Whitney Houston: Tragic Diva The Epic Life and Shocking Death of Whitney Houston

by David Cline

  Whitney Houston Tragic Diva

  The Epic Life and Shocking Death

  of Whitney Houston

  By David Cline

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  Backpack Bios

  Why a Backpack Bio?

  Backpack Bios are brief but intimate 30-minute portraits of some of the most fascinating people of Our Time and Times Gone By.

  Take a bus ride, a lunch break, or a warm bath, and get to know a Legend like you never thought you could.

  Backpack Bios:

  Give us 30 minutes—and we’ll give you a Lifetime…

  Table of Contents

  Author’s Note

  Introduction: “Miracle”

  Chapter One: “I’m Your Baby Tonight”

  Chapter Two: “Step By Step”

  Chapter Three: “All At Once”

  Chapter Four: “Queen of the Night”

  Chapter Five: “All The Man That I Need”

  Chapter Six: “Takin’ A Chance”

  Chapter Seven: “Like I Never Left”

  Chapter Eight: “Heartbreak Hotel”

  Chapter Nine: “Get It Back”

  Chapter Ten: “I Will Always Love You”

  Author's Note

  Where does one possibly begin in telling the epic story of an iconic performer the likes of Whitney Houston?

  How does one approach a life as triumphant and tragic as hers, and make it Human?

  How can one speak for a superstar known as "The Voice," when that Voice has been so sadly and prematurely silenced?

  These were the formidable questions we faced as we sat down to compose a brief but intimate portrait of a Legend.

  The answer to all of them however, became evident very, very quickly:

  Through her Music.

  As we organized the research, assembled the elements, and prepared to outline our approach, we were struck by a profound revelation:

  Whitney Houston had lived her life through her Music, so how could one ever begin to tell her astounding story, unless they started with her Music?

  As we examined her history through the prism of that Music, it immediately became amazingly clear that every phase of her remarkable life could be viewed through the telling titles of some of her greatest songs.

  Whitney moved us because she sang from Life--is it any wonder then, that in the words she sang, lay the touchstones to examining that Life?

  They are her songs. It is her music. It is her story.

  It is our hope that through our telling of it, you will feel closer to the woman and the wonder that was Whitney Houston.

  ---David Cline

  Introduction: “Miracle”

  Whitney Houston was a Miracle.

  A Legendary performer known as "The Voice," her astonishing talent was undeniable and her music moved millions.

  But she also battled personal demons, toxic dependencies, and crippling self-destructive behaviors.

  In the 1982 American Science fiction film BLADE RUNNER, an extraordinarily gifted but tragically flawed super-being is on a dramatic collision course with his demise. In an effort to comfort the melancholy creature, his creator offers...

  “The Candle that burns twice as bright, burns half as long...”

  Singer, actress, model, producer, and American pop-icon Whitney Houston was just such a Candle.

  Her startling beauty, indisputable charisma, and divinely-gifted voice made her meteoric rise to superstardom virtually inevitable.

  But her erratic behavior, tumultuous relationships, and crushing addictions made her premature and tragic end almost equally irrevocable.

  Just who was this tragic diva, truly? And how, like so many other legends before her, did we lose her so very young?

  Chapter One - “I’m Your Baby Tonight”

  Whitney Elizabeth Houston was born on August 9th, 1963, in urban Newark, New Jersey. The youngest of three children to parents John and Cissy Houston, Whitney was the baby and a favored child, particularly fawned on by her father, who nicknamed her “Nippy” after a cartoon character who frequently got into trouble. The nickname stuck her entire life and she was often referred to as “Nippy” by her close friends and relatives. Little did John know when he coined the nickname early in Whitney’s infancy what resonance it would have later in her life.

  John was a municipal worker for the city of Newark and Cissy was a notable performer in her own right, who had formed the very successful backup group “The Sweet Inspirations,” which provided backup vocals to many of the music industry’s most famous singers, including Aretha Franklin, Wilson Pickett, Mahalia Jackson, Otis Redding, Jimi Hendrix, and Elvis Presley.

  Cissy was the decisive breadwinner of the family and a strong and inspiring female-figure and role model to the young Whitney, who often referred to her mother, “the most important person in my life...”

  Amidst the turmoil of the late 1960s, racial tensions were gripping the country. In 1967, race riots broke out in Newark, prompting John and Cissy to move their young family a few miles away to the more middle class area of East Orange, New Jersey, where they hoped to feel safer.

  Cissy held the position of choirmaster at New Hope Baptist Church in Newark, which she maintained in addition to her ongoing successful singing career. But the Houston family talent didn’t stop with Cissy. It reached to the extended family as well, with Dionne Warwick a first cousin to Whitney and Aretha Franklin her godmother. Considering such strong, talented, and inspiring musical women surrounding her, is it any wonder Whitney grew up with music literally in her blood?

