Whitney Houston is dead?!

Will be watching Grammys to see how they pay tribute to Whitney's voice :no:

only moving moment was J Hudson trying to sing and doing well, she was really wonderful with shortened version of "I will always love you." Loved it when Dolly sang it, then Whitney took it to the stratosphere. People have reall forgotten how beautiful, strong, perfect her voice was. She should have been where Celine/Mariah still are. Oh, the waste-the waste of the gift from God. Still in disbelief. Xanax plus hot bath/jacuzzi is really bad. I am sad everyone will just remember her as a has been drug addict who did it to herself, but it seemed very complicated, her "addiction" as she said on Oprah to Bobby. He was "her drug." What did she see in him, I wondered, but they had much in common, I read.

heyang said:

Her career was cut short due to her drug use. Some will blame her ex-husband Bobby Brown, but she was an adult when they married and made her own decisions. Also, they split up years ago and while they reportedly had amicable relationship for their daughter's sake; so, blaming Bobby Brown seems to be out of place IMHO. Whitney was another person who lost her way and her family, friends and fans will miss her.

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Exactly. That is not to say she wasn't amazingly gifted. Some of her music is still on the best ever list... but to blame all her troubles on others - or one other - is to totally discredit her ability as an adult to make her own decision...

skateluvr said:

only moving moment was J Hudson trying to sing and doing well, she was really wonderful with shortened version of "I will always love you."

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I thought Jennifer did an excellent job under the circumstances. Matter of fact she gave me goosebumps. You could see she was struggling to maintain her composure.

ITA. Jennifer, who is one of my favorites, did a beautiful job with her tribute.

Dee4707 said:

I thought Jennifer did an excellent job under the circumstances. Matter of fact she gave me goosebumps. You could see she was struggling to maintain her composure.

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100% agree..... I think the only reason she managed to finish was because of the support of the audience.

Sad to say that there is no one out there with the voice of Whitney Houston right now. Jennifer Hudson comes close, but not nearly as great.

http://silencenogood.net/whitney-houston-acapella-how-will-i-know/ Just listening to this track without instruments reminds me of the clarity and brilliance of her voice.

Olympia said:

I'm so glad there's a place to talk about this. I think that a death of someone who isn't just prominent but an artist who has an impact on our lives has a measurable effect on us. We feel a connection to the person, not because he/she is well known but because, as seniorita points out, that person may have brought us to tears or inspired us to dream. Losing a great actor or singer often feels like losing a part of our own past. I've noticed that reaction in myself and others quite a few times. I'm old enough to remember when John Lennon was killed. I felt as though something inside myself had been taken away. I wasn't a huge Houston fan, but I deeply admired her voice (three octaves, I believe) and thought she was just beautiful to behold. As with many of you, her high point for me was her amazing performance in The Bodyguard. The camera didn't just love her; it cherished her. Her face seemed to glow. We forget nowadays that this film was also a bit of a pathfinder: it featured an interracial romance without even bringing up the issue. Well, what man wouldn't look at Houston at the peak of her beauty and fall in instant love with her?

The thought of such an astounding talent being wasted is heartbreaking. There's no reason except ill use for her voice to have shredded into tatters by her forties. As a reality check, Susan Boyle was in her mid-forties when she sang on Britain's got Talent. Streisand is just about seventy, and so is Judy Collins, a folk singer I always loved and heard in person recently. Elaine Page, the British stage star, is at least sixty.

Extra heartbreak: Skateluvr, you say that her daughter is also using drugs? That is dreadful. With parents like that, Bobbi C. never had a chance at a decent start in life. I hope she can be rescued. I think you're very likely right about the cause of death: those powerful drugs can turn on you in a minute. They weaken the body and the heart over time, and any dose can become the overdose that ends things by sheer accident.

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I remember well when John was shot. It seemed the end to my hopes of a Beatle reunion. I was 13 maybe when they broke up, and we were all devastated. They were the band of my life, I might still have my Beatles scrapbook. It is very sad and shocking to lose these artists like MJ, Amy and Whitney because music touches us deeply. More than any one song of Houston's it was her voice. If you want to hear the penultimate version of the Star Spangled banner, only look to Whitney on Youtube. We love you still Nippy, you must be an some amazing choir I hope and pray. And I hope people praya for her daughter who is completely destroyed, having had two 911 visits. This little girl is in for such greif. I wish I could just hug her and ask her not to do any more drugs. Grammy song from JHud was amazing- how did she hold herself together? Adele's voice is saved by surgery. She won 6. True Irony here, yes?

