The world is in shock with the unexpected news of the death of Whitney Houston.
The talented singer was found dead in her room on the fourth floor at the Beverley Hilton Hotel – she was 48 years old.
The cause of her death is unknown but there is a lot of speculation regarding a drug overdose.
Apparently Whitney’s body was found by her bodyguard in her hotel room.
A spokesman for the local police department said that emergency services had been called to the hotel at 3.43pm on Saturday, arriving minutes later.
They attempted to revive Whitney using CPR and after 20 minutes of unsuccessful attempts, she was pronounced dead at 3.55pm.
Whitney Houston leavingTru Hollywood nightclub earlier this week
Houston died on the night of the Grammy Awards, a place where the singing sensation has shared her phenomenal talent with millions in the past.
Celebrities took to Twitter to express their sadness and to pay their respect.
Mariah Carey wrote, ‘Heartbroken and in tears over the shocking death of my friend, the incomparable Ms. Whitney Houston,’
‘My heartfelt condolences to Whitney’s family and to all her millions of fans throughout the world. She will never be forgotten as one of the greatest voices to ever grace the earth.’
Mariah’s husband Nick Cannon added, ‘Tell our loved ones how much we love them while they’re still here. I wish I could’ve told Whitney how great she was one last time.’
Singer Gloria Estefan also took to Twitter saying, ‘Shocked we’ve lost the immensely talented Whitney Houston!’
’Sending prayers of peace & solace 2 her family, friends & fans! Such a loss! Such an amazing talent!’
Dolly Parton, who wrote I Will Always Love You, said, ‘mine is only one of the 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 from the bottom of my heart, “Whitney, I will always love you. You will be missed.’”
Singer Aretha Franklin said, ‘I just can’t talk about it now. 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 Bobbi Kris, her family and Bobby (Brown).’
Rihanna also expressed her sadness writing, ‘No words! Just tears #DearWhitney’
Rihanna Twitter
Quincy Jones also released a written statement saying, ‘I am absolutely heartbroken at the news of Whitney’s passing. I always regretted not having had the opportunity to work with her. She was a true original and a talent beyond compare. I will miss her terribly.’
But her passing has affected everyone and even Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg took to Twitter saying, ‘R.I.P. Whitney Houston. Thank you for the amazing music you brought into the world.’
Whitney’s ex-husband Bobby Brown was said to be ‘in and out of crying fits’ upon hearing the news but he still appeared on stage on Saturday with his band New Edition.
Whitney and Bobby Brown
During his concert in Mississippi, the 43-year-old tearfully shouted, ‘I love you, Whitney,’ as he blew kisses to the sky.
The couple has an 18-year-old daughter together, Bobbi Kristina.
Whitney and her daughter Bobbi Kristina
Houston’s mother Cissie apparently spoke to her daughter just half an hour before her death, and did not think anything was wrong.
The world has surely lost a legend – Whitney won six Grammy awards, two Emmys, 30 Billboard Music Awards, and 22 American Music Awards, among others.
Her album ‘Whitney’ was the first album by a woman to ever debut at No. 1 on the Billboard Charts. She has sold more than 170million albums worldwide.
At her peak in the 1980′s and 90′s, Houston was the golden girl of the music industry and one of the world’s best-selling artists.
Her success carried her beyond music to movies like ‘The Bodyguard’.
But by the end of her career, drug use took its toll as her record sales plummeted and her voice became raspy and hoarse.
Whitney’s image became tarnished by her well-documented troubles, including her turbulent marriage to singer Bobby Brown.
By the end of her career, Houston became a stunning cautionary tale of the toll of drug use.
She confessed to abusing cocaine, marijuana and pills, and her once pristine voice became 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.
Houston was born into greatness. She was the daughter of gospel singer Cissy Houston, the cousin of 1960′s pop diva Dionne Warwick and the goddaughter of Aretha Franklin.
A young Whitney
Whitney Houston will surely be missed…. Our condolences to her family and friends….
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February 13, 2012 at 2:26 am
Whitney Houston was a great talent. She led the way for other admiring musicians. Her voice was beyond belief and had a huge heart that only god can give such a great talent. She will be missed not only by myself, being that im her biggest and brightest fan of them all, but she will be missed by the music world, all of her devoted fans, family & friends and the entire world. Trust me, she is definitley in a much better place; thats gods loving arms.