Whitney Elizabeth Houston was an American singer in the pop, soul, R&B, and gospel genres, as well as a songwriter, actress, and model.
Place of Birth, Education
She was born on August 9, 1963, in East Orange, New Jersey, United States of America (USA).
She grew up in a musical family—her mother, Sissy Houston, was a well-known gospel singer, and her cousin Warwick also pursued a career in music.
Even as a child, Houston sang in the church choir. And as a teenager, she also tried her hand at modeling—she had quite a successful career as a photo model.
Career
1983 – 1990
In 1983, Houston signed a contract with Arista Records. One of her first singles, “Hold Me,” immediately made it into the Top 50 in the U.S.
The singer spent the following year working on her debut album, which she named after herself. The album was released in February 1985 and gradually climbed to the top of the U.S. charts, reaching No. 1 in early 1986.
It was this album that made Houston a huge star. The songs that brought her the most fame were “You Give Good Love,” “Saving All My Love For You,” “How Will I Know,” and “Greatest Love of All.”
In 1987, Houston won a Grammy for the song “Saving All My Love For You.” That same year, her hit “I Wanna Dance With Somebody” was released, becoming an international success and topping the charts on both sides of the Atlantic.
As a result, her second album—*Whitney*—debuted at No. 1 in the U.S. This was a major breakthrough for the singer, and the release itself made history, as no woman had ever debuted so high on the U.S. charts before.
The album also included other notable songs—in particular, “Didn’t We Almost Have It All,” which brought her yet another major hit on the charts. The singles “So Emotional” and “Where Do Broken Hearts Go” also continued her string of hits. Only “Love Will Save The Day” failed to replicate that success and peaked lower on the charts.
In 1988, Houston returned to the top of the charts with the song “One Moment in Time.” This was followed by the single “I’m Your Baby Tonight,” which once again propelled her to No. 1 on the U.S. charts. The album *I’m Your Baby Tonight* itself performed slightly less well, peaking at No. 3 in the U.S., but this was offset by the song “All the Man That I Need”—which earned the singer another chart-topping hit.
1990 – 2000
During that same period, Houston made her first major mark in film as well— she starred in the movie *The Bodyguard*. The soundtrack to that film became a massive hit. The song “I Will Always Love You”—a cover of Dolly Parton’s song—was the biggest hit. It spent 14 weeks at No. 1 in the U.S. and 9 weeks at No. 1 in the U.K. In addition to that song, “I’m Every Woman,” “I Have Nothing,” and “Run to You” were also very successful.
In the 1990s, Houston devoted much of her time to film rather than music. She didn’t make a full-fledged return to the stage until 1998, when she released the album *My Love Is Your Love*.
With this release, the singer was clearly trying to reclaim her status as the top pop star, a title that had by then already been taken by Mariah Carey and Celine Dion. And although the duet “When You Believe” with Mariah Carey, recorded for the animated film *The Prince of Egypt*, became a global hit, the album itself did not sell as well as expected.
The single “Heartbreak Hotel” helped turn things around a bit—it was this song that propelled Houston back to the top of the charts and reached No. 2 in the U.S.
2000 – 2010
In the spring of 2000, Houston released a greatest hits album titled *Whitney: The Greatest Hits*. It included her most famous ballads, remixes of up-tempo songs, and four new tracks.
That same year, the singer performed at a televised concert celebrating the 25th anniversary of Arista Records. She also became the first recipient of the BET Lifetime Achievement Award, recognizing her contribution to music by Black artists.
In August 2001, Houston signed a new $100 million contract with Sony BMG for six albums. At the time, it was a record-breaking deal for the music industry.
In particular , the album *Love, Whitney* was released, followed a year later, in 2002, by *Just Whitney*. The latter debuted at No. 9 on the Billboard chart and sold well, even going gold in several European countries.
In November 2003, Houston released a Christmas album titled *One Wish: The Holiday Album*. It consisted mainly of new versions of well-known holiday songs. She had previously performed some of the tracks for the movie *The Priest’s Wife*, and she recorded one of the songs—“Little Drummer Boy”—with her daughter, Christina Brown.
After a long hiatus, the singer returned in 2009 with the album *I Look to You*. It was her first studio album in six years. At that time, she began working again with Clive Davis, under whose guidance she had recorded her most successful albums. The album immediately debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200.
Throughout her career, which began in 1985, Houston’s recordings—albums, singles, and music videos—have sold more than 170 million copies worldwide. Her biggest hit, “I Will Always Love You,” was named by VH1 critics as one of the best songs of the past 25 years and ranked No. 1 among the most famous love songs. In total, the singer has received over 400 music awards and honors.
Death
On February 11, 2012, Houston died at the age of 48 at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills.
According to the official account, she choked in the bathroom. The main cause was said to be a combination of alcohol and antidepressants, which made her feel ill.
Marital Status
In 1992, Houston married Bobby Brown of the band New Edition. In 1993, they had a daughter, Bobby Kristina Brown.
In 2007, the marriage ended in divorce.
