Last night, at a little after 7pm est, as my wife and I were watching The Double on Netflix, our son, Chris, texted us that Whitney Houston had died. Like most of the rest of the world, we were saddened and surprised, but not shocked.
Whitney Houston was a superstar. A singer beyond compare. She was the first female to have an album debut at #1. She was the first and only recording artist to have 7 straight number one hits. These are only two of her many recording records. Whitney Houston was also an actress appearing in several films, the best known being The Bodyguard and Waiting to Exhale.
Ms. Houston married singer, Bobby Brown, in 1992. Many blame him for Whitney’s descent into drug addiction. Houston and Brown were married for 16 years and had one daughter, Bobbi Kristina Houston Brown. Sadly, as the years passed, Whitney made fewer and fewer albums or movies and her appearances in the press were usually something drug-related. Ms. Houston made at least three attempts at rehab and talked openly about her struggles with drugs in a famous interview with Oprah Winfrey in 2009. Fans hoped that Whitney had kicked the drugs and things looked promising in 2010 when she began her “Nothing But Love” world tour. Although drugs had a taken a toll on her, Whitney was back on stage and touring and things seemed to be headed in the right direction. Whitney Houston was set to appear on the Grammy awards tonight. It would have been a wonderful step in her comeback. Unfortunately that was not to be. Instead the Grammy’s will feature a tribute to the once-reigning queen of pop.
Rest in Peace, Whitney Houston. Our thoughts and prayers go out to her family, friends and fans.