Events

1056 – After a sudden illness a few days previous, Byzantine Empress Theodora dies without children to succeed the throne, thus ending the Macedonian dynasty.

1218 – Al-Kamil becomes Sultan of Egypt, Syria and northern Mesopotamia on the death of his father Al-Adil.

1314 – King Håkon V Magnusson moves the capital of Norway from Bergen to Oslo.

1422 – King Henry V of England dies of dysentery while in France. His son, Henry VI becomes King of England at the age of 9 months.

1795 – War of the First Coalition: The British capture Trincomalee (present-day Sri Lanka) from the Dutch in order to keep it out of French hands.

1803 – Lewis and Clark start their expedition to the west by leaving Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania at 11 in the morning.

1813 – At the final stage of the Peninsular War, British-Portuguese troops capture the town of Donostia (now San Sebastián), resulting in a rampage and eventual destruction of the town. Elsewhere, Spanish troops repel a French attack in the Battle of San Marcial.

1864 – During the American Civil War, Union forces led by General William T. Sherman launch an assault on Atlanta, Georgia.

1876 – Ottoman Sultan Murat V is deposed and succeeded by his brother Abd-ul-Hamid II.

1886 – An earthquake kills 100 in Charleston, South Carolina.

1888 – Mary Ann Nichols is murdered. She is the first of Jack the Ripper's confirmed victims.

1895 – German Count Ferdinand von Zeppelin patents his ''Navigable Balloon''.

1897 – Thomas Edison patents the Kinetoscope, the first movie projector.

1907 – Count Alexander Izvolsky and Sir Arthur Nicolson sign the St. Petersburg Convention, which results in the Triple Entente alliance.

1920 – Polish-Bolshevik War: a decisive Polish victory in the Battle of Komarów.

1920 – The first radio news program is broadcast by 8MK in Detroit, Michigan.

1936 – Radio Prague, now the official international broadcasting station of the Czech Republic, goes on the air.

1939 – Nazi Germany mounts a staged attack on the Gleiwitz radio station, creating an excuse to attack Poland the following day thus starting World War II in Europe.

1940 – Pennsylvania Central Airlines Trip 19 crashes near Lovettsville, Virginia. The CAB investigation of the accident is the first investigation to be conducted under the Bureau of Air Commerce act of 1938.

1941 – World War II: Serbian paramilitary forces defeat Germans in the Battle of Loznica.

1943 – The , the first U.S. Navy ship to be named after a black person, is commissioned.

1945 – The Liberal Party of Australia is founded by Robert Menzies.

1949 – The retreat of the Democratic Army of Greece in Albania after its defeat on Gramos mountain marks the end of the Greek Civil War.

1957 – The Federation of Malaya (now Malaysia) gains its independence from the United Kingdom.

1958 – A parcel bomb sent by Ngo Dinh Nhu, younger brother and chief adviser of South Vietnamese President Ngo Dinh Diem, fails to kill King Norodom Sihanouk of Cambodia.

1962 – Trinidad and Tobago becomes independent.

1963 – Sarawak, North Borneo and Singapore achieve technical independence pending accession to the Federation of Malaysia

1965 – The Aero Spacelines Super Guppy aircraft makes its first flight.

1980 – After two weeks of nationwide strikes, the Polish government was forced to sign the Gdańsk Agreement, allowing for the creation of the trade union Solidarity.

1982 – Anti-government demonstrations are held in 66 Polish cities to commemorate the second anniversary of the Gdańsk Agreement.

1986 – Aeroméxico Flight 498 collides with a Piper PA-28 over Cerritos, California, killing 67 in the air and 15 on the ground.

1986 – The Soviet passenger liner sinks in the Black Sea after colliding with the bulk carrier ''Pyotr Vasev'', killing 423.

1987 – Thai Airways Flight 365 crashes into the ocean near Ko Phuket, Thailand, killing all 83 aboard.

1991 – Kyrgyzstan declares its independence from the Soviet Union.

1992 – Pascal Lissouba is inaugurated as the President of the Republic of the Congo.

1994 – The Provisional Irish Republican Army declares a ceasefire.

