RIP: Whitney Houston (1963-2012)

[Shane]

This is the link I show my friends..... Amazing song to hear: http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=TCwa0mymt-U

The Song: How will I know. They isolated only the vocals in this recording. Her voice was an American treasure.


Fun fact: Whitney was 15 when she did background vocals on Chaka Kahn's first two solo albums (including I'm every Woman).

Fantastic way to listen to that song.

 

[crisper57]

So sad but not surprising. She's been in bad shape for a while now. I was trying to think of any talent that might have had a bigger impact of the Grammy's by dying on the eve of that award show. Even with all the talent in that room last night, I was hard pressed to think of any singer whose death would ripple through the Grammy's like Whitney's did. Her talent was that special.

 

[Linderbee]

This is the link I show my friends..... Amazing song to hear:



The Song: How will I know. They isolated only the vocals in this recording. Her voice was an American treasure.

That was fantastic--thank you so much for sharing!

 

[Russ Smith]

I know she was an adult and all that but I can't help but wonder how things would have gone if she'd never hooked up wtih Bobby Brown?

Sort of like if Lindsay Lohan and Britney Spears never met Paris Hilton would their last 5 years have still been that bad?

 

[82CardsGrad]

This is the link I show my friends..... Amazing song to hear: http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=TCwa0mymt-U

The Song: How will I know. They isolated only the vocals in this recording. Her voice was an American treasure.


Fun fact: Whitney was 15 when she did background vocals on Chaka Kahn's first two solo albums (including I'm every Woman).

Man that's awesome... not many out there who can sound just as good (perhaps better), without the help from the sounds of music...

So sad. What a wasted talent. There are reports surfacing of her extreme, iradic, frantic behavior in the days leading up to the Grammy's. That she visited a doctor and pharmacy on more than one occasion.
I was thinking how incredibly difficult it must have been for her to be surrounded by great talent, many of whom were about to be rewarded at the Grammy's, and at 48 years old, incapable of singing anywhere close to the level that made her so famous. I have to believe that that sad reality weighed heavy on her.

 

[Dr. Jones]

So sad but not surprising. She's been in bad shape for a while now. I was trying to think of any talent that might have had a bigger impact of the Grammy's by dying on the eve of that award show. Even with all the talent in that room last night, I was hard pressed to think of any singer whose death would ripple through the Grammy's like Whitney's did. Her talent was that special.

I think Stevie Wonder could do it. That guy is my musical hero. In the end though..... it is always a tragedy to think of people who left us too early. There are a lot of younger talents that would rip us apart if they left the earth.

Stevie Ray Vaughn, Layne Staley, Jimmy Hendrix, etc.... It's always hard.

 

[Russ Smith]

Man that's awesome... not many out there who can sound just as good (perhaps better), without the help from the sounds of music...

So sad. What a wasted talent. There are reports surfacing of her extreme, iradic, frantic behavior in the days leading up to the Grammy's. That she visited a doctor and pharmacy on more than one occasion.
I was thinking how incredibly difficult it must have been for her to be surrounded by great talent, many of whom were about to be rewarded at the Grammy's, and at 48 years old, incapable of singing anywhere close to the level that made her so famous. I have to believe that that sad reality weighed heavy on her.

Saw one of the tabloid magazines yesterday in CVS. the cover story was Whitney's collapse, not death. I think the implication was the magazine came out BEFORE she died so they were reporting some collapse not knowing by the time it came out, she was dead.

One of those things that if she hadn't died probably would have been called tabloid journalism but they were apparently right.

 

[crisper57]

I think Stevie Wonder could do it. That guy is my musical hero. In the end though..... it is always a tragedy to think of people who left us too early. There are a lot of younger talents that would rip us apart if they left the earth.

Stevie Ray Vaughn, Layne Staley, Jimmy Hendrix, etc.... It's always hard.

I was thinking Sir Paul and Stevie for sure. Maybe the Boss? That would be about it.

