On This Day in 2012: The tragic death of Whitney Houston

February 11, 2012 - Whitney Houston dies tragically

It’s tough to believe all this time has passed since the day Whitney Houston died, but in some ways it seems longer ago that the shocking news came. A few years earlier, we experienced the same gut punch when we heard the news about Michael Jackson, and more recently we seem to be constantly reeling from the news of too-soon deaths. But the death of Whitney Houston hit the music world particularly hard, on the eve of what should have been a weekend of pure celebration: The Grammy Awards. And while everyone knew who Whitney Houston was, young people of 2012 may not have known what she meant for years to another generation.

Back then, it may have been difficult for young people to think of Whitney Houston outside of her regular starring role in the tabloids, but soul music fans of another generation certainly remembered when she arrived in 1984 as a talented, stunningly beautiful young vocalist who appeared to have the whole package.  She largely delivered on the promise over the next decade and a half, becoming perhaps the most influential female singer of her generation (its easy to forget that Mariah Carey was once viewed as Whitney Part II) and one of the biggest popular music performers of all time.

Born in 1963 as the daughter of singer Cissy Houston, Whitney was performing by the time she was a teen and was discovered by A&R man Gerry Griffith and signed as a solo singer at age 20 by Arista President Clive Davis.  Her first recording was a less-than-inspiring duet with an aging Teddy Pendergrass called "Hold Me," but it was her 1985 debut album and the Kashif-produced "You Give Good Love" that made her a star.  Her big, bright voice was an incredible instrument and it was nearly impossible to avoid gaping at her breathtaking physical beauty.  Davis modeled her for crossover success, delivering to her a series of instantly likeable pop-oriented singles that, one after another, shot to the top of the charts. And for its part, Arista also fashioned a public relations campaign that painted her in the kind of radiant, impeccable light that became a challenged to live up to or sustain. 

Houston's self-titled album became the biggest selling female debut of all-time, and she immediately moved near the top of the pop music royalty.  Her follow-up album, Whitney, continued the ascension, boasting four more #1 pop hits (alternating between bright dance tunes and ballads that were notable mostly for her always-solid vocal performance) and solidifying her position as an artist who appeared incapable of slipping.  By now it was clear that Houston was largely a singles artist - her albums were collections of melodic cuts from a number of producers with no particular cohesiveness - but she made those singles her own and sang the heck out of them. Following her slightly less successful third album, I'm Your Baby Tonight, Houston confirmed her position as America's woman with her breathtaking version of the "Star Spangled Banner," which was released around the time of the beginning of the Gulf War.

Houston's transition from singer to actress began with 1992's The Bodyguard, a by-the-numbers movie that teamed the biggest singer in the world with the biggest actor in the world, Kevin Costner.  It was a smash, and was only surpassed in notoriety by the uber-popular soundtrack and Houston's cover of Dolly Parton's "I Will Always Love You," a show-stopping vocal performance that became the biggest hit of Houston's career and one of the best selling singles of all time.  The second single, the David Foster-penned "I Have Nothing," was perhaps even better, and also hit #1.  She followed The Bodyguard with two more movies and soundtracks, Waiting to Exhale and The Preacher's Wife, each of which spawned hits but failed to reach the popularity of its predecessor.

With her movie career waning, Houston came back to the music studio in 1998 with My Love Is Your Love, her most ambitious and urban sounding album.  While it didn't meet the sales of her earlier albums (it was her first disc to fail to hit the top 10), it was a refreshing change and included some memorable songs, including the reggae-influenced title cut (courtesy of Wyclef Jean) and the edgy "It's Not Right But It's Okay."  She also ventured back into big ballad territory and to the top of the charts on her #1 duet with Mariah Carey, "When You Believe."

Unfortunately, around this time Houston's life appeared to be unraveling, with legal problems, marital issues with husband Bobby Brown, erratic public behavior, scary weight loss and drug problems creating for her a regular front page column in the tabloids that continued nearly until her death.  These personal travails tended to overshadow her enjoyable 2001 release Just Whitney and her 2003 Christmas album.  In 2008, Houston began working on her "comeback" album I Look to You, working with such current R&B luminaries as R Kelly, Stargate, Akon and Tricky Stewart.  While the disc showed that Houston had lost some of her overpowering vocal skills, it was nonetheless a welcome and worthwhile return for her. 

She followed the album with her "Nothing But Love" tour, which, unfortunately, showed Houston struggling as a singer in ways her fans had never before seen.  The tour was largely criticized and ended early. Houston voluntarily entered rehab for dependencies in 2011. And then that day in 2012 came, when she was found dead in her Beverly Hills hotel bathroom.

While her personal life unfortunately took front and center during the last decade-plus of her life, the period since her death has been one of perspective, allowing music fans the time to instead reflect on the immense talent and grace that Houston brought to a quarter century of music.  And though her albums (especially her early work) were often sprinkled with safe, formulaic ballads, her performances always rose above the material with which she worked and resulted in a career full of memorable moments.  She was considered by many as the voice of her generation, and it is for that voice and what she brought us that she is remembered, now more than ever. 

By Chris Rizik