1996 – Saddam Hussein's troops seized Irbil after the Kurdish Masoud Barzani appealed for help to defeat his Kurdish rival PUK.

1997 – Diana, Princess of Wales, her companion Dodi Al-Fayed and driver Henri Paul die in a car crash in Paris.

1998 – North Korea reportedly launches ''Kwangmyŏngsŏng-1'', its first satellite.

1999 – The first of a series of bombings in Moscow kills one person and wounds 40 others.

1999 – A LAPA Boeing 737-200 crashes during takeoff from Jorge Newbury Airport in Buenos Aires, killing 65, including two on the ground.

2005 – A stampede on Al-Aaimmah bridge in Baghdad kills 1,199 people.

2006 – Stolen on August 22, 2004, Edvard Munch's famous painting ''The Scream'' is recovered in a raid by Norwegian police.

2010 – The last episode of ''The Bill'', the longest-running police procedural television series in the United Kingdom, is aired on ITV1.

Births

12 – Gaius Caligula, Roman Emperor (d. 41)

161 – Commodus, Roman Emperor (d. 192)

1569 – Emperor Jahangir of India (d. 1627)

1602 – Countess Amalia of Solms-Braunfels, wife of Frederick Henry, Prince of Orange (d. 1675)

1652 – Ferdinand Charles, Duke of Mantua and Montferrat (d. 1708)

1663 – Guillaume Amontons, French physicist and instrument maker (d. 1705)

1721 – George Hervey, 2nd Earl of Bristol, British statesman (d. 1775)

1741 – Jean Paul Egide Martini, French composer (d. 1816)

1767 – Henry Joy McCracken, Irish political activist, founder of the Society of United Irishmen (d. 1798)

1802 – Husein Gradaščević, Bosnian general (d. 1834)

1821 – Hermann von Helmholtz, German scientist (d. 1894)

1822 – Galusha A. Grow, American politician (d. 1907)

1834 – Amilcare Ponchielli, Italian composer (d. 1886)

1842 – Josephine St. Pierre Ruffin, American publisher, journalist, suffragist and civil rights leader (d. 1924)

1843 – Georg von Hertling, Chancellor of Germany (d. 1919)

1870 – Maria Montessori, Italian educator (d. 1952)

1871 – James E. Ferguson, American politician, 26th Governor of Texas (d. 1944)

1878 – Frank Jarvis, American sprinter (d. 1933)

1879 – Alma Mahler, Austrian socialite, wife of composer Gustav Mahler (d. 1964)

1879 – Emperor Taishō of Japan (d. 1926)

1880 – Queen Wilhelmina of the Netherlands (d. 1962)

1885 – DuBose Heyward, American playwright (d. 1940)

1893 – Lily Laskine, French harpist (d. 1988)

1894 – Albert Facey, Australian writer (d. 1982)

1896 – Félix-Antoine Savard, Canadian priest and novelist (d. 1982)

1897 – Fredric March, American actor (d. 1975)

1900 – Gino Lucetti, Italian anarchist (d. 1943)

1902 – Géza Révész, Hungarian military officer and politician (d. 1977)

1903 – Arthur Godfrey, American television host (d. 1983)

1903 – Vladimir Jankélévitch, French philosopher (d. 1985)

1905 – Sanford Meisner, American actor and teacher (d. 1997)

1907 – Augustus F. Hawkins, American politician (d. 2007)

1907 – Ramon Magsaysay, 7th President of the Philippines (d. 1957)

1907 – William Shawn, American editor (d. 1992)

1907 – Altiero Spinelli, Italian advocate of European federalism (d. 1986)

1908 – William Saroyan, American novelist (d. 1981)

1909 – Ferenc Fejtő, Hungarian-born journalist and political scientist (d. 2008)

1911 – Edward Brongersma, Dutch politician, writer and political activist (d. 1998)

1913 – Sir Bernard Lovell, English radio astronomer

1913 – Helen Levitt, American photographer (d. 2009)

1914 – Richard Basehart, American actor (d. 1984)

1916 – Danny Litwhiler, American baseball player and coach

1916 – Daniel Schorr, American journalist (d. 2010)