 

[AzStevenCal]

I was thinking Sir Paul and Stevie for sure. Maybe the Boss? That would be about it.

Oh, I think there are a lot of names that would cause a similar stir if they passed the night before the Grammy's. In addition to the three you're named, Eric Clapton, Stevie Nix, Kanye West, Bob Dylan and so many others would have brought just as much attention IMO. I think of the deaths of Elvis, Lennon and Michael Jackson and how world shaking those events were and to me Whitney's passing is somewhat less noteworthy. This one raises a few eyebrows because she was only 48 years old but OTOH, her decline had already been pretty well documented.

Steve

 

[dreamcastrocks]

Oh, I think there are a lot of names that would cause a similar stir if they passed the night before the Grammy's. In addition to the three you're named, Eric Clapton, Stevie Nix, Kanye West, Bob Dylan and so many others would have brought just as much attention IMO. I think of the deaths of Elvis, Lennon and Michael Jackson and how world shaking those events were and to me Whitney's passing is somewhat less noteworthy. This one raises a few eyebrows because she was only 48 years old but OTOH, her decline had already been pretty well documented.

Steve

I absolutely agree.

I don't take anything away from Whitney. She had a rare, amazing voice.

The fact that the Bodyguard soundtrack is the #4 all time selling albums proves it. #1 soundtrack of all time. Could climb even higher.

I hope she can rest in peace.

 

[DemsMyBoys]

Wow, I was literally jaw dropped by this news.

I was watching the Channel 12 news and heard "Whitney Houston has died" and said (out loud), "Oh my God!" Even with her history I was stunned.

I was also hoping she would turn out to be one of the ones who came through addiction and out the other side.

It's tremendously sad. Someone lost a daughter and a mother. And once a voice like that is stilled, it's gone forever.

 

[crisper57]

Maybe it was just the moment, but yeah in retrospect, there are others that could compare. Still, that list is pretty short.

There are just some voices, that when they go out, you know the world has lost something irreplaceable. Mariah, Whitney, Aretha, are in that class. Those are special voices that quite frankly, are gifts to all mankind. They are the kind of voices that require us only to use an artist's first name. They are the kind of voices that no amount of practice can replicate. You either have it, or you don't.

I think that is why this death shakes me even more than MJ's did, in a way. Sure, he was a world-class talent, but pretenders can attempt to approach a level that approximates his greatness in one form or another. No one can be a Whitney pretender. Hell, no sane person even tries. Even Jennifer Hudson, with her beautiful voice, fell well short of that level of greatness last night.

So sad.

 

[82CardsGrad]

Maybe it was just the moment, but yeah in retrospect, there are others that could compare. Still, that list is pretty short.

There are just some voices, that when they go out, you know the world has lost something irreplaceable. Mariah, Whitney, Aretha, are in that class. Those are special voices that quite frankly, are gifts to all mankind. They are the kind of voices that require us only to use an artist's first name. They are the kind of voices that no amount of practice can replicate. You either have it, or you don't.

I think that is why this death shakes me even more than MJ's did, in a way. Sure, he was a world-class talent, but pretenders can attempt to approach a level that approximates his greatness in one form or another. No one can be a Whitney pretender. Hell, no sane person even tries. Even Jennifer Hudson, with her beautiful voice, fell well short of that level of greatness last night.

So sad.

Nicely said and I totally agree. I would even add Marvin Gaye to the list with Mariah, Whitney and Aretha. Simply incomparable voices that will never be seen again. Jennifer Hudson did a tremendous job last night - and you know she was a wreck inside... Yet, as great as she was, as you said - she was not even close to being in Whitney's league...

 

[82CardsGrad]

Wow... what a mess... such a shame.


Earlier Monday, a law enforcement official told FoxNews.com that Houston, 48, may have died after consuming a cocktail of prescription drugs and alcohol.
"It looks like it was a lethal combination of prescription drugs and alcohol, but it's still to early to rule out other causes. That's just what it's looking like now," the official, speaking on condition of anonymity, told FoxNews.com.

