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63 years since the birth of the great Whitney Houston

63 years since the birth of the great Whitney Houston

One of the biggest stars of the 80s and 90s

Aug 9, 2025 09:12 9

63 years since the birth of the great Whitney Houston - 1
Bozhidara Najdenova Bozhidara Najdenova Author at Fakti.bg

62 years ago in Newark (New Jersey), one of the biggest stars of the 80s and 90s, Whitney Houston, was born. At the peak of her musical career, she sold over 170 million albums. Among her hundreds of awards were two Emmys and six Grammys, as she effortlessly transitioned from musical hits such as “I Wanna Dance With Somebody (Who Loves Me)” and ”Saving All My Love For You” to global film success with ”The Bodyguard” – which included her iconic hit “I Will Always Love You” – and “Waiting to Exhale”.

Her impressive voice and image, along with her record-breaking sales, were eroded in her final years by alcohol and drug abuse. Houston's public appearances became more erratic and she admitted to using cocaine, marijuana and pills, which made her unable to reach the high notes she sang in the prime of her career, BGNES writes.

Despite her personal struggles, she was widely loved by her music industry colleagues, and emotional tributes poured in in the hours after news of her death on February 11, 2012.

The star's 1985 debut album, “Whitney Houston“ sold millions of copies. “Saving All My Love for You“ earned her her first “Grammy“ award for best pop female vocalist. More hits followed, prompting The New York Times to write that Houston “possessed one of the most powerful gospel-trained voices of her generation“.

Houston seemed destined for greatness. She was the daughter of gospel singer Cissy Houston, cousin of 1960s pop diva Dionne Warwick, and goddaughter of Aretha Franklin. She began singing in church as a child, and as a teenager she was a backing vocalist for Chaka Khan and Jermaine Jackson.