From ABC:
2. “Saving All My Love for You” at the 1986 Grammys. Houston won her first Grammy for “Saving All My Love for You,” her first No. 1 single, at the 1986 Grammy Awards. She performed the ballad at the show and won an Emmy for Outstanding Individual Performance in a Variety or Music Program the following year.
From ABC:
3. Singing the national anthem at the 1991 Super Bowl. Houston’s powerful rendition of “The Star Spangled Banner” at Super Bowl XXV got such an overwhelming response that it was released as a commercial single. It reached the Top 20 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, making her the only performer to turn the national anthem into that big of a hit.
From ABC:
4. “The Bodyguard.” Houston’s success in the music industry catapulted her into the film world. In 1992, she starred in “The Bodyguard” alongside Kevin Costner, playing a star who hires protection after being tormented by a stalker. It was one of the first interracial films to not make the fact that it was interracial a focal point. Though some critics panned Houston’s acting, the film was an overwhelming success, making more than $410 million worldwide. It also made “I Will Always Love You” one of her most memorable hits — the song went on to win Grammys for record of the year and best female pop vocal.
From ABC:
5. “Waiting to Exhale.” In 1995, Houston starred in “Waiting to Exhale” with Angela Bassett, Loretta Devine, and Lela Rochon. The film about black women struggling with relationships opened at No. 1 and made more than $81 million worldwide, proving that a film marketed primarily at a black audience could have wide ranging success. Houston’s song featured in the film, “Exhale (Shoop Shoop)” also reached No. 1 on the Billboard charts.
From ABC:
6. Good girl goes bad. As the ’90s wore on and the new decade loomed, Houston’s good girl image shifted. Her 1992 marriage to R&B singer Bobby Brown changed her behavior, and in 2000, she had her first run-in with the law. Authorities in Hawaii found nearly half an ounce of marijuana in her bag at an airport but she and Brown boarded a plane before they could be arrested. Charges were later dropped. Somewhat fittingly, her current hit was “It’s Not Right But It’s OK.”
From ABC:
7. “Crack is whack.” Amid rumors of drug use, in 2002, Houston sat down for an interview with ABC News’ Diane Sawyer. She alluded to having used cocaine, pills, and marijuana, but drew the line at crack in what turned into an infamous rant. ”First of all, let’s get one thing straight,” she told Sawyer. “Crack is cheap. I make too much money to ever smoke crack. Let’s get that straight. OK? We don’t do crack. We don’t do that. Crack is whack.”
From ABC:
8. Marriage to Bobby Brown exposed. The realities of Houston’s marriage to Brown emerged in 2003 when police responded to a domestic violence call from her about her husband. They found her with a cut lip and bruised cheek. Their marriage was further revealed in Bravo’s 2005 reality show “Being Bobby Brown,” which showed both Houston and Brown in incredibly compromising situations. The Hollywood Reporter famously dubbed it “undoubtedly the most disgusting and execrable series ever to ooze its way onto television.”
From ABC:
9. Comeback album and tour. For much of the ’00s, Houston’s music career stalled as she endured multiple rounds of rehab and divorced Brown in 2007. She came back in a big way with “I Look to You,” her first studio album in seven years. It sold 304,000 copies in its first seven days on the market, sending Houston back to the top of the charts and giving her the best debut week of her career. It led her to launch her 2010 “Nothing but Love” world tour. Though some said Houston’s signature voice showed the stress of her ups and downs, she soldiered on, putting on shows in Asia, Australia and Europe even though fans and critics panned her performances.
From ABC:
10. “Oprah” tell-all. In 2009, Houston opened up to Oprah Winfrey about her marriage to Brown, revealing that he spit on her in front of their daughter, she hit him over the head with a telephone, and marijuana laced with cocaine was her drug of choice during their time together. While she declared herself drug free, she returned to rehab in 2011. She also told Winfrey why she took a break from show business. ”It was too much,” she said. “So much to try to live up to, to try to be, and I wanted out.”
http://www.oprah.com/oprahshow/Cissy...hitney-Houston
From BBC:
13 February 2012 Last updated at 04:08 ET
A Los Angeles coroner has said there were no signs of foul play surrounding the death of singer Whitney Houston.
After a post mortem examination, the coroner said there were no visible signs of trauma on Houston's body and that foul play was "not suspected at this time".
He added officials were not ruling out any causes of death until they had the results of toxicology tests.
The star was found dead in the bath in her Los Angeles hotel room on Saturday.
The coroner said he would not release any more details on the post mortem, performed on Sunday at the request of police detectives investigating the singer's death.
Meanwhile, the music world has been remembering her life and career at the Grammy Awards.
Host LL Cool J opened the event with a prayer for the singer, who won six Grammys during her career.
"There is no way around this. We've had a death in our family," he said.
"The only thing that feels right is to begin with a prayer for a woman who we loved - for our fallen sister, Whitney Houston."
The audience then gave a standing ovation after watching a clip of her hit I Will Always Love You.
Dressed in black and with a simple piano accompaniment, singer Jennifer Hudson later gave a moving rendition of the same song, ending with the line: "Whitney, we will always love you."
Others paying tribute during the ceremony included singer Bruno Mars, who told the crowd: "Tonight we're celebrating the beautiful Miss Whitney Houston."
LA county coroner Ed Winter: "Foul play is not suspected at this time"
"To Whitney up in heaven, we all love you," echoed Stevie Wonder.
Melanie Fiona, who won best traditional R&B vocal performance and best R&B song, said: "Whitney Houston, I would not be standing up here if it were not for you."
Reactions to Houston's death dominated the ceremony, the most high-profile event in the US music calendar.
Before the show, Jimmy Jam, a friend and producer of Houston's, said it was "a bitter-sweet occasion".
"Anytime someone passes away, the thing you do is you gather your family together [and] tell stories," he said.
"A little bit of mourning, little bit of celebrating - this is our family tonight and we're going to do it the best that we can do it."
Earlier on Sunday, the Reverend Al Sharpton paid tribute to Houston while preaching at the Second Baptist Church in Los Angeles.
"Yes, she had an outstanding range," he said. "Yes, she could hit notes no one else could reach.
Singer Jennifer Hudson giving her rendition of I Will Always Love You
"But what made her different was she was born and bred in the bosom of the black church.
Meanwhile, Houston's 18-year-old daughter Bobbi has been released from hospital after being treated for stress and anxiety following her mother's death.
Houston holds the record for having the most consecutive chart-topping singles in the US, reaching number one seven times between 1985 and 1988.
But her later career was overshadowed by substance abuse and her turbulent marriage to singer Bobby Brown.
In recent years drug use had taken its toll on the star and her voice - once acknowledged as one of the finest in pop music - was badly damaged.
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