Tramaine Kennedy, Contributing Writer
On February 11, 2012, pop singer Whitney Houston was pronounced dead at the age of 48. Her body was found on the fourth floor of her Beverly Hilton Hotel room in Los Angeles. Various reports are linking the singer’s death to a mixture of prescription drugs and alcohol, but the actual cause of death is still under investigation.
The funeral service for Houston was held on February 18 at the New Hope Baptist Church in Newark, New Jersey, where she sang as a child. The invitation-only service was limited to family, friends and a few celebrities that she associated herself with over the course of her career. Fans from around the world were also able to watch the service as it was broadcast live on the Internet.
Houston received many awards during her career. She was the first singer to reach number one on the Hot 100 with seven consecutive singles, and won six Grammy Awards, 22 American Music Awards and 16 NAACP Awards. Her many memorable hits include “Saving All My Love for You,” “How Will I Know,” “Greatest Love of All,” “So Emotional” and “I Wanna Dance With Somebody (Who Loves Me).”
At the 2012 Grammy Awards ceremony, Jennifer Hudson made a special tribute to Houston by performing a rendition of “I Will Always Love You.” She added her own twist to the classic piece, which made it heartfelt and emotional for viewers.
Despite her alleged drug addiction, rocky relationship with R&B singer Bobby Brown and negative attacks from the media, Whitney Houston will always be remembered as a legendary music icon and inspiration to many.
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