Music industry mourns one of the great voices

The announcement of the death of singing legend Whitney Houston yesterday prompted a worldwide outpouring of grief, with tributes paid by some of the biggest names in the music industry.

The 48-year-old enjoyed many years of popularity with songs such as Saving All My Love and I Will Always Love You, winning multiple Grammy awards and duetting with some of biggest names in soul and R&B.

She married fellow singing superstar Bobby Brown and carried her success into the film industry, appearing in hit movies including The Bodyguard.

In 1991 she gave a moving rendition of The Star Spangled Banner at the Super Bowl against the backdrop of the first Gulf War – giving her a reputation as America’s Golden Girl.

However her American Sweetheart image began to unravel as she waged a lengthy and high-profile battle with drug addiction.

Chaotic public appearances and various spells in rehab tarnished her name and began to ravage her once powerful voice, prompting record sales to nosedive.

In 2007 her 15-year marriage to Brown came to an end and despite claiming to be drug free in 2010 she would often continue to appear dishevelled and intoxicated in public.

Just a few days before her death Houston was pictured looking disorientated as she left a Hollywood nightclub with her daughter Bobbi Kristina after performing at a pre-Grammy party.

Following the news of her death, fellow celebrities and contemporaries who had been moved and inspired by her music and vocals lined up to pay their respects, describing the star as a “legend” and an “icon”.

Music mogul Simon Cowell revealed that he had been in about to begin negotiations to bring the star onto the judging panel of his American X Factor programme.

He described Houston as “one of the greatest singers of all time”, and a “true superstar”.

“We all knew that she had issues and I last met her when she came on X Factor in England when she was doing her comeback album and you could sense at the time there were a still few problems, but she was a delight to work with on the day, she was very professional, she was kind to everyone around her, she probably wasn’t altogether there, but it was still Whitney Houston and you know that you are in a presence of a legend and I will never forget that day.”

“There are so few people like her in the world. They are a rarefied breed; these are true superstar, legendary divas and I say divas in the nicest possible way.

“She had one of the greatest voices I have ever heard in my life, ever.”

Mariah Carey, who recorded the duet When You Believe with Houston in 1998, said on Twitter she was “heartbroken”.

“She will never be forgotten as one of the greatest voices to ever grace the Earth.”

Her ex-husband paid an emotional tribute to Houston as he performed to a sell-out crowd in Mississippi with his band New Edition.

“First of all, I want to tell you that I love you all. Second, I would like to say, I love you Whitney. The hardest thing for me to do is to come on this stage.”

Her godmother, soul legend Aretha Franklin, said: “It’s so stunning and unbelievable. I couldn’t believe what I was reading coming across the TV screen. My heart goes out to Cissy (Houston’s mother), her daughter Bobby Kris, her family and Bobby.”

In a statement, country singer Dolly Parton said: “Mine is only one of millions of hearts broken over the death of Whitney Houston.

“I will always be grateful and in awe of the wonderful performance she did on my song and I can truly say (that) from the bottom of my heart.”

Posthumous hits to make mark

Whitney Houston’s music is expected to soar to the top of the charts after the shock news of her death.

The Official Charts Company (OCC) said it is expecting the singer’s songs to take their places in the Official Singles Chart and Official Albums Chart over the next week.

A similar effect was seen after the deaths of Michael Jackson in June 2009 and Amy Winehouse in August last year as fans paid tribute by buying the artists’ singles and albums.

In summer 2009, six Michael Jackson albums hit the Official Albums Chart Top 40, including a greatest hits at Number 1, while five singles hit the Official Singles Chart Top 40, a week after the singer’s death.