I did seek out Whitney's rendition of the Star-Spangled Banner, and I agree that it is spectacular. Not only does her voice soar, but her face and body language show such jubilation as she performs. At that moment she was the Voice of America. I'm not always fond of the songs she sang--power ballads aren't generally my favorite kind of music--but her voice itself was lovely, stunning. One article referred to it as "majestic," and I think that's the word for it. A million-dollar voice, as Dee said earlier. What an instrument!

Skateluvr, I wish you could hug her daughter, too. You're probably more solid and capable than any of the people who supposedly have been responsible for her care.

Jennifer Hudson did a splendid job on the Grammys. She gave the song just the right amount of power, and just the right amount of restraint. She echoed Whitney's interpretation but did not imitate it, instead putting the stamp of her personality on the song. No one could have done a better job.

You're right that musicians affect us in a profound way, making their deaths personally distressing for us. To this day, if I hear certain solo songs sung by John Lennon, I tear up. Judy Garland can do that to me, too. Thank goodness for people like Fred Astaire! I only smile when I hear him sing--no sadness at all. (Yes, I am an old movie buff.)

I agree Olympia, that Clive gave her power ballads and anthem type songs but how not showcase that voice for all it was. 3 octaves you said? Is that rare? I loved her vibratto, if that is correct word. They are flying flags in jersey at half mast! Controversial. I kind of agree it should be for former governors, senators, presidents, but she meant a lot. You know, she started burning out quite young. She really sang so much from 18, 19 for 10 years. i can't help but think she was a gospel/ Rand B lady who Clive packaged for maximum money and crossover appeal. It is such a shame she did not treasure singing.

imagine preferring Tv/reefer and Bobbi Brown. I heard he isn't welcome at her funeral. I can understand that. The fame monster. Gaga is not a drug addict, like Madonna, the fame is all the drug she needs. Not much talent to me, but she is wise for her age.

Oh, well. Seeing McCartney married for 3rd time, still writing, "Imagine" were John and Paul still a team, what older age gems they might write.

There's a thought: a few more decades of Lennon-McCartney gems. Gotta love it! I did love the song McCartney wrote for his new wife and performed here, "My Valentine." What did you think of it? She seems very nice, the new Mrs. McCartney. I'm glad he seems to have found someone steady and kind. He deserves the best, our Paul.

Yes, three octaves (at which you can sing each note along the range with fluidity, strength, and control, not squeal or screech) is impressive. Houston's voice is shown at its best with that National Anthem performance. The Star-Spangled Banner is actually one of the toughest of the world's national anthems to sing, because of its wide range, from the depth of "Oh, say can you see" to the height of "And the rocket's red glare" and "O'er the land of the free" (to which Whitney even adds an ornamental higher note). Spectacular.

Olympia I liked the McCartney song. He has always written his wives love songs and she is stunning, rich, younger-what a life they have. Lifetime has 'The Body Guard" on and couldn't resist. I think Costner was a little in love with the young Whitney. It is amazing how she starred in a film with no acting experience and really did so well. I saw a bit of the funeral but could not watch. It was way more subdued and smaller and less showbizzy than that extravaganza the Jackson family promoted. I think it was exactly what she would have wished, with the exception of No Aretha, for health reasons, I guess. Jessie jackson looked very old and very sad. As the defacto minister to the black comminity, he has seen so much of this in the music/acting industry.

Cissy looks terrible, and from what I read, Whitney seemed reckless to the point of maybe planning this. She was broke, and Clive Davis was paying her bills, as Whitney supported many, including her ex Bobby. She was very generous they say. It is so long ago that she was the blockbuster star, but she threw it away early in life. I see the waste, and the Voice that could have matured and done duets, more movies like the "Preacher's Wife." I love Gospel so I was touched by the choir. It was very genuine, and in Church-no celebrity show-offs. I think she had many people love her but she was her own boss. She detroyed her voice, but it was apparently devastating to her when it failed her. I think maybe it was not a coicidence it all happened Grammy week. To see all the young talent...she thought she could bring her voice back and was trying, but she was in party town. I really think Hollywood has daily horrible tragedies and I am not a fan of most of the actors/actresses and the whole celebrity obsession in America.