FoxNews.com learned that Houston was a mess when she showed up to Hollywood hotspot Playhouse on Feb. 2 around 10.30pm to support her on again/off again boyfriend Ray J, who took over the turntables as guest DJ.

"She was a total wreck. She drank cognac and champagne, and seemed completely out of it from the moment she arrived until the moment she left," an insider told FoxNews.com. "Yet at the same time she seemed like she was enjoying herself with her friends. She went to the smoking patio a few times throughout the night and was also seen roaming around throughout the club and even ventured walking upstairs to the smaller room."

In the days before her death, similar scenes were reported. People.com reported that Houston raised eyebrows after checking into the Beverly Hills Hilton on Wednesday, and appeared "out of it." Over the course of the next few days, the pop diva was spotted looking noticeably disheveled with wet hair and mismatched clothes, waving her arms around frantically and wandering aimlessly through the hotel, all while smelling of alcohol and cigarettes.

And in what turned out to be her last ever performance on Thursday night, Houston was seen acting erratically, looking worse for wear with blood dripping down her leg, at a pre-Grammy bash for Kelly Price at the club Tru Hollywood. Multiple reports suggested she got into a tequila-fueled confrontation with former "X-Factor" star Stacy Francis after finding Ray J chatting with Francis.

Houston's daughter Bobbi Kristina was with her at Tru Hollywood, and has been having her own troubles since her mother's death.
Brown, 18, was taken on a stretcher out of the Beverly Hills Hilton on Sunday, the same hotel her mother died in on Saturday.
It was Brown's second visit to the hospital since her mother died, People.com reported. The first time was late Saturday night when a source told the website she was "having a complete breakdown." Brown was treated and released both times.

TMZ also reported that the day before Whitney Houston was found dead in her bathtub, Brown fell asleep in a bathtub in the exact same hotel. According to TMZ sources, friends of Brown tried knocking on her door repeatedly Friday night, but she didn't answer. They then called security to get them to unlock the door and help them get Bobbi out of the tub.


Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/entertainmen...etime-squandered-opportunities/#ixzz1mJ6HhFNo

 

[Lefty]

Maybe it was just the moment, but yeah in retrospect, there are others that could compare. Still, that list is pretty short.

There are just some voices, that when tI ihey go out, you know the world has lost something irreplaceable. Mariah, Whitney, Aretha, are in that class. Those are special voices that quite frankly, are gifts to all mankind. They are the kind of voices that require us only to use an artist's first name. They are the kind of voices that no amount of practice can replicate. You either have it, or you don't.

I think that is why this death shakes me even more than MJ's did, in a way. Sure, he was a world-class talent, but pretenders can attempt to approach a level that approximates his greatness in one form or another. No one can be a Whitney pretender. Hell, no sane person even tries. Even Jennifer Hudson, with her beautiful voice, fell well short of that level of greatness last night.

So sad.

I would add Judy Garland to that list. She died at 47 but drugs ultimately killed her, just like Whitney.

 

[Covert Rain]

My wife and I had our mouths wide open when we heard. We were shocked yet not surprised at the same time. She was an amazing talent and one of the purist voices I have ever heard. She came along at a time when very few artists could cross racial barriers. I put her in the same class as singers like MJ whose music transcended those barriers.

R.I.P. and I hope she finds the peace she could never seem to find in life.

 

[Lefty]

Very sad. I wonder who cleaned up her hotel room?
http://abcnews.go.com/Health/whitne...-heart-disease/story?id=15984196#.T2-s-dVIvxE

 

[Rivercard]

Very sad. I wonder who cleaned up her hotel room?
http://abcnews.go.com/Health/whitne...-heart-disease/story?id=15984196#.T2-s-dVIvxE

A differing opinion..........

http://www.naturalnews.com/035349_Whitney_Houston_cause_of_death_cocaine.html

There's something afoot in the changing story about what actually killed Whitney Houston. According to the official coroner's report that was recently released, Whitney Houston died from drowning and cocaine was a "contributing factor." All the other prescription drugs found in her system were dismissed as being totally unrelated to her death.

