The Evolution of Whitney Houston

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Photo:  Kevork Djansezian (Getty Images)
Photo: Kevork Djansezian (Getty Images)

If Whitney Houston was alive today, she’d only be 60!  One of the most beloved, talented and greatest singers to ever live, her strong voice and personality made her a magnet to everyone who knew her and listened to her music. It’s still hard to believe she’s not here with us.

On what would have been her 60th birthday, we take a look at the evolution of Whitney Houston.

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Newark

Photo:  Jack Vartoogian (Getty Images)
Photo: Jack Vartoogian (Getty Images)

Whitney Elizabeth Houston was born August 9, 1963, in Newark, N.J. to Cissy Houston and John Russel Houston Jr. Raised in music, Whitney’s mother was a gospel singer and her father was an entertainment executive.

Early career


Clips of Whitney Houston singing as a Child(12-15 years old)

Early in her entertainment career, Whitney was a backup singer for the Michael Zager Band on the song “Life’s a Party” at 14 years old. A year later, she sang background vocals for Chaka Khan on the song “I’m Every Woman.”

Modeling

Photo:  Doug Vann/Corbis via Getty Images (Getty Images)
Photo: Doug Vann/Corbis via Getty Images (Getty Images)

Before she became a pop star, Whitney was an accomplished model. She appeared in various issues and on covers of Seventeen magazine years before she became a beloved singer.

Arista Records

Photo:  Michael Ochs Archives (Getty Images)
Photo: Michael Ochs Archives (Getty Images)

In 1983, Whitney was discovered by Gerry Griffith, an A&R representative from Arista Records, while performing at a New York nightclub with her mother. Shortly after, she was offered a record contract by label head Clive Davis.

Whitney Houston


Whitney Houston - Saving All My Love For You (Official HD Video)

Whitney’s self-titled debut album was released on Feb. 14, 1985, and was met with worldwide acclaim. It included hit singles “You Give Good Love,” “Saving All My Love for You” and “How Will I Know.” She won a Grammy for Best Pop Vocal Performance in 1986 for “Saving All My Love for You.”

Whitney


Whitney Houston - I Wanna Dance With Somebody (Official Video)

Whitney’s sophomore album officially solidified her as a pop star. Released in June 1987, the album included the hit singles “I Wanna Dance with Somebody” and “Where Do Broken Hearts Go.”

Bobby Brown

Photo:  Sonia Moskowitz (Getty Images)
Photo: Sonia Moskowitz (Getty Images)

At the 1989 Soul Train Awards, Whitney met popular R&B singer Bobby Brown. Three years later the two would get married and start off a rollercoaster relationship.

Super Bowl XXV


Whitney Houston - Star Spangled-Banner

Whitney performed “The Star-Spangled Banner” at Super Bowl XXV and it immediately became one of the most popular renditions of the song ever. It remains the standard for how the national anthem should be sung.

The Bodyguard


Whitney Houston - I Will Always Love You (Official 4K Video)

This rendition is what sent Whitney into the stratosphere. In 1992, she made her movie debut in The Bodyguard. While the movie performed well, it was the soundtrack that became a massive success, mostly thanks to Whitney’s Dolly Parton-penned hit single “I Will Always Love You.”

Bobbi Kristina Houston Brown

Photo:  Larry Busacca/WireImage (Getty Images)
Photo: Larry Busacca/WireImage (Getty Images)

In 1993, while on a worldwide tour, Whitney gave birth to her only child, Bobbi Kristina Houston Brown. Bobbi experienced her own trials and tribulations, ultimately dying in 2015 in a bathtub. It was eerily the same fate her mother realized in 2012.

2002 ABC Interview


Whitney Houston Talks About Drugs

In a 2002 interview with Diane Sawyer of ABC News, Whitney reveals that she has done drugs such as marijuana, cocaine and other prescribed substances. She claimed that she was done abusing drugs and made the now infamous statement, “Crack is whack.”

Rehabilitation

Photo:  Jo Hale (Getty Images)
Photo: Jo Hale (Getty Images)

In 2004, Whitney entered a rehabilitation program to deal with her drug abuse problem. But she only lasted five days. A year later, she reentered rehab. Six years later in 2011, Whitney voluntarily checked herself into an outpatient program.

Divorce

Photo:  Ron Galella, Ltd./Ron Galella Collection via Getty Images (Getty Images)
Photo: Ron Galella, Ltd./Ron Galella Collection via Getty Images (Getty Images)

After 14 years of marriage, Whitney and Bobby filed for divorce in October 2006. Whitney was granted full legal and physical custody of Bobbi Kristina.

Death

The grave site of singer Whitney Houston and her father John Russell Houston Jnr located in the East Ridge section of the Fairview Cemetery on February 20, 2012 in Westfield, New Jersey. The singer who was found dead in her hotel room at The Beverly Hilton Hotel on February 11, 2012, has been buried close to her father John, who died in 2003.
The grave site of singer Whitney Houston and her father John Russell Houston Jnr located in the East Ridge section of the Fairview Cemetery on February 20, 2012 in Westfield, New Jersey. The singer who was found dead in her hotel room at The Beverly Hilton Hotel on February 11, 2012, has been buried close to her father John, who died in 2003.

In Los Angeles for the Grammy Awards, Whitney was found dead in a bathtub at the Beverly Hilton Hotel on Feb. 11, 2012. The cause of death was accidental drowning; cocaine and heart disease were contributing factors. She was 48.

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