at an awards ceremony and the two started dating. Eventually after courting each other for three years, the couple exchanged nuptial vows on July 18th, 1992.

However in 2007, she and Bobby Brown divorced. She gained custody of daughter, Bobbi Kristina.

She fought a long battle with drug and alcohol abuse. She entered rehab twice and in 2011, enrolled in an outpatient program.

She supported several organizations for children. The ‘Whitney Foundation for Children’ continues her work and legacy.

Boston named the ‘Hearing and Language Disorder Clinic’ of ‘The National Birth Defect Center’ as the ‘Whitney Houston Hearing and Language Disorder Clinic’.

On February 11th, 2012, at the Beverly Hilton Hotel, she was discovered unconscious in the bathtub of her suite. The cause of the death was declared as “accidental drowning”.

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Trivia

Her father nicknamed this famous personality ‘Nippy’, as a baby, because she kept removing her blanket during the winter. She later named her management company, ‘Nippy Inc.’

2000	Best Female R&B Vocal Performance	Winner
1997	Best Rhythm & Blues Song	Winner
1994	Record of the Year	The Bodyguard (1992)
1994	Best Pop Vocal Performance - Female	The Bodyguard (1992)
1994	Album of the Year	Winner
1988	Best Pop Vocal Performance, Female	Winner
1986	Best Pop Vocal Performance, Female	Winner

Whitney Houston Biography