That voice. There’s no way to capture the full magic of Whitney Houston, of her talent, of what she meant to so many people. “I always wanted to sound like Whitney Houston,” Adele has said. “I remember being 17 in front of mirrors, singing along to ‘I Wanna Dance with Somebody’ with my hair spray in my hand.” Same for another fan in Texas. “I, like every singer, always wanted to be just like her,” Beyoncé toldEssence. “She is our queen, and she opened doors and provided a blueprint for all of us.”
Ten years after Houston’s shocking death at age 48, PEOPLE is celebrating her life and unmatched career in anew special edition. The photo-filled issue goes back to Houston’s New Jersey childhood, from early solos in the church choir, to accompanying her mother, gospel singer Cissy Houston, on-stage in Carnegie Hall at age 15, to becoming a global superstar and six-time Grammy Award winner.
In a mere seven years, from 1985 to 1992, Houston sold a remarkable 26 million albums in the United States alone, racked up ten No. 1 Hot 100 singles, and starred in a film,The Bodyguard, that grossed more than $400 million. “Her unprecedented success brought Black women into the absolute highest reaches of the music industry’s pantheon,” said Alicia Keys when she inducted Houston into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2020.
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But as the number built to a crescendo and the former choirgirl loosened up, out came that voice — a sound that could move souls. The world witnessed the birth of a superstar. “You won’t forget that name,” Griffin declared over the din of the studio applause. “Whitney Houston.”
“Here I come with the right skin, the right voice, the right style, the right everything,” Houston said in 1987, looking back at her surreal run. “A little girl makes the crossover, andvooom!It’s a little easier for the others.”
“I saw nothing other than somebody who was happy, who was moving forward, who was having a good time,” Price toldTodayof their time on stage. “Her daughter was there with her. She was dancing, she was smiling, she was singing.” Less than 48 hours later, a member of Houston’s entourage discovered her submerged unconscious in the bathtub of her room in the Beverly Hilton Hotel. EMTs attempted to revive her, but to no avail. She died on Feb. 11, 2012.
“Her music will live forever,” said Keys at the Rock Hall of Fame. “That music, that everlasting voice, is her final, generous gift to us.”
PEOPLE’s Whitney Houston: The Timeless Star’s Life & Legacyis available now atAmazon and wherever magazines are sold.
source: people.com
