Whitney Houston: Death Explained, When Did She Die, Songs Including I Will Always Love You, Her Daughter – And Her Age

Today (February 11) marks the 10th anniversary of singer Whitney Houston’s death.

Houston, who died aged 48 in 2012, is one of the best-selling artists of all time, with more than 200 million records sold worldwide.

Here’s everything you need to know about her.

Whitney Houston was an American singer and actress.

Nicknamed “The Voice”, she is considered one of the most influential singers in popular music, known for her powerful and moving voice, as well as her charismatic stage presence.

The most awarded female artist of all time, Houston is also one of the top selling artists, with sales of over 200 million records worldwide.

Houston was born in Newark, New Jersey in 1963, and began singing gospel music at a young age in church, influenced by her mother.

Described as having an impressive voice, at just 20 she was discovered by a representative of Arista Records and signed to the label.

His first two studio albums, Whitney Houston in 1985 and Whitney in 1987, reached No. 1 on the Billboard 200 and are among the best-selling albums of all time.

In 1992, Houston made her acting debut in the romantic thriller The Bodyguard, in which she co-starred with Kevin Costner.

By the time of his death in 2012 at the age of 48, Houston’s reputation had been tainted by years of drug addiction.

She was found dead in a hotel bathtub in Beverly Hills, and a coroner found cocaine to have been a contributing factor. News of his death coincided with the 2012 Grammy Awards and received international coverage.

According to the director of Whitney – a documentary about the superstar singer – Houston’s behavior provided clues that she had been abused.

In the film, an assistant claims Houston confided in her that she was sexually abused as a child by her cousin Dee Dee, Dionne Warwick’s late sister.

Director Kevin Macdonald said the assistant explained to him how the consequences of this abuse have stayed with her throughout her life and “impacted her relationships, impacted her self-esteem, maybe his lack of emotional development”.

He added: “I don’t think an event like this or an experience necessarily defines anything about you, but I think in Whitney’s case, when you hear the different people talking about it, what an impact it got on her, I think that’s probably the main explanation for a lot of her behavior.

Houston met R&B singer Bobby Brown at the 1989 Soul Train Music Awards, and the two married in 1992.

A year later, Houston gave birth to daughter Bobbi Kristina Brown, the couple’s only child.

In May 2019, the Houston estate unveiled plans for a hologram tour featuring the late pop star.

Her estate said in a statement that it has partnered with BASE Hologram for An Evening With Whitney: The Whitney Houston Hologram Tour.

The show will include master recordings of the late singer as well as a live band and backing vocals, the statement added.

Roy Orbison, Tupac and Buddy Holly have all had second lives on stage while plans for an Amy Winehouse hologram tour have been put on hold due to “unique challenges and sensibilities”.

In September 2021, it was revealed that the upcoming remake of The Bodyguard will feature a young Latina actress in the role made famous by Houston.

While the first film introduced Houston as an established, globally popular musician, the remake will take a different approach, the film’s writer said.

Matthew Lopez, the first Latino playwright to win the Tony Award for Best Play, writes The Bodyguard.

He told Variety, “It’s so much fun. When Warner Bros approached me about the idea, I quickly said I would, but I wanted the protagonist to be Latina. They accepted that.

“Instead of focusing on an established star like the one played by Whitney Houston, it’s about a young Latina performer who has just risen to fame.

“It’s about how her life has changed because she’s an overnight sensation. In the 21st century, that means she’s in immediate need of protection.

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