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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. She was 48.
Publicist Kristen Foster said Saturday that the singer had died, but the cause and the location of her death were unknown.
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.
Comment
Comment by Michael Brown on February 14, 2012 at 10:14am You're right DJ Freeze, She had enough people around her to say to her 'STOP' get some help. Was she doing drugs when she died, we don't know. But years of heavy drug use can do harm to the body that may effect you later. R.I.P. Whitney, you will be missed.
Comment by Dawn Davis on February 12, 2012 at 1:53am 
Comment by Yolander Jackson on February 11, 2012 at 9:47pm Got Essence Mag in the mail today.It has a photo of Whitney (looking great) stated Whitney In the Spotlight Again for the remake of Sparkle.Then the text from 92Q about her death.Sad,another reminder how precious life is and death comes in an instant.My thoughts to her family and all of us fans.Be at peace Whitney.
Comment by brenda jordan on February 11, 2012 at 8:36pm so sad what a lost of hearing of Whitney Houston passing may she rest in peace and my heart goes out to her family with prayer
Comment by Charles Leon Johnson on February 11, 2012 at 8:16pm Its so sad to hear about Whitney RIP All this happening on the eve of the Grammys & The New Edition concert simply devestating.
We love you Whitney, Rest in peace.
Comment by LaShonda Bracey on February 11, 2012 at 8:04pm Lord why! I was really hoping that Whitney would finally get her life together. I wonder where she would be in life or where her life might have gone if she had never gotten involved with Bobby Brown.
Comment by Kraziekat on February 11, 2012 at 8:02pm © 2013 Created by Kenny Smoov.
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