Really? Isn't it interesting that police found no cocaine in her hotel room, yet they found at least four different prescription drugs, including "...a plethora of sedatives including Lorazepam, Valium, Xanax, and a sleeping medication that was found in her hotel room," according Radar Online.

Isn't it also interesting that Whitney Houston's family was previously told the cause of death was "a combination of prescription drugs and alcohol," according to TMZ (http://www.tmz.com/2012/02/13/whitney-houston-cause-of-death-prescrip...).

Houston's reported public behavior the night of her death is also entirely consistent with the acknowledged side effects of taking psychiatric drugs. Those side effects include:

• Aggression
• Rage and hostility
• Twitches and tremors
• Mania, agitation
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xanax#Adverse_effects)

Cocaine is the scapegoat for a far more complex chemical problem. The mainstream media, however, routinely downplays any negative reports about prescription drugs, especially since the media gets a huge share of its revenues from drug company advertising. So it's no surprise that the pharmaceuticals are now getting downplayed in the reporting of all this. It's much easier to blame the death on an illicit street drug -- cocaine -- and then use that to further fund the wildly failed "War on Drugs" which fills our nations prisons with completely innocent pot smokers.

 

[Brian in Mesa]

Forget the prescription pills - give me a Benadryl before a bath and I might die.

It knocks me right out.

 

[Lefty]

I wonder if Warner Bros. is trying to make money off of Whitney's death by showing The Bodyguard in theaters for one night on March 28? Will people actually pay theater prices? Why not rent it if you want to watch it?
http://news.yahoo.com/bodyguard-theaters-20th-anniversary-march-28-152949393.html

 

[BigRedRage]

A differing opinion..........

http://www.naturalnews.com/035349_Whitney_Houston_cause_of_death_cocaine.html

There's something afoot in the changing story about what actually killed Whitney Houston. According to the official coroner's report that was recently released, Whitney Houston died from drowning and cocaine was a "contributing factor." All the other prescription drugs found in her system were dismissed as being totally unrelated to her death.

Really? Isn't it interesting that police found no cocaine in her hotel room, yet they found at least four different prescription drugs, including "...a plethora of sedatives including Lorazepam, Valium, Xanax, and a sleeping medication that was found in her hotel room," according Radar Online.

Isn't it also interesting that Whitney Houston's family was previously told the cause of death was "a combination of prescription drugs and alcohol," according to TMZ (http://www.tmz.com/2012/02/13/whitney-houston-cause-of-death-prescrip...).

Houston's reported public behavior the night of her death is also entirely consistent with the acknowledged side effects of taking psychiatric drugs. Those side effects include:

• Aggression
• Rage and hostility
• Twitches and tremors
• Mania, agitation
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xanax#Adverse_effects)

Cocaine is the scapegoat for a far more complex chemical problem. The mainstream media, however, routinely downplays any negative reports about prescription drugs, especially since the media gets a huge share of its revenues from drug company advertising. So it's no surprise that the pharmaceuticals are now getting downplayed in the reporting of all this. It's much easier to blame the death on an illicit street drug -- cocaine -- and then use that to further fund the wildly failed "War on Drugs" which fills our nations prisons with completely innocent pot smokers.

good post.

 

[FArting]

Her daughter did the same thing. They found her unresponsive in the bathtub got taken to the hospital and now is fighting for her life.

 

[BigRedRage]

I saw something like it on facebook but it was one of those BS clickbait links so i didnt bother, figured its not a story. Sounds like it was.

 

[puckhead]

Her daughter did the same thing. They found her unresponsive in the bathtub got taken to the hospital and now is fighting for her life.

Terrible. There seems to be a lot of pain in that family.

 

[FArting]

Her daughter passed away.