Whitney Elizabeth Houston
August 9, 1963 – February 11, 2012
*photo credit unknown
While out celebrating the 81st birthday of my Granny, I was surprised to find out that one of the most fantastic singers of MY generation had passed away at the tender age of 48. Ms. Whitney Houston.
While we are well aware of all of the tongue in cheek sayings that surround this phenomenal woman, I want to focus on all of the greatness. That voice. That beauty. That LOVE of her craft. The woman could SING!
I’ll admit, I’m one of the people who actually broke down into tears at the realization that she had indeed died. Not because I feel as if anyone should care, but the world lost such a talented young woman who just happened to struggle like so many of us. The difference is, she was under a microscope that was set to the highest level of scrutiny.
Whitney Houston has SO many songs on the soundtrack of my life it is not even funny. When I say that my sister and I played the soundtracks of The Preachers Wife and The Bodyguard over and over again, I’m not lying. She also had a song on the soundtrack of The Prince of Egypt. Really you all, she just makes me think of all the great times my sister and I had listening to her music and “performing” for an invisible audience.
My Facebook timeline has been pretty tame as far as people paying their respects. However, twitter is another story. Some people are just, well, insensitive when it comes to the death of someone famous. I saw it with Amy Winehouse, I saw it with Don Cornelius, I saw it with Heavy D.
While I know that we’re not put on this earth to live forever, it is so hard to see someone in their prime leave it. She seemed to just be getting back to her old self. While she knew that she wouldn’t be able to hit those notes as well as she used to, she still wanted to show that she loved and cared for singing.
One performance that sticks out to me is when she was honored at the BET awards. *I do NOT normally watch BET, however, when someone as diva as Ms. Houston is being honored, I make exceptions – did the same thing with Prince* She didn’t sing, but Kim Burrell did. And the chemistry of the song, and the fact that Whitney acted as if she were the only person in that audience was amazing to me.
She leaves so many performances that were fantastic, both in movies and live. The Superbowl, The Grammy’s, Oprah. So many to name.
She was fantastic. She was emulated. She was a diva, an icon. She was human.
And now, she’s gone.
Sweet rest Ms. Houston, from the Houseful.
Shonda
Sunday 12th of February 2012
Well said! Some people forget celebrities are humans and they have that flaws. I love Whitney and always will. I will be praying for her family.