  With her mother as music director, Whitney was easily brought into the New Hope junior gospel choir, and at the age of 12, she debuted in front of the group, singing the solo for the first time, a soulful Spiritual called “Guide Me, O Thou Great Jehovah.”

  The response was immediate and profound, with cheers and a thunderous ovation resounding through the church.

  Cissy’s “Baby” was on her way...

  Chapter Two - “Step By Step”

  As a teenager, Whitney attended Mount Saint Dominic Catholic Girls School in Caldwell, New Jersey, and did her best to please her parents, especially her mother, who continued to help develop Whitney’s voice and talent. By the age of 14, she was already being recognized for that voice, and in 1977, “Nippy” got her first big professional break as a featured singer on a single called “Life’s A Party,” for the Michael Zager Band. In fact, Zager was so impressed with the young performer’s abilities that he volunteered to try and secure a record contract for her. Though very tempted, Whitney’s mother wanted her daughter to finish her educatio
n first and refused Zager’s uncommon offer.

  Besides, Cissy had connections of her own. In 1978, at age 15, Whitney sang backup on the Chaka Khan hit “I’m Every Woman,” and then again a year later, she joined her mother singing vocals on Chaka Khan’s “Papillon.” Before the age of 20, Houston was regularly backing up singers like Lou Rawls and Jermaine Jackson.

  Step by step, she was getting known -- and fast.

  But music wasn’t the only business Whitney was getting recognized in. The modeling industry had taken notice of her as well.

  Several stories circulate as to how Houston began modeling professionally.

  One describes how in the early 1980’s while appearing at a concert in

  Carnegie Hall with Cissy, a fashion photographer noticed Whitney’s striking, fresh-faced looks, and she was discovered outright. Another tells of a modeling agent spotting her and her mother walking along 5th Avenue in New York and immediately bringing them to his office to sign her.

  Whatever the case, the young Houston began working regularly as a fashion model, which ultimately led to appearances in Cosmopolitan, Young Miss, Glamour, and even a coveted cover spot on Seventeen magazine.

  While it was rumored that Whitney wasn’t particularly fond of modeling due to its intense schedules, physical demands, and controlling executives, her appeal was undeniable and she nonetheless became one of the most in-demand young models of her time.

  What was attractive to her about her success in modeling, however, were the opportunities it led to in acting. She appeared in commercials for products such as Canada Dry ginger ale and on television shows such as Silver Spoons and Give Me A Break, among others.

  Whitney continued to have success and recognition in both television and modeling, but ultimately could not escape her true passion and calling: Music. She returned her focus to her blossoming singing career, contributing vocals and backups on record albums for other artists and appearing regularly with Cissy in nightclubs in New York. In 1983, music mogul and head of Arista Records Clive Davis caught Whitney’s impressive performance and offered her an international contract with Arista.

  Though Cissy had previously influenced Whitney to decline several contracts feeling that the opportunities or timing were not right, important recommendations supporting Davis by close industry friends such as Aretha Franklin led to Cissy feeling comfortable and giving her approval. Whitney signed the worldwide agreement and the next step of her stardom began.

  But not right away. Davis knew he had found something special in Houston and did not want to jeopardize losing her to another label, or squandering Whitney’s star-potential with inferior material on her debut album. So although she actually signed with Arista in 1983 and did have limited national exposure such as a televised debut with Davis on The Merv Griffin Show, and the hit duet single “Hold Me” with Teddy Pendergrass in 1984, it would still be nearly two years before her debut album, Whitney Houston, ever saw the light of day.

  Chapter Three - “All At Once”

  On Valentine’s Day, February 14, 1985, Whitney Houston hit the shelves on the Arista label and though commercial success was somewhat slow at first, it began to gain momentum due to high critical praise. From The New York Times to Rolling Stone Magazine, the 21-year-old Whitney was being hailed as one of the most exciting new voices and talents of her time.

  Davis and Arista were aggressive in their promotion of the album, both internationally and in the U.S., and Davis also exploited the relatively new trend of music videos, capitalizing not only on Houston’s incredible voice, but her stunning good looks as well. Her videos were incredibly popular and played and replayed heavily on music channels like MTV and later VH1. Whitney was praised as a fresh-faced newcomer with a truly gifted voice, yet possessing a soul and maturity beyond her young years.

  “You Give Good Love” was the album’s first major U.S. hit, peaking in the Top 5 at Number 3 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 Chart, and pushed even further on the Hot R&B chart, reaching Number 1. The success of this song caused the album’s popularity to skyrocket.