1916 – John S. Wold, American politician

1918 – Alan Jay Lerner, American lyricist (d. 1986)

1919 – Amrita Preetam, Indian poet and author (d. 2005)

1920 – Gustavo Adolfo Palma, Guatemalan singer (d. 2010)

1920 – G. D. Spradlin, American actor (d. 2011)

1921 – Raymond Williams, Welsh academic (d. 1988)

1924 – Buddy Hackett, American actor and comedian (d. 2003)

1928 – James Coburn, American actor (d. 2002)

1928 – Jaime Sin, Philippine cardinal and patriot (d. 2005)

1931 – Jean Béliveau, Canadian ice hockey player

1931 – Noble Willingham, American actor (d. 2004)

1934 – Nikos Xanthopoulos, Greek actor

1935 – Eldridge Cleaver, American political activist (d. 1998)

1935 – Frank Robinson, American baseball player and manager

1937 – Warren Berlinger, American actor

1937 – Bobby Parker, American blues-rock guitarist

1938 – Martin Bell, British journalist

1938 – Murray Gleeson, Chief Justice of Australia

1939 – Jerry Allison, American drummer (The Crickets)

1940 – Wilton Felder, American musician

1940 – Roger Newman, British-born American television actor and writer (d. 2010)

1940 – Jack Thompson, Australian actor

1941 – William DeWitt, Jr., American businessman

1943 – Leonid Ivashov, Russian general

1944 – Roger Dean, English artist

1944 – Clive Lloyd, Guyanese West Indies cricketer

1944 – Jos LeDuc, Canadian professional wrestler (d. 1999)

1945 – Van Morrison, Northern Irish singer-songwriter

1945 – Itzhak Perlman, Israeli violinist

1946 – Jerome Corsi, American writer

1947 – Mona Marshall, American voice actress

1947 – Luca di Montezemolo, Italian businessman

1947 – Yumiko Ōshima, Japanese manga artist

1947 – Somchai Wongsawat, 26th Prime Minister of Thailand

1948 – Harald Ertl, Austrian racing driver (d. 1982)

1948 – Lowell Ganz, American screenwriter

1948 – Ken McMullen, English film director

1948 – Holger Osieck, German footballer and coach

1948 – Rudolf Schenker, German guitarist (Scorpions)

1949 – Richard Gere, American actor

1949 – H. David Politzer, American physicist, Nobel laureate

1952 – Herbert Reul, German politician

1953 – Miguel Ángel Guerra, Argentine racing driver

1953 – György Károly, Hungarian author

1953 – Pavel Vinogradov, Russian cosmonaut

1954 – Julie Brown, American actress, singer-songwriter and screenwriter

1955 – Olek Krupa, Polish actor

1955 – Edwin Moses, American hurdler

1955 – Anthony Thistlethwaite, musician, member of The Waterboys and The Saw Doctors

1955 – Gary Webb, American journalist (d. 2004)

1956 – Maria Balazova, Slovak painter

1956 – Masashi Tashiro, Japanese television performer

1957 – Colm O'Rourke, Irish footballer and commentator

1957 – Gina Schock, American drummer (The Go-Go's)

1957 – Glenn Tilbrook, English singer and guitarist (Squeeze)

1958 – Serge Blanco, French rugby union footballer

1959 – Ralph Krueger, Canadian ice hockey coach

1960 – Vali Ionescu, Romanian long jumper

1960 – Chris Whitley, American blues singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 2005)

1962 – Dee Bradley Baker, American voice actor

1963 – Reb Beach, American guitarist (Winger, Whitesnake)

1963 – Todd Carty, Irish actor

1963 – Sonny Silooy, Dutch footballer

1964 – Raymond P. Hammond, American poet and editor

1965 – Céline Bonnier, French-Canadian actress

1965 – Zsolt Borkai, Hungarian gymnast

1965 – Willie Watson, New Zealand cricketer

1966 – Jan Einar Thorsen, Norwegian alpine skier

1967 – Nigel Avery, New Zealand weightlifter

1967 – Jonathan Cake, British actor

1967 – Gene Hoglan, American drummer (Devin Townsend, Strapping Young Lad, Testament, Fear Factory)

