Whitney Houston dead at 48;daughter rushed to hospital

Mon 13th Feb, 2012 in International News

Whitney Houston was found dead in a bathtub at the Beverley Hilton Hotel early on Sunday morning.

While publicist Kristen Foster has said that the cause of death is not yet known US news outlets claim that the singer was partying heavily hours before she was found unconscious by a member of her entourage.

A report has also emerged on TMZ this morning that less than 24 hours since Houston passed, her only daughter Bobbi Kristina Brown, 18 (father Bobby Brown) has been rushed to hospital.

The legendary singer won two Emmy Awards, six Grammy Awards, 30 Billboard Music Awards, 22 American Music Awards throughout her career. In addition, her album Whitney was the first female album to ever debut at #1 on the Billboard Charts. She has sold 200 million albums world wide, but her success carried her beyond music to the film industry, including starring roles in The Bodyguard and Waiting to Exhale.

In later years, the singer’s story became a cautionary tale of the toll of drug use and domestic violence. Her album sales began to plummet and hits stopped coming. Her image was shattered by a wild demeanour and odd public appearances. Confessing to abusing cocaine, marijuana and other forms of medication, her once pristine voice failed to hit the high notes she had during her prime.

Houston staged what seemed to be a successful comeback with the 2009 album I Look To You – the album debuted on the top of the charts, and eventually went platinum. However the world tour confirmed suspicions that she had lost her treasured gift, leaving many fans unimpressed with her failing voice. Cancelled concert dates began to raise suspicion that she was once more abusing drugs. She however denied such claims, blaming it on illness.

Houston will be honoured at today’s Grammy Awards in the US, where Jennifer Hudson will perform a tribute to the singer, who presented Hudson with her Grammy for Best R&B Album in 2009.