Whitney Elizabeth Houston was a singer, actress, producer and model. In 2009, the Guinness World Records cited her as the most-awarded female act of all time. Whitney’s awards include 2 Emmy Awards, 6 Grammy Awards, 30 Billboard Music Awards, and 22 American Music Awards, among a total of 415 career awards as of 2010. Houston was also one of the world’s best-selling music artists, having sold over 170 million albums, singles and videos worldwide. Inspired by prominent soul singers in her family, including her mother Cissy Houston, cousins Dionne Warwick and Dee Dee Warwick, and her godmother Aretha Franklin. Whitney began singing with her New Jersey church’s junior gospel choir at age 11. After she began performing alongside her mother in night clubs in the New York City area, she was discovered by Arista Records label head Clive Davis. Whitney released seven studio albums and three movie soundtrack albums, all of which have diamond, multi-platinum, platinum or gold certification. Houston’s first acting role was as the star of the feature film The Bodyguard (1992). The film’s original soundtrack won the 1994 Grammy Award for Album of the Year. Its lead single “I Will Always Love You“, became the best-selling single by a female artist in music history. With the album, Whitney became the first act (solo or group, male or female) to sell more than a million copies of an album within a single week period. The album makes her the only female act in the top 10 list of the best-selling albums of all time, at number four. Whitney continued to star in movies and contribute to their soundtracks, including the films Waiting to Exhale (1995) and The Preacher’s Wife (1996). The Preacher’s Wife soundtrack became the best-selling gospel album in history. Then the world stood still as her death was announced…

On the Thursday before her death, Whitney visited singers Brandy and Monica, together with Clive Davis, at their rehearsals for Davis’ pre-Grammy Awards party. A reporter for the Los Angeles Times reported that Whitney was reeking of alcohol and looked very bloated and disheveled, wearing mismatched clothing with her hair dripping of either water or sweat. During the two singers’ rehearsal, Whitney was seen skipping around the lobby or wandering aimlessly around the hotel ground. At one point guests of the hotel became so concerned that they reported her behavior to security after she was seen doing handstands by the hotel pool. Houston attended a party that evening held by Kelly Price at Tru Nightclub in Hollywood, California. A scuffle was narrowly avoided with singer Stacy Francis. Reports say that Whitney got belligerent and her boyfriend Ray J was forced to step in, although he defended Francis. Houston attempted to raise her hand, but was calmed down. Later in the evening, Whitney gave what is now her final onstage performance when she took to the stage along with Price for a one minute performance of “Jesus Loves Me“. Houston was photographed leaving the club clearly intoxicated and with scratches and blood stains on her legs, although it is unknown where these marks came from. It could have been spilled wine or food stains on her clothes and legs, at this point its to hard to know.

On February 11, 2012, Houston was found dead at the Beverly Hilton Hotel, in Beverly Hills, California, of causes not immediately known. According to TMZ, Houston was running late to get ready for the pre-Grammy Awards party being held four floors down in the hotel by her mentor, Clive Davis. After her stylists and bodyguards became concerned that Houston was in the bathroom for over an hour, they knocked on the door but Whitney did not answer back. A female hairdresser went to check on Whitney and found her lying in the bathtub. A bodyguard came in and quickly pulled her out of the bathtub. It was reported that Whitney’s face was underwater and her legs were up like she had slid down the back of the bathtub and drown. Her body was reported to be very cold as her bodyguard unsuccessfully attempted to perform CPR on her, before alerting hotel security. Beverly Hills paramedics arrived shortly after and found the singer unresponsive and performed CPR again for about 20 minutes before declaring her dead at 3:55 p.m. PST. Local police said there were “no obvious signs of criminal intent”. The cause of death is unknown, it is increasingly looking like Whitney may have fallen asleep or lapsed into unconsciousness in the bathtub and drowned. Authorities believe a combination of Xanax and alcohol could have fatally sedated her — although TMZ sources say it is simply too early to draw any firm conclusions regarding the cause of death. Beverly Hills police have requested a security hold on details of the coroner’s case on Whitney Houston’s death, a Los Angeles County coroner’s official said Sunday.

The Clive Davis party that Whitney was expected to attend and which featured many of the biggest names in music and movies, went on as scheduled though was quickly turned into a tribute to her. Clive spoke to those attending the party about Whitney’s passing by saying at evening’s start, “By now you have all learned of the unspeakably tragic news of our beloved Whitney’s passing. I don’t have to mask my emotion in front of a room full of so many dear friends. I am personally devastated by the loss of someone who has meant so much to me for so many years. Whitney was so full of life. She was so looking forward to tonight even though she wasn’t scheduled to perform. Whitney was a beautiful person and a talent beyond compare. She graced this stage with her regal presence and gave so many memorable performances here over the years. Simply put, Whitney would have wanted the music to go on and her family asked that we carry on.” But, that feat alone sadly was hard for many to do…

Tony Bennett spoke of Whitney’s passing before performing at Davis’ party by saying “First it was Michael Jackson, then Amy Winehouse, now, the magnificent Whitney Houston. I’d like every person in this room to campaign to legalize drugs. Let’s legalize drugs like they did in Amsterdam. No one’s hiding or sneaking around corners to get it. They go to a doctor to get it.” Bennett, who battled drug addiction in the 1970s, went on to perform “How Do You Keep the Music Playing?“ in honor of Whitney and her long battle with drug addiction. “This is a song Frank Sinatra asked me to sing,” Bennett told the crowd. “I’d like to dedicate it to Whitney. When I first heard her, I called (producer) Clive Davis and said, ‘You finally found the greatest singer I’ve ever heard in my life.’”

In a recent video Bobby Brown had performed at least 10 songs and was going through his past hits. People at the show said they were surprised to even see him there with the news. He was visibly shaken at times and during his smash ‘Tenderoni’ you could tell he was fighting his emotions. He was struggling a bit, but the crowd helped him out. Bobby Brown mourned publicly for ex-wife Whitney Houston on stage at the Landers Center in Southaven, Mississippi. The singer was visibly shaken, his voice cracking and walking off stage, as his near sold-out reunion performance with group New Edition wound down. “First of all, I want to tell you that I love you all. Second, I would like to say, I love you Whitney. The hardest thing for me to do is to come on this stage,” he reportedly told the crowd. Bobby Brown is skipping the next New Edition show to fly to Los Angeles to join his distraught daughter Bobbi Kristina in the wake of her mother’s death. Bobbi needs to be with his daughter, she is in a bad place right now and really needs some of his parental support and love. I wish them strength through this trying time…