1967 – Anita Moen, Norwegian cross-country skier

1968 – Valdon Dowiyogo, Nauruan politician and Australian football player

1968 – Hideo Nomo, Japanese baseball player

1969 – Nathalie Bouvier, French alpine skier

1969 – Andrew Cunanan, American spree killer (d. 1997)

1969 – Jonathan LaPaglia, Australian actor

1969 – Javagal Srinath, Indian cricketer

1970 – Deborah Gibson, American singer

1970 – Nikola Gruevski, 6th Prime Minister of the Republic of Macedonia

1970 – Arie van Lent, Dutch-born German footballer

1970 – Queen Rania of Jordan

1970 – Amy Stein, American photographer

1970 – Zack Ward, Canadian actor

1971 – Pádraig Harrington, Irish golfer

1972 – Chris Tucker, American actor and comedian

1973 – Scott Niedermayer, Canadian ice hockey player

1974 – Andriy Medvedev, Ukrainian tennis player

1975 – Craig Cumming, New Zealand cricketer

1975 – John Grahame, American ice hockey player

1975 – Daniel Harding, British conductor

1975 – Sara Ramírez, American actress

1975 – Takahiro Suwa, Japanese professional wrestler

1976 – Vincent Delerm, French singer-songwriter, pianist and composer

1976 – Roque Júnior, Brazilian footballer

1976 – Radek Martínek, Czech ice hockey player

1977 – Jeff Hardy, American wrestler

1977 – Ian Harte, Irish footballer

1977 – Craig Nicholls, Australian singer and guitarist (The Vines)

1978 – Philippe Christanval, French footballer

1979 – Clay Hensley, American baseball player

1979 – Mickie James, American professional wrestler

1979 – Mark Johnston, Canadian swimmer

1979 – Simon Neil, Scottish singer and guitarist (Biffy Clyro)

1979 – Yuvan Shankar Raja, Indian film music composer

1979 – Ramón Santiago, Dominican baseball player

1980 – Joe Budden, American rapper

1981 – Dwayne Peel, Welsh rugby union footballer

1981 – Steve Saviano, American ice hockey player

1982 – Ian Crocker, American swimmer

1982 – Chris Duhon, American basketball player

1982 – Lien Huyghebaert, Belgian sprinter

1982 – Josh Kroeger, American baseball player

1982 – Alexei Mikhnov, Ukrainian-born Russian ice hockey player

1982 – José Manuel Reina, Spanish footballer

1982 – Michele Rugolo, Italian racing driver

1983 – Deniz Aydoğdu, Turkish footballer

1983 – Larry Fitzgerald, American football player

1984 – Matti Breschel, Danish road bicycle racer

1984 – Ryan Kesler, American ice hockey player

1984 – Ted Ligety, American alpine skier

1984 – Charl Schwartzel, South African golfer

1985 – Andrew Foster, Australian rules footballer

1985 – Rolando, Portuguese footballer

1986 – Feng Tianwei, Singaporean table tennis player

1987 – Petros Kravaritis, Greek footballer

1987 – Ondřej Pavelec, Czech ice hockey player

1989 – Dezmon Briscoe, American football player

Deaths

651 – Aidan of Lindisfarne, Irish bishop and missionary (birth date unknown)

683 – Pacal II, ruler of the Maya polity of Palenque (b. 603)

1218 – Al-Adil I, Sultan of Egypt, Syria and northern Mesopotamia (b. 1145)

1234 – Emperor Go-Horikawa of Japan (b. 1212)

1372 – Ralph Stafford, 1st Earl of Stafford, English soldier (b. 1301)

1422 – King Henry V of England (b. 1387)

1645 – Francesco Bracciolini, Italian poet (b. 1566)

1654 – Ole Worm, Danish physician (b. 1588)

1688 – John Bunyan, English writer (b. 1628)

1730 – Gottfried Finger, Czech composer

1741 – Johann Gottlieb Heineccius, German jurist (b. 1681)

1772 – William Borlase, English naturalist (b. 1695)

