Singer Whitney Houston found dead at 48

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Sunday, 12 February 2012 09:37

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By a Newsnet reporter
 
One time singing sensation Whitney Houston has been found dead at a Hotel in Beverley Hills.
 
The singer, considered to have had one of the best female singing voices of all time, was pronounced dead at 18:55 ET after attempts at resuscitation failed, there are not thought to be any suspicious circumstances.

Although Houston had struggled with drug and alcohol addiction for years, her untimely death will come as a shock to fans and celebrities alike.

News rocked the showbiz world and Singer Aretha Franklin said, “I just can’t talk about it now.  It’s so stunning and unbelievable.  I couldn’t believe what I was reading coming across the TV screen.  My heart goes out to Cissy (Houston’s mother), her daughter Bobbi Kris, her family and Bobby (Brown).”

Dolly Parton, who wrote “I Will Always Love You,” said, “mine is only one of the millions of hearts broken over the death of Whitney Houston.  I will always be grateful and in awe of the wonderful performance she did on my song and I can truly say from the bottom of my heart, ‘Whitney, I will always love you.  You will be missed.'”

Another entertainment legend, Quincy Jones, said he was “absolutely heartbroken” by the news.  “She was a true original and a talent beyond compare,” he said.

The star has sold over 170 million albums, singles and videos worldwide and her album “The Bodyguard” is one of the biggest selling albums of all time.  It was the soundtrack to the movie of the same name that saw the former singing diva appear alongside actor Kevin Costner.

The timing of her death comes months before the release of what was supposed to be a comeback movie “Sparkle” which is based on the story of pop group ‘the Supremes’.

After “The Bodyguard,” she went on to appear in several more movies in the 1990s, including “Waiting to Exhale.”

In 2000, Houston earned her sixth Grammy for best female R&B performance and, a month later, she was named female artist of the decade at the “Soul Train” Music Awards.

Her career stalled, however, in subsequent years as she entered rehab for addiction problems.  Many link the origins of her downfall to a relationship with singer Bobby Brown.

Drug and alcohol abuse led to several incidents in which the star displayed erratic behaviour and her career spiralled downwards.

Celebrity website TMZ.com claimed that, prior to her death, the singer had been partying heavily on Thursday and Friday night.

Singer Lionel Richie told CNN that Houston was one of the best.

“She had that voice that could just turn a story, a melody into magical notes,” he said.