We’ll Always Love Whitney! Whitney Houston’s illustrious career began when she started singing in church at the age of five. As a teenager she provided background vocals for her talented mother and notable artists Chaka Khan, Jermaine Jackson, and Lou Rawls. In 1981, Whitney was the first black woman to model on the cover of Seventeen magazine. She signed with Arista in 1983. It was through Arista that she released her debut album in 1985, which swiftly topped the charts in a matter of weeks. Subsequently, her 1987 album possessed four number-one hits, the most consecutive of all time. Later, she starred opposite Kevin Costner in The Bodyguard and recorded the entire soundtrack, which won her three GRAMMYs. Due to detrimental personal struggles, Whitney took a break …show more content…
Whitney Houston’s famous family was the root of much of her success and many of her dangerous problems. She was born on August 9th 1963 in Newark, New Jersey to John and well-known gospel singer Cissy Houston. Her relatives included a surprisingly high number of celebrities including cousins Dionne and Dee Dee Warwick, godmother Darlene Love, honorary aunt Aretha Franklin, and family friends Roberta Flack and Gladys Knight. Whitney’s family grew when she married soul singer Bobby Brown on September 18th 1992, which led to the birth of their daughter, Bobbi Kristina, on March 4th 1993. Tragically, both Bobby and Whitney battled severe substance abuse, suffered constant domestic violence, and experienced several miscarriages. Amid the worst turbulence of their marriage, the reality show Being Bobby Brown documented their crumbling relationship in 2005. As drugs affected Whitney’s reputation, constant weight fluctuation and eventual voice failure threatened her career. In a desperate attempt to order her life, she divorced Bobby in 2007 and won custody of Bobbi Kristina. Whitney went to rehab twice, declaring herself drug-free by 2010, but returned yet again in May 2011. Drugs