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Whitney Elizabeth Houston

  • Birth

    Whitney was born on August 9th , 1963 in Newark.
  • 2nd Child

    Houston was the 2nd child of army serviceman and entertainment executive John Russell Houston.
  • Brothers

    Houston has 2 older brothers.
  • DESCENT

    She was of African American , Natice American , and Ducth descent.
  • Raised

    Houston was raised a Baptist, but was also exposed to the Pentecostal church.
  • Newark Riot

    After the 1967 Newark riots, the family moved to a middle-class area in East Orange , when she was 4.
  • Backup Singer

    In 1977, at the age 14,Whitney became a backup singer on the Micheal Zager Band.
  • 15

    In 1978, at the age 15, Houston sang background voacals on Chaka Khan's hit.
  • Working

    In the early 1980s, Houston started working as a fashion model after a photographer saw her at the Carneale Hall singing with her mother.
  • Romance

    In the 1980s, Houston was linked to the American football star Randall Cunningham and actor Eddie Murphy, in which she had dated.
  • Offer

    Whitney had been offered several recordings agencies, but however , her mother declined the offers stating that Whitney had to first complete high school.
  • Signing

    Whitney signed with Arista in 1983, but did not begin working on her album immediately.
  • Releasing

    Whitney's debut album " Whitney Houston " was released in Feburary 1985.
  • One Year Later

    By 1986, a year after its initial release , Whitney hit toppped the Billboard 200 album chart and stayed there for 14 non-consecutive weeks.
  • Grammy Award

    At the 1986 Grammy Awards , Whitney was nominated for 3 awards including album of the year.
  • Awards

    Houston won seven music awards in total in 1986 and 1987, and an MTV Music Award Video.
  • Second Album

    With many expectations, Houston's second album, WHITNEY, was released in June 1987.
  • Soul Train

    At the 1989 Soul Train Music Awards, when Houston's name was called out for a nomination, a few people in the audience jeered.
  • The Whitney Houston Foundation

    In 1989, Whitney formed THE WHITNEY HOUSTON FOUNDATION for children, a non-profit organization for the needs of children around the world.
  • American Music Award and Soul Train Award

    Houston also won two American Music Awards in 1988 and 1989, respectively, and a Soul Train Award.
  • R&B SINGER

    She then met R&B singer Bobby Brown at the 1989 Soul Train Music Awards.
  • Youth Leadership Conference

    In 1990, Whitney was the spokesperson for a youth leadership conference hosted in Washington, D.C. She had a private audience with President George H. W. Bush in the Oval Office to talk about associated challenges.
  • Welcome Home Heroes

    Later in 1991, Houston put together her Welcome Home Heroes concert with HBO for the soldiers fighting in the Persian Gulf War and their families.
  • HBO

    Whitney's concer gave HBO its highest rankings.
  • Houston's First Acting

    Whitney's first acting role was as the star of the feauture film The Bodyguard.
  • Marriage

    After a three-year courtship, Whitney and Bobby were married on July 18,1992.
  • Birth Of Her Only Child

    Birth Of Her Only Child
    On March 4, 1993, Whitney gave birth to their daughter Bobbi Kristina Houston Brown, her only child, and Bobby's fourth.
  • Impressed

    In 1993, Ferry Griffith , an A&R representative from Arista Records saw her performing with her mother in a New York City nightclub and was impressed
  • Grammy Awards

    Houston won 3 Grammys for the album in 1994 , also with two of the Academy's highest honors, Album of the Year and Record of the Year.
  • Performance

    October 1994, Houston attended and performed at a state dinner in the White House honoring newly elected South African president Nelson Mandela
  • Starring

    In 1995, Houston starred alongside with Angela Bassett, Loretta Devine, and Lela Rochon in her second film Waiting to Exhale, a motion picture about four African-American women struggling with relationships.
  • Drugs

    By 1996, she told Oprah " doing drugs was an everyday thing... I wasn't happy by that point of time.
  • R&B FEMALE ARTIST of the CENTURY

    In November 1999 , Whitney was named top-selling R&B Female Artist of the Century with certified US sales of 51 million copies at one time.
  • Greatest Hit

    In May 2000 , Whitey : The Greatest Hits was released worldwide.
  • Marijuana

    On January 11, 2000, airport security guards discovered marijuana in both Houston's and husband Bobby Brown's luggage at a Hawaii airport, but the two boarded the plane and departed before authorities could arrive.
  • Behavior Change

    Though Whitney was seen as " good girl " with a perfect image in the 1980s and early 1990s , by the late 1990s , her behavior changed.
  • Admitted To Doing Drugs

