Whitney Houston

Whitney Houston Artistfacts

  • August 9, 1963 - February 11, 2012
  • Houston met R&B singer Bobby Brown at the 1989 Soul Train Music Awards. After a three-year courtship, Houston announced her engagement to Brown on her 1992 TV special, This Is My Life and the two wed on July 18, 1992. The tumultuous marriage ended in 2006.
  • Houton has quite the musical pedigree. Here it is: The singer Emily Drinkard, better known as Cissy Houston, is a sister of Lee Drinkard (both members of the gospel group The Drinkard Singers). Lee Drinkard is the mother of the singers Dionne Warwick and Dee Dee Warwick. Cissy's daughter is Whitney Houston.
  • In 1983, she appeared on the hit TV show Gimme A Break.
  • Houston received the first ever BET Lifetme Achievement Award in 2001.
  • Whitney was signed by Clive Davis and spent her whole career at Arista Records. In 2001, she signed the biggest contract in music history: an eight-album deal for $100 million.
  • She has album sales over 60 million in the US, including four #1 albums. On the singles chart she reeled off an incredible seven consecutive #1 hits and has hit the top a total of 11 times. Her biggest hit, "I Will Always Love You," spent a stunning 14 weeks at #1. >>
    Suggestion credit:
    Bertrand - Paris, France
  • Whitney was found unconscious, submerged in the bathtub in Suite 434 at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Los Angeles on February 11, 2012. She was pronounced dead at 3:55 p.m. PST. The coroner's report ruled that her official cause of death was accidental drowning and the "effects of atherosclerotic heart disease and cocaine use."
  • Whitney Houston's grave in Fairview Cemetery, Westfield, New Jersey is marked with a teardrop-shaped headstone, with the inscription "I will always love you."
  • Before she started her career as a singer and actress, Whitney was a teen model. She was one of the first African-Americans to adorn the cover of Seventeen magazine.
  • Whitney was considered for the role of Sondra Huxtable on the Cosby Show, but the young singer was unable to commit to the full-time television production schedule because she needed to be free to tour, even though at that point she didn't have a record deal.
  • The success of Whitney's tours during 1986–87 and her two studio albums ranked her, according to Forbes magazine, as the third-highest-earning African-American entertainer in the late 1980s, after Bill Cosby and Eddie Murphy.
  • The Bodyguard marked her film debut. Her co-star Kevin Costner, who also produced the film, was so sure Houston was right for the role he postponed production for a year until she was available. Roger Ebert, who gave the movie three stars, praised Houston's performance, adding, "She photographs wonderfully, and has a warm smile, and yet is able to suggest selfish and egotistical dimensions in the character."

Comments: 10

  • Apples from Los AngelesWhitney was not a dramatic mezzo or soprano, nor a coloratura. She was just a lyric soprano with great technique.
  • Omar Martin from Los AngelesRegarding Annabelle'd from Eugene , OR question, Whitney Houston's mother is Dionne Warwick maternal aunt making Whitney her maternal cousin which is why Whitney Elizabeth Houston does not share Dionne's last names last name
  • Jon from Enumclaw , WaRIP Whitney you will be missed!!!!
  • Marija from Belgrade, SerbiaWrong-VOCAL PROFILE FOR WHITNEY :DRAMATIC COLORATURA SOPRANO!!!
  • Myra Homles from Newark, NjWHITNEY HOUSTON IS FROM NEWARK, NEW JERSEY
  • Annabelle from Eugene, OrIf Dionne Warwick is Whitney Houston's cousin, wouldn't it make more sense if she was Dionne Houston, or if Whitney was Whitney Warwick? Also, If the two of them are cousins, who is Dionne's Mother? Is she Whitney's mother's sister? Is she Whitney's Father's Sister?
  • Demonte from Seattle , WaVOCAL PROFILE FOR WHITNEY:
    VOICE TYPE:DRAMATIC MEZZO-SOPRANO
    HIGHEST NOTES:c6 and b-b5
    LOWEST NOTES:c3 and e3
  • Ken from Dupont, Pa100 million dollars??!! Wow, did they take a bath on that one!!
  • Kelli from Cedar Rapids, IaOh God, they better not hire her, she'll be high or won't show up half the time.
  • Sarah-jane from Halifax, CanadaWhitney is being considered to fill Paula's spot on American Idol.
see more comments

Editor's Picks

Emilio Castillo from Tower of Power

Emilio Castillo from Tower of PowerSongwriter Interviews

Emilio talks about what it's like to write and perform with the Tower of Power horns, and why every struggling band should have a friend like Huey Lewis.

Mike Rutherford (Genesis, Mike + The Mechanics)

Mike Rutherford (Genesis, Mike + The Mechanics)Songwriter Interviews

Mike Rutherford talks about the "Silent Running" storyline and "Land Of Confusion" in the age of Trump.

Andy McClusky of OMD

Andy McClusky of OMDSongwriter Interviews

Known in America for the hit "If You Leave," OMD is a huge influence on modern electronic music.

Hawksley Workman

Hawksley WorkmanSongwriter Interviews

One of Canada's most popular and eclectic performers, Hawksley tells stories about his oldest songs, his plentiful side projects, and the ways that he keeps his songwriting fresh.

Glen Burtnik

Glen BurtnikSongwriter Interviews

On Glen's résumé: hit songwriter, Facebook dominator, and member of Styx.

Classic Metal

Classic MetalFact or Fiction

Ozzy, Guns N' Roses, Judas Priest and even Michael Bolton show up in this Classic Metal quiz.