Whitney was one of music’s best-selling artists of all time, selling an estimated 170-200 million records. Astounding. To this day, she is the only person to ever release seven consecutive songs to reach the No. 1 spot on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. Nobody has come close to touching that.
Despite her drug use, family and marital issues, Whitney had an amazing film career, starring in movies like Waiting To Exhale and, of course, The Bodyguard. With her iconic role in Bodyguard, Whitney also composed the soundtrack, which included her smash hit “I Will Always Love You,” the best-selling song by a woman in music history. The soundtrack made Whitney the first artist to sell over a million copies of an album within a week. Additionally, the album was the #4 best-selling of all time; Whitney’s on that list as the top female artist.
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Even now, people are still in awe of the life Whitney lived.
It’s incredible what she did with her work, and the legacy she left after her death. It’s unlikely that anyone will ever reach the level of success she conquered in her lifetime, and rightfully so. Aside from music, her family was her life. Though she divorced husband Bobby Brown in 2007, it was clear that she was still fond of him and their child, Bobbi Kristina, was her pride and joy. Bobbi Kristina, who herself had a shocking death at the age of 22. We mourn them both.
Here's Whitney's last performance before she died the very next day.
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In honor of the legendary life of one of the greatest performers in history, here are a few facts that you may not have known.
1. Whitney Houston came from music business royalty.
Her mother, Cissy Houston, was a backup singer for the likes of Elvis Presley, Mahalia Jackson, Luther Vandross, and Aretha Franklin. Whitney’s cousin, Dionne Warwick, is an internationally recognized singing star. Whitney’s Godmother is Aretha Franklin.
2. Houston is the most awarded female recording artist of all time
According to the Guinness Book of World Records. Houston’s awards include: 2 Emmy Awards, 6 Grammy Awards, 30 Billboard Music Awards, 22 American Music Awards.
3. Houston is the only artist to chart seven consecutive #1 Billboard Hot 100 hits
The hits include:
- “Saving All My Love for You”
- “How Will I Know”
- “Greatest Love of All”
- “I Wanna Dance with Somebody”
- “Didn’t We Almost Have It All”
- “So Emotional”
- “Where Do Broken Hearts Go”
TAKE A LOOK: Bobby Brown Says "Drug Use Destroyed Our Love"
4. She Was 'Best-Selling' from the Start
Houston’s 1985 debut album, “Whitney Houston,” became the best-selling debut album by a female act at the time of its release.
5. Houston sang background vocals on Chaka Khan’s hit single “I’m Every Woman”
In 1978, at the age of 15, she sang on Chaka's hit song, "I'm Every Woman", which she ironically later re-recorded and turned into an even bigger hit on “The Bodyguard” soundtrack album.
6. Whitney was on the verge of becoming a Supermodel.
Before she was a recording artist, Whitney Houston was one of the most in-demand teen models of all time. She was the first Black woman to appear on the cover of Seventeen magazine. She also appeared in the pages of Glamour, Cosmopolitan, Young Miss, and a Canada Dry ginger ale TV commercial.
7. Whitney Houston was a very big supporter of the anti-apartheid movement and Nelson Mandela.
During her days as a model, Houston refused to work with any agencies who did business with South Africa. In 1988, Houston performed a set at Wembley Stadium in London to celebrate Nelson Mandela’s 70th birthday, who was still in prison at the time.
8. Her Daughter's Death was Eerily Similar to Whitney's Death.
On Feb 10, 2022 Whitney died, at age 48, in a drug-filled bathroom of her hotel room just a few hours before the Davis party was due to begin. Houston's death was ruled as an accidental drowning with contributing factors of heart disease and cocaine use. On January 31, 2015, her daughter, Bobbi Kristina Brown was found unconscious in a bathtub in her home after ingesting numerous drugs and alcohol, which was similar to the fate of her mother. After being in a coma for nearly six months, Brown died from lobar pneumonia on July 26, at the age of 22.
9. Houston was actually booed at the 1989 Soul Train Music Awards
The majority Black audience mainly mistreated her because many Black fans at the time believed she had “sold out” with her crossover success. When Houston’s name was called for nomination, audible jeers could be heard in the audience. Houston later defended herself: “If you’re gonna have a long career, there’s a certain way to do it, and I did it that way. I’m not ashamed of it.”
10. Whitney Houston dated actor Eddie Murphy
This was years before she married R&B singer Bobby Brown in 1992.
11. Whitney Houston’s international smash, “I Will Always Love You,” was actually a remake.
Dolly Parton originally recorded the song. Parton talked about the millions of dollars she earned and turning it around to help grow an area of Nashville. Forbes reported Parton earned $10 million for Houston's version of her 1973 song.
12. Whitney Houston gave conflicting statements about her crack use.
In the 2002 Sawyer interview, Whitney denied using the drug, saying: “First of all, let’s get one thing straight. Crack is cheap. I make too much money to ever smoke crack. Let’s get that straight. Okay? We don’t do crack. We don’t do that. Crack is wack.” But in her next televised interview, with Oprah in 2009, Houston admitted using drugs with former husband Bobby Brown, telling Oprah that she “laced marijuana with rock cocaine.”
13. Whitney Houston’s 2002 conversation with Diane Sawyer was the highest-rated television interview in history.
It was one of the most in-depth interviews that anyone had had with Houston. Many believe that her mentor, Clive Davis, had tried to shield her from being interviewed for over a decade in fear that her shortcomings might deter her beloved audience. But despite the initial reaction, a record number of people not only tuned in, but watched the entire interview.
