Whitney Houston dead at 48 / Bobbi Kristina Brown in a coma at age 21

[Lady Cop]

i don't know any details at all, this is just breaking.

[Duchess]

Didn't see that coming.

[HairOfTheDog]

Oh wow. I just saw a gossip piece on her today speculating on whether she had good genes or good docs (and why she was dating that Ray J punk). Shocking, hope it wasn't the drugs again.

[Lady Cop]

LOS ANGELES February 12, 2012 (AP)

Whitney Houston, who reigned as pop music's queen until her majestic voice and regal image were ravaged by drug use, erratic behavior and a tumultuous marriage to singer Bobby Brown, has died. She was 48.

Publicist Kristen Foster said Saturday that the singer had died, but the cause and the location of her death were unknown.

At her peak, Houston the golden girl of the music industry. From the middle 1980s to the late 1990s, she was one of the world's best-selling artists. She wowed audiences with effortless, powerful, and peerless vocals that were rooted in the black church but made palatable to the masses with a pop sheen.

Her success carried her beyond music to movies, where she starred in hits like "The Bodyguard" and "Waiting to Exhale."

She had the he perfect voice, and the perfect image: a gorgeous singer who had sex appeal but was never overtly sexual, who maintained perfect poise.

She influenced a generation of younger singers, from Christina Aguilera to Mariah Carey, who when she first came out sounded so much like Houston that many thought it was Houston.

But by the end of her career, Houston became a stunning cautionary tale of the toll of drug use. Her album sales plummeted and the hits stopped coming; her once serene image was shattered by a wild demeanor and bizarre public appearances. She confessed to abusing cocaine, marijuana and pills, and her once pristine voice became raspy and hoarse, unable to hit the high notes as she had during her prime.

"The biggest devil is me. I'm either my best friend or my worst enemy," Houston told ABC's Diane Sawyer in an infamous 2002 interview with then-husband Brown by her side.

It was a tragic fall for a superstar who was one of the top-selling artists in pop music history, with more than 55 million records sold in the United States alone.

She seemed to be born into greatness. She was the daughter of gospel singer Cissy Houston, the cousin of 1960s pop diva Dionne Warwick and the goddaughter of Aretha Franklin.

[Lady Cop]

last night, friday 2/10/12





The 48-year-old was spotted looking worse for wear last night in Hollywood

more photos--->
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/art...z1m7vAvngw

[HairOfTheDog]

She looks trashed in the photo from last night. I think she has a teenaged daughter with Bobby Brown. Hope the little girl is okay.

[Lady Cop]

TMZ says she died at the Beverly Hilton.
LAPD crime lab van outside--->

[Lady Cop]

with daughter Bobbi Kristina, 17.

[Duchess]

CNN is reporting that she was staying there and expected to be a guest at 9live Davis grammy eve party.

[Lady Cop]

CNN is reporting that she was staying there and expected to be a guest at 9live Davis grammy eve party.

News of Houston's death came on the eve of music's biggest night — the Grammy Awards. It's a showcase where she once reigned, and her death was sure to case a heavy pall on Sunday's ceremony. Houston's longtime mentor Clive Davis was to hold his annual concert and dinner Saturday; it was unclear if it was going to go forward.

[Lady Cop]

1988



With Ray J: Houston was apparently found by her on-off boyfriend, who is himself a singer



ex husband Bobby Brown

[aussiefriend]

Logged into Mock, had my brekky, went to the shops, came back started making potato and leek soup. Turn CNN on, and Whitney Dead. How did this happen so quick? This is shocking! I wasn't a huge Whitney Houston fan but this is sad, I had some tears. She had children too. I am sad for her, and her family. Poor Whitney. Shocking.

Addit: CNN has reported that Ray J was no where near her when she died. Apparently that she was at the Beverly Hills Hotel and he was going to meet her there.

[Cracker]

Wow. That sucks.

She was so cute back in the day:

[Cracker]

You can always tell when someone with an overbite is saying, "Fuck you, mutherfuckers."

[Cracker]

Two texts from black friends already. "RIP Whitney" and "Another one too young to die"

Black people are good at spreading the word. I think they send stuff out to everyone on their address list. I'm sure there are doctor and dentist offices getting the same messages. And wing shacks throughout Georgia.

[QueenBee]

WOW..just catching up with the news. Have not been online since early afternoon..and was out all day. A sad end for a lady with some troubles.

[nrkerr]

While this may draw some mockery, I am going to say it anyway.

She was my favorite singer of all time. I hoped she would come back from the drugs, and reign the top of the musical world once again. Turns out, it was not meant to be.

[chinchillas2cool]

Sad. Just sad. No joke crack is wack. (that is not really meaning to be funny, just the truth, that crack kills) I grew up listening to her. RIP....

[IMaDick]

She had some great music, It always amazes me that people with a talent like this that find success always seem to end up in this drug trap.

There are so many that have went like this a person has to wonder if fame is worth it?

[Maggot]

Houston....We have a problem.