Whitney Houston

Whitney Elizabeth Houston, an American singer and actress, was born August 9, 1963 in Newark, New Jersey to Cissy and John Russell Houston, Jr. Whitney got her start singing in the church choir at New Hope Baptist Church, led by her mother, Cissy.  As Whitney became a teenager, she often performed alongside her mother and was preparing herself for a singer career. Whitney was a model, and was one of the first African American women to appear on the cover of Seventeen Magazine.

Clive Davis, an Arista Records record producer, signed Whitney to a recording contract, and she released her debut album in 1987, entitled Whitney, at the age of 22.  The album earned Whitney her first of seven Grammy awards.  In addition to singing and modeling, she also crossed over into acting, winning major roles in The Bodyguard and Waiting to Exhale.  Her last movie appearance was in the remake of Sparkle, released in 2012.

On July 18, 1992, Whitney married R&B singer, Bobby Brown.  They had one daughter, Bobbi Kristina, born March 4, 1993.  The couple divorced 15 years later in 2007.  By the early 2000’s, Whitney’s career suffered because of her troubled marriage, drug abuse and health issues.  On February 11, 2012, Whitney Houston died in Los Angeles, California at the age of 48, due to the effects of heart disease and drug usage.

The Last Will and Testament of Whitney Houston was an interesting read.  There were a couple of key points that stood out to me.  In article four, Whitney Houston stipulated the terms of how much and when her issue would receive benefits from their trusts, which I personally felt was a wise decision.  In article four, any issue under the age of 30, receives a fraction of distributions from their separate trusts in five year intervals.  For Whitney Houston’s only child, Bobbi Kristina, she received one-tenth of the principal at the age of twenty-one,  and will get one-sixth of the remaining principal  at the age of twenty-five, and the entire remaining principal, along with all accrued and undistributed income, when she reaches the age of thirty.

Another interesting point in this will is the fiduciaries assigned to be Executor and Trustee.  In the original Last Will and Testament, her attorney Sheldon Platt, was the executor and one of the trustees, along with her sister-in-law Donna Houston.  On her codicil dated, February 3, 1993, she made her mother, Cissy Houston the executor, and assigned her sister-in-law and brother, Donna and Michael, as trustees.  Near the end of article ten, Whitney acknowledged the conflict of interest that may come about from her choices, but noted that she had total confidence in their abilities to carry out their fiduciary duties.

Submitted by K. Wiseman

Here is a link to the Last Will and Testament of Whitney E. Houston.