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Whitney Houston

Whitney Elizabeth Houston (August 9, 1963 – February 11, 2012) was an American singer, actress, film producer, and model. Commonly referred to as "the Voice", she is one of the most awarded performers of all time. A cultural icon, she influenced the breaking down of gender and racial barriers through her chart achievements and music videos. Known for her vocal delivery and live performances, Houston was ranked second on ''Rolling Stone''s list of the greatest singers of all time in 2023.

Houston signed to Arista Records at the age of 19. Her first two studio albums, ''Whitney Houston'' (1985) and ''Whitney'' (1987), topped the ''Billboard'' 200 for 14 and 11 weeks, respectively. The former remains the best-selling debut album by a solo artist in history, while the latter made her the first woman to debut atop the US and UK charts. Houston took a more urban turn with her third album, ''I'm Your Baby Tonight'' (1990), and performed an acclaimed rendition of "The Star-Spangled Banner" at Super Bowl XXV in 1991. She then starred in the films ''The Bodyguard'' (1992), ''Waiting to Exhale'' (1995), ''The Preacher's Wife'' (1996) and ''Cinderella'' (1997), and produced the film franchises ''The Princess Diaries'' (2001–2004) and ''The Cheetah Girls'' (2003–2006). Soundtracks of ''The Bodyguard'' and ''The Preacher's Wife'', respectively, rank as the best-selling soundtrack album and gospel album of all time, with the former winning the Grammy Award for Album of the Year and topping the ''Billboard'' 200 for 20 weeks.

Following the success of ''My Love Is Your Love'' (1998), Houston's first studio album in eight years, she renewed her contract with Arista Records for $100 million in 2001, one of the largest recording deals of all time. However, her drug use and a tumultuous marriage to singer Bobby Brown tarnished her "America's Sweetheart" image, overshadowing her next albums, ''Just Whitney'' (2002) and ''One Wish: The Holiday Album'' (2003). After divorcing Brown, Houston returned to the top of the ''Billboard'' 200 with her final album, ''I Look to You'' (2009). On February 11, 2012, Houston accidentally drowned in a bathtub at the Beverly Hilton hotel in Beverly Hills, California, with heart disease and cocaine use as contributing factors. News of her death coincided with the 2012 Grammy Awards and was covered internationally along with her memorial service.

Houston is one of the best-selling music artists of all time, with sales of more than 220 million records worldwide. Her first two albums, along with ''The Bodyguard'' soundtrack, rank among the best-selling albums of all time and made her the first black artist to score three RIAA diamond-certified albums. "I Wanna Dance with Somebody (Who Loves Me)" and "I Will Always Love You" are among the best-selling singles ever; the latter remains the best-selling single by a woman and has been certified diamond by RIAA. Houston scored 11 ''Billboard'' Hot 100 number-one singles and remains the only artist to have seven consecutive singles top the chart. She has been inducted into multiple halls and walks of fame. ''Guinness World Records'' named Houston the highest-earning posthumous female celebrity. Her assets amounted to $250 million, earned over a 25-year career. Provided by Wikipedia