Whitney Houston is 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 59th birthday, we take a look at the evolution of Whitney Houston.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.