The daughter of John Russell Houston Jr. and Cissy Houston, Whitney Elizabeth Houston was born August 9, 1963, and died February 11, 2012. Whitney became a legend in the music industry and an inspiration to a lot of the young artists like Jennifer Hudson. Whitney Houston made history with her voice, her passion of music, and her acting career.

                Cissy, Whitney’s mom, led a Baptist church choir, which is where it all started for Whitney. She grew up in an environment of very strong voices such as those of her cousin, Dionne Warwick, and her godmother Aretha Franklin. Whitney took advantage of such a privilege. Already at the age of 15, Whitney Houston was trying to get a record deal of her own.

                Whitney Houston was a model and she became one of the first African American women to appear on the cover of Seventeen magazine. When she was 19, she was discovered by Clive Davis, the renowned director of Arista Records, who immediately signed with her, and from that time on she moved from Gospel to Pop music.

                With her big and strong voice, when Whitney opened her mouth to sing she would always leave people speechless. One of her most successful accomplishments  was the movie “The Bodyguard” in 1992. The film’s original soundtrack won Grammy Award for Album of the Year in 1994. Its leading song “I Will Always Love You” became the best-selling single by a female artist in music history. After proving to the movie industry that she was a potential actress, Whitney Houston went on with her acting career. She was seen again in “The Preacher’s Wife,” and its soundtrack became the best-selling gospel album in history. She also acted in the movie “Waiting to Exhale.”

                When Whitney Houston was announced dead, it was shocking to most of the people. Her body was found in her guest room at Beverly Hilton Hotel, in California. She died the day before the Grammy Awards, and she had attended the Pre-Grammy concert. At the Grammy Awards, many artists announced how big an impact Whitney Houston had made on their music careers. Most of them were saddened by her death. The ceremony started with a moment of silence in Whitney’s honor. Though she is gone, her forceful voice and her passion for music will never be forgotten. She dwells forever in our hearts.