Whitney Elizabeth Houston was born on August 9, 1963, in Newark, NJ. Her mother, Emily “Cissy” Houston, was the choir minister at New Hope Baptist Church and also sang back up for Aretha Franklin. Her father, John Russel Houston, was an ex-serviceman and city administrator. Houston is also the cousin of singers, Dionne Warwick and Dee Dee Warwick.

Whitney Houston began her music career singing in the church choir. Due to her mother’s connections, Whitney met famous singers including Aretha Franklin at a very young age. When she was in high school, she was already singing backup for Chaka Khan and Lou Rawls.

By the time she was 19, her incredible vocals scored her a deal with Arista Records. She was signed by Clive Davis, and together, they worked on moving her from gospel-sounding music to pop. In 1985, her debut album, Whitney Houston, was released. The album got her three number-one singles in the US including “Greatest Love of All”, “Saving All My Love For You”, and “How Will I Know”. Her second album, Whitney, was released in 1987 and garnered her 4 more number-one singles including “I Wanna Dance With Somebody”, which won her a Grammy.

In 1992, Houston was one of the top-selling artists in the US, and that same year, she married R&B artist Bobby Brown. At first, the couple seemed to have a loving relationship, but it turned sour, with Houston and Brown both struggling with substance abuse. Houston would later hint to domestic abuse.

Also in 1992, Whitney Houston made her big-screen debut starring opposite Kevin Costner in The Bodyguard. The movie was a massive hit, and with it came one of her most popular song, a cover of Dolly Parton’s “I Will Always Love You” on the film’s soundtrack. The song won Houston three Grammys, and spent a record-breaking 14 weeks atop the US charts. 

This would be the beginning of a pattern of a successful film roles and a hit single. Shortly thereafter, she would star in Waiting To Exhale and The Preacher’s Wife. In 1998, she released her first non-soundtrack album in years, but also appeared with 90s popstar Mariah Carey on the Prince of Egypt soundtrack, winning her an Academy Award.

In the late 1990s and early 2000s, Whitney’s personal life and struggles started to overshadow her career. The music she released was struggling to come anywhere close to her earlier work, and the public started to notice. Her now-infamous interview with Diane Sawyer caused public outcry and worries for her mental and physical health. 

After her divorce from Bobby Brown, and gaining custody of their daughter Bobbi Kristina, Whitney seemed to be on track again. She released I Look To You in 2009, and it received positive reviews, but it was also clear that her tumultuous relationship and struggles had taken a toll on her voice. She even appeared on film again in the 2012 remake of Sparkle.

Unfortunately, Whitney Houston’s career would never see a full recovery. She died at the age of 48 at the Beverly Hilton Hotel on February 11, 2012. Houston remains one of the most recognizable vocalists in the last century, inspiring others to also pursue music.

Sources:

Biography

Whitney Houston

Britannica