I know those doctors who gave her all those sedatives will pay some day. I don't get a buzz from anything and am not an addictive personality, but I can certainly see she did not always "get" that she was not indestructable. Bobby Brown has cleaned up his act, ironically, and got out alive. I am concerned for the daughter. The grandma is old and broken and her mother was her whole life. Well, I think the stories will stop which is good. I pray God helps all who ask. The Houstons have amazing faith in Christ, and they are at peace. I wish I was so sure.

Actually as far as they can tell she did not doctor/prescription shop. It wasn't like Jackson or Elvis. She did have an addiction, and they should have been more cautious, but as far as media reports have been concerned there was nothing truly out of line.

It was a great - rather long - service. Kevin Costner gave probably the best rememberance for her. I did not listen to Jesse Jackson, I needed to shower at somepoint lol. That they walked her casket out to "I Will Always Love You" was perfect.

I, too, just watched the Bodyguard... I forgot how much I love that movie. I adore Kevin Costner. I need to add it to my DVD collection.

Tonichelle said:

It was a great - rather long - service. Kevin Costner gave probably the best rememberance for her.

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I thought so too Toni, espceially about the makeup. I love the stories he told Whitney about drinking the grape juice after the church services.

Tonichelle said:

I did not listen to Jesse Jackson, I needed to shower at somepoint lol.

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Toni, I dont think Jesse Jackson spoke during the services.

Tonichelle said:

That they walked her casket out to "I Will Always Love You" was perfect.

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OMG, when those pall bearers lifted her casket onto their shoulders and "I Will Always Love You" started that was very touching.

I continue to go back to my church that was once an affluent part of the city and now is part of the inner city. I go to the service that has gospel singers. Our church consists of 3/4 white and 1/4 black and other ethnic people. Anyhow when they have church services for a black member of the community as they process out the choir sings "When The Saints Go Marching In".....I love that.

Tonichelle said:

I, too, just watched the Bodyguard... I forgot how much I love that movie. I adore Kevin Costner. I need to add it to my DVD collection.

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I watched it too.

I love the stories he told Whitney about drinking the grape juice after the church services.

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that was actually a story about himself. But it was a good story. He was sharing a few of her favorite stories he'd shared with her as they bonded. Their common bond was that they both grew up in their local churches. And both were Baptist (something I have in common with both of them - and Brad Pitt, too!)

Tonichelle said:

that was actually a story about himself. But it was a good story. He was sharing a few of her favorite stories he'd shared with her as they bonded. Their common bond was that they both grew up in their local churches. And both were Baptist (something I have in common with both of them - and Brad Pitt, too!)

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I didn't watch the funeral but did see Costner's speech by video later on, because I'd read such good things about it. What a deeply moving, generous, compassionate eulogy. That story about Whitney being anxious at her screen test and putting on the wrong make-up was the perfect story to tell at this moment. It reminded me of how much I love Costner. I don't know of any stories behind his time acting with her (and don't want to know), but certainly they felt a chemistry that they were able to convey in the film. Man, she was such a natural in front of the camera as well--the way Jennifer Hudson turned out to be in Dreamgirls. I caught part of the film last night on Lifetime and was so glad to see it again. There was a wonderful balance between the male and female leads, wasn't there? It wasn't one of those films where the guy was always right and the girl was an unfathomable object, but neither was it a movie where the guy was an afterthought. I loved that it ended so ambiguously, too. Because her life was in danger in the film, some of the lines were almost unbearably poignant, much too close to life to be comfortable. When it came out, Whitney was still Ms. Clean, and the element of danger that her character's lifestyle conveyed wasn't something we associated with her. Now, alas, the destructive element in the movie seems prophetic.

Kostner is a master of underacting. He manages to portray so much with a look and a gesture. I think he also has a great eye for potential talent. If he's the one who suggested and stood by Houston, he gave the viewing public a tremendous gift, because the camera simply adored her. In Dances with Wolves, he also gave us an actor who became a favorite of mine thereafter, Graham Greene--not to mention Mary McDonnell, who's shown in Battlestar Galactica, Passion Fish, and The Closer that she wasn't just a pretty ingenue.

