Getty Images Singer Whitney Houston performs at the 2011 Pre-Grammy Gala and Salute To Industry Icons Honoring David Geffen at Beverly Hilton on February 12, 2011 in Beverly Hills, California.
Singer Whitney Houston has died at the age of 48.
Houston had one of the defining pop-soul voices of the 1980s and 1990s. She was also a star of the screen, appearing in such movies as “The Bodyguard” and “Waiting to Exhale.” Her career was marred by erratic behavior and struggles with substance abuse.
Publicist Kristen Foster said today that the singer had died, but the cause was unknown, according to the Associated Press.
Reached by Speakeasy, spokeswoman Jill Fritzo confirmed Houston’s death but said no further details were available yet.
According to police, Houston was found unresponsive in her room at the Beverly Hilton by a member of her entourage who called 911 at 3:43 p.m.
She was pronounced dead at the scene at 3:55 p.m.. The police are conducting an investigation and will bring in a coroner to remove the body when that’s completed. It’s unclear when that will be.
The daughter of pop-gospel singer Cissy Houston and the cousin of vocalist Dionne Warwick, Whitney hailed from Newark, N.J. She released her first album, “Whitney Houston” in 1985 to critical and commercial success. That debut featured the songs “Saving All My Love for You,” “Greatest Love of All,” and “How Will I Know.” Her follow-up album, “Whitney,” was another hit, spawning such singles as “I Wanna Dance with Somebody (Who Loves Me)” and “Didn’t We Almost Have It All.”
With her supermodel looks, pure vocal tone, and commercial instincts, Houston turned light soul music into mainstream pop music. Her singing style, which included generous vocal flourishes, gospel touches, and stretched-out emotional high notes, influenced a generation of divas who would come after her.
Houston, at her height, became a symbol for American pop culture. Her rendition of “The Star-Spangled Banner” at Super Bowl XXV in 1991 became a chart hit.
In recent years, Houston became known for erratic performances, problems with substance abuse, and a tumultuous marriage to singer Bobby Brown. Her marriage to Brown ended in 2007.
Houston had been mostly out of the spotlight in recent months, but according to numerous reports she had been hoping to stage a comeback. A story in the Hollywood Reporter said that the singer was under consideration for a spot on Simon Cowell’s Fox talent show “The X Factor.”
Houston’s passing is sure to cast a cloud over the annual Grammy Awards, which are set to be held tomorrow.
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