Whitney Houston dead at 48

Feb 11, 2012 by Ian Evans

One day before music’s biggest night, one of its former superstars has died. Whitney Houston is dead at the age of 48. Houston’s publicist, Kristen Foster, confirmed the news to the press, though the location and cause have yet to be released.

Houston, who was daughter of gospel singer Cissy Houston, cousin of Dionne Warwick and Aretha Franklin’s goddaughter, went from the heights of music superstardom to the low of heavy drug use. She won six Grammy Awards, thirty Billboard Music Awards, twenty-two American Music Awards and sold over 170 million records. However, by the late 1990’s erratic behaviour and drug use became the norm for her and then-husband Bobby Brown. In 2010, Houston, who had been to rehab twice, told Oprah Winfrey that she was drug-free, but missed concerts and erratic behaviour called that statement into question.