The AP is reporting that Whitney Houston’s publicist has confirmed the singer’s death Saturday evening at 48 years of age. Twitter has been set aflame by the news, which is spreading rapidly.
Houston had a long and public battle with substance abuse, but it’s unclear if her death was drug-related. She was found yesterday by her bodyguard on the fourth floor of the Beverly Hills hotel where the singer was set to attend a pre-Grammys party thrown by longtime mentor Clive Davis.
Whitney’s personal struggles and powerful, empowering anthems resonated strongly with the gay community—and many still remember her surprise performance at NYC Pride in 1999.
Here’s two songs we’ve heard many a time at the gay clubs. Rest in peace, Whitney. We will always love you.
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Mike1987
So sad. sigh…….
Triple S
I wasn’t around in her hey day, but I’ve heard lots of her stuff, so I can understand what the loss feels like. Such a shame that she had to go so early. 🙁
ewe
Crack will eventually cause a heart attack. Drugs killed her. Even if she wasn’t using she had deteriorated biochemically.
Shannon1981
Oh this is just awful. I remember listening to her when I first came out, in the 90
s, she was a real beacon of hope..
mattsy
poor Bobby Christina
Cam
What a shame, RIP. A true cautionary tale there. What a voice this woman had!
christopher di spirito
RIP Whitney. Your musical legacy will live on.
Red Meat
It was probably Madonna’s new song that killed her.
tjr101
OMG, she was amazing 🙁
I'm with Stupid
To quote the late Ms Houston, “Crack is Wack” Don’t worry guys, we got Adele replace her.
The agent
@I’m with Stupid: Adele who?
ChrisC
She was a true legend and icon. May she rest in peace.
Jeffrey T
How can this be a shock to anyone? Sad but self inflicted.
Marie Cohn
Self-acceptance would have saved her from a marriage that destroyed her.
13Zeroither
man, first Michel Jackson at 50, now her at 48. This sucks 🙁
steve sydney
on the eve of the Grammy awards no less..
I still can’t believe how young she was.. she had accomplished so much in 48 years..
Rockery
WOW. Unexpected. Like many if us she had troubled times, so sad, it’s not right remix was epic, 1st Amy now Whitney, the divas are dying. We still have Mariah & Madonna… **Putting on “Fantasy Def club remix” and “vogue” quickly**
hexdef101
This is just sad. I wasn’t really a fan of hers, But right now that doesn’t matter. She was a great singer, and she died way too soon. RIP Whitney, maybe now you will find peace in Gods arms.
divkid
fuck, wow.
Halston
I’m not going to address anyone on here directly, but I think that it is sad for a few people to come on here to make insensitive and outright horrible comments about a very talented woman who apparently had a some very troubling issues that she was dealing with in her life. It is so very easy for us to sit here and judge when our lives are not displayed before the whole world to judge, mock, and ridicule. Whitney was as human as anyone of us and gave many people joy-despite her personal problems. And, I for one was hoping that she would overcome her problems and come to a place of peace for herself. If that meant (parapharasing-I don’t remember the exact quote) living a quite life on an island like she said on Oprah-that would have been fine with me and so many of the people who loved her than what happened today. And, I would hope for the same for anyone who was trying to find their way in life. I was never really of fan of Michael Jackson but I could not deny the talent and how he touched people’s hearts and the writing may have been on the wall of how his life would end, but it would be pointless to say such a thing or some other stupid remark on a blog just so I could have my say in the matter or appear to be clever. For everyone else on here that is in touch with their humanity-I am also sadden by her passing. RIP Whitney.
iDavid
I will truly miss her. I had so hoped she would get herself back together. An awesome awesome voice she had.
Me
One of the vocal trinity has passed away!! 🙁
There’s only Mariah and Celine now!! :'(
dean
RIP Ms. Houston
JG
@I’m with Stupid: I love Adele and hope she cleans up at the Grammys. HOWEVER, speaking as someone who came of age in the late 80’s and 90’s, Adele is not in the same zip code as the irreplaceable Whitney Houston.
She utterly destroyed herself.
These videos are from her heyday.
She completely destroyed herself with drugs. Truly tragic.
Her last concert series was a disaster, her vocal cords were destroyed by all the crack, and her voice was a dry, quavering croak without any power at all.
Cautionary tale about the power of self-destruction and the ephemeral nature of human life.
MoJo
While I’m as saddened by this human’s passing as I am of any other’s, “I Will Always Love You”, was a Horrible cover! And while Ms Houston was certainly talented, NO ONE can touch Dolly’s original!
MoJo
Also, as a fan, I truly hope that her death will be determined to Not be drug-related. As a “natural” death would add an about of dignity to the career of an artist who fought Very hard to overcome addiction.
Bronk
@Marie Cohn: There might be some truth in that harsh statement. Signorile called Houston, on her denial of lesbianism, the “self-hating one.”