    Whitney admitted on the show to using drugs with former husband Bobby Brown , who " laced marijuana with rock cocaine".
  • Law suit

    Skinner filed a breach-of-contract lawsuit and sued for $100 million but lost, Stating that Houston owed the company previously unpaid compensation for helping to negotiate her $100 million contract with Arista Records and for sorting out legal matters.
  • Legal Dispute

    In 2002, Houston became involved in a legal dispute with John Houston Enterprise. Although the company was started by her father to manage her career, it was actually run by company president Kevin Skinner
  • fATHER'S DEATH

    Whitney stated her 81 year old father had nothing to do with the lawsuuit.Whitney's father died in Feburary 2003
  • Home

    On a June 2003 trip to Isreal,Whitney said of her visit " I've never felt like this in any other county. I feel at home, I feel wonderful."
  • Bobby Brown

    In early 2004, husband Bobby Brown starred in his own reality TV program,Being Bobby Brown, which provided a view into the domestic goings on in the Browns household.
  • Lawsuit Dismissed

    The lawsuit was dismissed on April 5th, 2004, and Skinner was awarded nothing.
  • Suprise Performance

    In September 2004, she gave a surprise performance at the World Music Awards in a tribute to long-time friend Clive Davis
  • Seperation

    After yearss of contreversy and turmoil, Houston seperated from Bobby Brown in September 2006, filing divorce the following month.
  • Fast Track

    On Feburary 1,2007, Houston asked court to fast track their divorce.
  • Recording

    In March 2007, Clive Davis of Artista Records announced that Houston would begin recording a new album.
  • Divorce

    The divorce was finalized on April 24,2007, with Houston granted custody of the couples daughter.
  • Sold

    On May 4 , Houston sold the suburban Atlanta home feautured in Being Bobby Brown for $1.19 million.
  • The Ultimate Collection

    In October 2007, Artista released another complation The Ultimate Collection outside United States.
  • Guinness World Records

    In 2009, the Guinness World Records cited Whitney as the most awarded female act of all time.
  • I LOOK TO YOU

    Houston released her new album , I Look to You , in August 2009.
  • The Deluxe Anniversary Edition

    On Janurary 26,2010 , her debut album was re-released in a special edition entitled Whitney Houston- The Deluxe Anniversary Edition.
  • NAACP

    In Janurary 2010, Houston was nominated for two NAACP image awards, one for Best Female Artist and one for Best Music Video.
  • UK

    In April 2010, the UK newspaper The Mirror reported that Houston was thinking about recording her eight studio album and wanted to collaborate with will.i.am, her first choice for a collaboration.
  • Rehabilitation Center

    In May 2011, Houston enrolled in a rehabilitation center again, as an out-patient,citing drug and alcohol problems.
  • Death

    Death
    Whitney died on Feburary 11th in Beverly Hills.
  • Unconscious

    On February 11, Houston was found unconscious in Suite 434 at the Beverly Hilton Hotel, submerged in the bathtub; she was later pronounced dead.
  • Cause of Death

    The cause of death was not immediately known.It was later ruled by the coroner to have been an "accidental drowning".
  • Pronounced Dead

    Beverly Hills paramedics arrived at approximately 3:30 p.m. and found the singer unresponsive and performed CPR. Houston was pronounced dead at 3:55 p.m
  • Memorial

    Houston had an invitation-only memorial on Saturday, February 18, 2012, at the New Hope Baptist Church in Newark, New Jersey
  • Buried

    Houston was buried on Sunday, February 19, 2012, in Fairview Cemetery, in Westfield, New Jersey next to her father, John Russell Houston, who died in 2003.
  • Service

    The service was scheduled for two hours, but lasted four.
  • Houston's Death

    On March 22, 2012, the Los Angeles County coroner's office reported the cause of Houston's death was drowning and the effects of atherosclerotic heart disease and cocaine use
  • Celebrate

    On May 21,2012 " Celebrate " the last song Houston recorded with Sparks, premiered at RyanSeacrest.com .
  • Trubute

    In June 2012, the McDonald's Gospelfest in Newark became a tribute to Houston.
  • Sparkle

    The song was feautured on the movie Sparkle; Music from the Motion Picture and the movie was released on August 12,2012 in the United States.
  • Renewed

    In August 2001, Houston signed the biggest record deal in music history with Arista/BMG. She renewed her contract for $100 million to deliver six new albums, on which she would also earn royalties.
  • BET HONORS AWARD

    On January 16, she recieved The BET HONORS AWARD for entertainer citing her lifetime achievements spanning over 25 years in the industry.