  Also, increased promotion and both live and televised performances by Whitney propelled the album even further. “Saving All My Love For You,” the second release from the album, became Houston’s first Number 1 single, followed closely by “How Will I Know?” and “Greatest Love Of All,” both of which also hit Number 1 and gave Whitney Houston the distinction of being the first album produced by a female singer ever to produce three Number 1 hits. The album also garnered Houston her first Grammy for Best Pop Vocal Performance by a Female for “Saving All My Love For You,” an Emmy award for her performance of the same song at that Grammy Awards ceremony, Billboard’s Artist Of The Year for 1986, and spawned her worldwide “The Greatest Love” tour.

  From this moment on, it was a definitive fact -- this was no “one hit wonder” or “flash in the pan” -- Whitney Houston was here to stay.

  Chapter Four - “Queen Of The Night”

  With the wild success of her debut album, three Number 1 singles, one Emmy, one Grammy and two more nominations, an Artist of the Year award, and a standing-room-only World Tour already to her credit before her 25th birthday, there was no doubt that Whitney Houston was well on her way to superstardom.

  In 1987, “Greatest Love Of All” was again nominated, this time for a Record of the Year award by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences, which only added momentum to her rise and excitement to her long-anticipated second album, Whitney, which was releaseed in June of that year. Whitney included no less than four consecutive Number 1 hits: “I Wanna Dance With Somebody,” “Didn’t We Almost Have It All,” “So Emotional,” and “Where Do Broken Hearts Go?” This feat (along with her previous three Number 1 releases) combined to produce seven back to back Number 1 singles and broke the all time record for number of consecutive Number 1 hits -- until that time a title jointly shared by The Bees Gees and The Beatles with records of six each, respectively. Whitney also led Houston to be the first female recording artist ever to debut at Number 1 in the Billboard Top 200 Chart, as well as the first female artist ever to produce four Number 1 hits on a single album. While some critics were slightly cooler to this release, there was no arguing its massive commercial success. After the release of Whitney, she launched out on her hugely successful “Moment Of Truth” World Tour.

  Houston was also nominated three more times at the Grammy Awards of 1988, winning again for Best Pop Vocal Performance by a Female, for “I Wanna Dance WIth Somebody (Who Loves Me).”

  Once again, Whitney Houston’s enormous talent and great success would not be denied. In a few short years she had gone from “exciting newcomer” to bona-fide international star. She was everywhere -- on the radio, music videos, television interview programs, concerts, and live performances.

  She truly was “The Queen Of The Night.”

  Chapter Five - “All The Man That I Need”

  With all that Whitney Houston had already achieved in such a short span of time, it was hard to know where to turn next with her mega-watt stardom. At 25, she was already the highest-earning African-American woman in the country and the 8th highest-earning entertainer overall. She had already conquered humble beginnings, the print world, and the monster that is the music industry. She was a model for what was possible across all lines of race and gender.

  Yet, there were some who were concerned with Whitney’s prosperity. There emerged a small body of voices in the African-American community who were openly critical of Whitney, feeling that she had sold out some of her more urban roots in favor of an easy rise to the top. This hurt and disturbed Houston and she rejected the criticism, responding in the best way she knew how -- through her music.

  Her third album, “I’m Your Baby Tonight,” released in November of 1990, is a clear answer to those critics, taking a decided step with a more urban tone. Whitney produced the album herself in collaboration with artists such as Stevie Wonder, Babyface, and Luther Vandro
ss. While not a critical success, the album did reach Number 3 on the U.S. Billboard 200 Chart and produced two Number 1 hits with the title track, “I’m Your Baby Tonight,” and “All The Man I Need.” Two other releases from this album, “Miracle” and “My Name Is Not Susan,” made the Billboard Top 20.

  Around this same period, possibly disillusioned by the unexpected conflict with her community and the negativity of her critics, Whitney began to look for satisfaction a little closer to home. Tawdry, unsubstantiated rumors had circulated for years about Whitney’s close relationship with her longtime friend, Robin Crawford, which Houston strongly denied. She also had brief trysts with other notable celebrities such as actor Eddie Murphy and Eagles football player Randall Cunningham. But for all the love songs that Whitney Houston soulfully shared with us, she never seemed to have a love of her own.

  That is, until 1989 at the Soul Train Music Awards, when she met a young R&B singer by the name of Bobby Brown.

  Brown himself was already somewhat of a star on his own merits and had risen to prominence as a member of the 1980s R&B boy band New Edition, followed by a mildly successful solo career.

  The two began dating.

  While the combination of Whitney’s good-girl image and Bobby’s bad-boy persona could not have seemed like a more unlikely pair, it was clear to friends that the two shared a bond. Some surmise that it grew out of a common background of tough urban upbringing followed by an iconic rise in a common industry. Whatever the origins, there was no denying that the chemistry between the two was strong, real, and lasting.