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.