Thor
Really, this is yet another gay suicide when you think about it. Breaks my heart. Hope she’s at peace now.
Charlie
A friend commented saying that she was the Judy Garland of our age, I think that’s quite appropriate. So talented and so tragic.
I loved dancing to “It’s not right but it’s ok” at the clubs when I first came out, and “Exhale” is always a comfort for me.
Sing with the angels, Whitney.
TASTEY GOODIES
A TOTAL SHOCK! Too young to be dead and gone.
Jake
So sad. RIP to the greatest female vocalist
Tackle
She had the greatest voice of all time and will truly be missed by fans from all over the world. At her peak she had 5 octaves but impressively she could sing with power, control and clarity at 3.5
For all of us who enjoyed her music, we can listen to her for years and years to come. RIP Whitney.
Paul
When I first read the news last night, I gasped. Then I shook my head and thought “what a waste”. Seriously…what a fucking waste.
Hephaestion
Gay icon? When and how did Whitney become a gay icon?
That said, I pray she is in a better place now. Such a tragic loss.
Whitney admirer
@Halston:
Thank you
keke
She was given an amazing gift, She threw away with cigarettes and booze and among
other things, which I’m sure while hear about in the new few months.
whatever demons that were haunting her are finally gone.
R.I.P Whitney your finally free!
Geri
@Bronk: @Marie Cohn: So maybe Whitney really was bisexual like Bobby Brown claimed in his little book. That doesn’t mean she married him “for all the wrong reasons” as he put it. Bi women generally marry men for the same reason/s straight women do.
RIP Whitney Houston
Ryan
I had just found this awesome “I wanna dance” Whitney remix a few months ago, have a listen:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v3AbJlKb7xQ&list=FL-DV5sxcwxDYsf8KJO2KsCA&index=101&feature=plpp_video
MikeE
Dolly Parton is DEAD??????!!!??????
I mean, that is the ONLY person you could possibly mean when you say “iconic ‘I will always love you’ singer is dead”.
After all, who wrote “I will Always Love You”?
Who actually sang it first, and recorded it multiple times?
Yeah, it’s sad that Whitney Houston is dead. Probably related to her past difficulties with substance abuse. But please don’t give her credit where none is due. She sang. Other peoples music. That’s it. It’s not like she was the greatest artist that ever lived.
Davis W.
She had such a powerful voice and was so talented. Wished that she could have overcome all of the negatives in her life. The drugs in the end took her life. Rhianna pay attention and don’t walk down the same path.
Davis W.
She had such a beautiful voice and was so talented. Wished that she could have overcome all of the negatives in her life. The drugs in the end took her life. Rhianna pay attention and don’t walk down the same path.
Corn&Porn
What?!? Another elitist Hollywood bazillionaire ODs and bites the dust?
Oh. No. Say. It. Ain’t. So.
nik
RIP whitney.
I’m gonna remember her by her perfomances as an artist…
her voice….not the drugs.
Urethra Franklin
Whitney’s songs from the mid 80’s -90’s were a soundtrack to my life as a young man coming out. I have no more words, but God bless…
iver
Can’t we just go back to 1985 and have a do over.
Hell to the naw!!!
Divas Live was the show that it was because of Whitney’s performances. Her music became the anthem of my heart and soul. I love you Whitney Houston rest in peace!!!
james_from_cambridge
To the idiot who commented “we have Adele to replace her”, Adele has neither the power or range Whitney had. I like her but she’s no Whitney.
I have great memories of my mom making my brother and I dinner while blasting Whitney’s music and me helping her and singing along (while my brother rolled his eyes at us and played with his Nintendo in the living room) so she meant a lot to me (and my mom) while growing up. I rediscovered her a couple years ago thanks to Youtube and I’m really saddened by her passing. R.I.P. Whitney!
christopher di crapito
@TASTEY GOODIES: A shock? You’ve got to be kidding! After all those years of widely publicized massive drug abuse, it’s no shock at all! I’m surprised it didn’t happen sooner!
PIG - Pretty Intelligent Guy
@christopher di crapito:
Amen to that. Why the public is shocked when rich drug addicts die is beyond me.
thegaytekeeper
R.I.P.
B
A news/radio item I stumbled upon mentioned that the toxicity tests won’t be back for a few weeks. Don’t you think it might be a bit less disrespectful of the recently departed to at least wait for the tests and autopsy before commenting on the cause of death?
BlogZilla
I don’t feel sorry for these people that have the world at their feet and throw it all away with drugs and alcohol.
How many times do we have to day drugs and alcohol are bad news? Her death was self inflicted. She either fell asleep from drug and alcohol she was taking when she was in the bath tub or had a heart attack. The same thing happened to countless of other celebrities, most famously — Marilyn Monroe and Judy Garland, who were prescription pill junkies.