Whitney Houston | |
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Houston sings Greatest Love of All at the Welcome Home Heroes concert in 1991 | |
Born | Whitney Elizabeth Houston August 9, 1963 Newark, New Jersey, U.S. |
Died | February 11, 2012 | (aged 48)
Cause of death | Accidental drowning due to atherosclerotic heart disease and combined drug intoxication |
Resting place | Fairview Cemetery, Westfield, New Jersey, U.S. |
Education | Mount Saint Dominic Academy |
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Years active | 1977–2012 |
Spouse | |
Children | Bobbi Kristina Brown |
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Musical career | |
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Website | whitneyhouston |
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Whitney Elizabeth Houston (August 9, 1963 – February 11, 2012[1][2]) was an American singer and actress. Known as The Voice, she is regarded as one of the most significant cultural icons of all time and often ranked as the greatest singer of all time. Houston is the most awarded female artist of all time and among the best-selling recording artists of all time, with sales of over 300 million records worldwide.
Her first two studio albums, Whitney Houston (1985) and Whitney (1987), both peaked at number one on the Billboard 200 and are among the best-selling albums of all time. She is the only artist to have seven consecutive number-one singles on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart, from "Saving All My Love for You" in 1985 to "Where Do Broken Hearts Go" in 1988.
Houston made her acting debut with the romantic thriller movie The Bodyguard (1992). She recorded six songs for the movie's soundtrack, including "I Will Always Love You", which won the Grammy Award for Record of the Year and became the best-selling physical single by a female in music history. It won the Grammy Award for Album of the Year and remains the best-selling soundtrack album of all time. Houston starred and recorded soundtracks for two other high-profile movies, Waiting to Exhale (1995) and The Preacher's Wife (1996). The latter's soundtrack became the best-selling gospel album of all time.
On February 11, 2012, Houston was found dead at the Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills, California. News of her death coincided with the 2012 Grammy Awards and was featured prominently in international media. Houston was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2020.