As for Houston...damn, everything she was makes her actions over the last fifteen years or so even more painful. She had more than most people have in three lifetimes: an unparallelled voice, literally the beauty of a fashion model, and even acting ability. Any one of those gifts alone would have made her a star in that field, and she had them all. And she threw herself away in the garbage. What an agonizing thought. Skateluvr, when you mention how Bobby Brown cleaned himself up, but she couldn't manage it, I thought about Eric Clapton and Alice Ormsby-Gore. In the sixties, supposedly consumed by unrequited love for another woman, Clapton went on a self-destructive binge lasting several years, involving whatever drugs people take at such times. Along with him for the ride was Alice Ormsby-Gore, the teenaged daughter of an Earl, no less. She loved him and thought he loved her. He got her into drugs. Later he fixed himself up, found several other women (including the one he thought he had loved all along, Beatle wife Pattie Boyd Harrison), had several children here and there (I use that cold phrase deliberately), and made good money writing his autobiography and becoming an elder statesman of rock. Alice Ormsby-Gore never cleaned up. She died broke and alone of an overdose in a rented room. I don't know a stronger way to state the moral of these two stories except to say that the wild side is only glamorous at the point of entry.

skateluvr said:

Olympia
I know those doctors who gave her all those sedatives will pay some day. I don't get a buzz from anything and am not an addictive personality, but I can certainly see she did not always "get" that she was not indestructable. Bobby Brown has cleaned up his act, ironically, and got out alive. I am concerned for the daughter. The grandma is old and broken and her mother was her whole life. Well, I think the stories will stop which is good. I pray God helps all who ask. The Houstons have amazing faith in Christ, and they are at peace. I wish I was so sure.

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Rumor is alcohol and Xanax put her to sleep. I don't if Xanax by itself is a sedative, but it definitely is when combined with alcohol. Xanax is an anti-anxiety medicine. Based upon what Aretha said during an interview (that Whitney's tour in Europe was so poorly received), Whitney probably took them to get over anxiety and depression - especially if she was going to perform at Clive Davis's pre-Grammy party.

Until the autopsy results are in, we're all just speculating. It could've also been a stroke or heart attack, etc that had nothing to do with drugs or alchohol.

Also, the rumors about being broke are not confirmed, just speculation. Whitney's house in NJ has been up for sale and the price was dropped the day after her death. Even if she wasn't in debt, with the real estate market the way it is and because there is no source of income, it would make sense to sell the house quickly to avoid having to pay real estate taxes, etc.

Whitney may have supported Bobby in the past, but I would think that stopped when they divorced. He's touring now; so, he's making some money. He's also engaged to be married to the mother of his youngest child. As with any star, she did have an entourage and her SIL was her manager. Also, she likely supported her mother....

I thought the service was very heartfelt and true to Whitney. People were there as her friends, not for the spectacle. Really enjoyed Kevin Costner and the Winan's.

Yes, i too love the Winans-always have-heard their story-so sweet and costner, too, was clearly moved. How could he not fall in love with her? So sweet before all the drugs changed her and the diva stuff that comes with the mad, crazy, fame. I would have lost it to hear thhat ballad sung as she was carried out. I read Zanax, lorazepam, valium all there (and we know she drank plenty acc to many sources). I suspect she got them from different docs in different states as I think all are benzo. Zanax is a bit different chemically but very close.

I heard Cece I think in person (big family-not sure which sister) long ago and she blew the roof off. It was a funraiser and me and my reluctant bf were only whites there, but I worked in a poor multi-cultural agency, so I felt just fine! It was awesome-she lost her dress and track-plane thing and performed with just her pianist. Her voice was as powerful as Whitney, and I wondered why she wasn't super famous, but they do gospel, never did the crossover thing far as i know.

"I believe in you and me" will foever be my fave Houston song. I also listen to and watch her last single from the 2009 album. "I look to you." Beautiful, lower register gone but she looked so well, like Dionne actually, and it seems now it was meant to be her last song to us, with the lyrics and the light from heaven. Just beautiful, the dress, the image she had when Clive was in charge. So mature, but still beautiful. i will remember her this way. And it uplifts me, after watching her sad tour as I did online. In the stuidio, she was still pretty good. Tour was a sad end, for sure.

I never knew that Eric Clapton story. As I have heard said and do believe, "Women mourn and men replace."

All I've read is what heyang has repeated. Alch. and Xanax and that she was NOT doctor shopping.

I wonder how Sparkle will do in the theater in August....... they might push the release date forward..

heyang said:

I wonder how Sparkle will do in the theater in August....... they might push the release date forward..

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I thought they said they were sticking with August?