1795 – François-André Danican Philidor, French chess player (b. 1726)

1799 – Nicolas-Henri Jardin, French architect (b. 1720)

1811 – Louis Antoine de Bougainville, French explorer (b. 1729)

1814 – Arthur Phillip, British admiral (b. 1738)

1817 – John Thomas Duckworth, Royal Navy admiral (b. 1747)

1867 – Charles Baudelaire, French poet (b. 1821)

1869 – Mary Ward, Irish scientist (b. 1827)

1888 – Mary Ann "Polly" Nichols, British victim of Jack the Ripper (b. 1845)

1920 – Jens Oliver Lisberg, Faroese vexillographer (b. 1896)

1920 – Wilhelm Wundt, German psychologist (b. 1832)

1924 – Todor Aleksandrov, Bulgarian revolutionary (b. 1881)

1927 – William Carver, American sharpshooter & show hoster (b. 1851)

1940 – Georges Gauthier, French-Canadian religious figure (b. 1871)

1941 – Marina Tsvetaeva, Russian poet (b. 1892)

1948 – Billy Laughlin, American actor (b. 1932)

1952 – Henri Bourassa, French-Canadian politician (b. 1868)

1954 – Elsa Barker, American writer (b. 1869)

1963 – Georges Braque, French painter (b. 1882)

1967 – Ilya Ehrenburg, Russian writer (b. 1891)

1969 – Rocky Marciano, American boxer (b. 1923)

1973 – John Ford, American film director (b. 1894)

1974 – William Pershing Benedict, American pilot (b. 1928)

1974 – Norman Kirk, New Zealand prime minister (b. 1923)

1978 – John Wrathall, Rhodesian politician (b. 1913)

1979 – Sally Rand, American dancer and actress (b. 1904)

1979 – Tiger Smith, England cricketer (b. 1886)

1984 – Audrey Wagner, American baseball player [AAGPBL] (b. 1927)

1985 – Frank Macfarlane Burnet, Australian biologist, Nobel laureate (b. 1899)

1986 – Urho Kekkonen, Finnish politician (b. 1900)

1986 – Henry Moore, English sculptor (b. 1898)

1995 – Barry Lee Fairchild, American convicted murderer (b. 1954)

1997 – Diana, Princess of Wales (b. 1961)

1997 – Dodi Al-Fayed, Egyptian film producer (b. 1955)

1997 – Henri Paul, Deputy Head of Security at Hôtel Ritz Paris (b. 1956)

2000 – Lucille Fletcher, American screenwriter (b. 1912)

2000 – Patricia Owens, Canadian actress (b. 1925)

2000 – Dolores Moore, American baseball player (b. 1932)

2002 – Lionel Hampton, American vibraphone player (b. 1908)

2002 – Farhad Mehrad, Persian singer, guitarist and pianist (b. 1944)

2002 – George Porter, English chemist, Nobel laureate (b. 1920)

2004 – Carl Wayne, English singer (b. 1943)

2005 – Józef Rotblat, Polish-born British physicist, recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize (b. 1908)

2005 – Michael Sheard, British actor (b. 1940)

2006 – Mohamed Abdelwahab, Egyptian footballer (b. 1983)

2006 – Tom Delaney, British racing driver (b. 1911)

2006 – Derrick Wayne Frazier, American convicted murderer (b. 1977)

2007 – Gay Brewer, American golfer (b. 1932)

2007 – Karloff Lagarde, Mexican professional wrestler (b. 1928)

2008 – Ike Pappas, American news correspondent (b. 1933)

2007 – Jean Jacques Paradis Canadian general (b.1928)

2008 – Victor Yates, New Zealand rugby player (b. 1939)

2009 – Eraño Manalo, Filipino religious figure (b. 1925)

2010 – Laurent Fignon, French bicycle racer (b. 1960)

2011 – Wade Belak, Canadian ice hockey player (b. 1976)

Holidays and observances

Christian Feast Day:

* Aidan of Lindisfarne

* Raymond Nonnatus

* August 31 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)

Day of Solidarity and Freedom (Poland)

Day of Our Language or ''Limba Noastra'' (Moldova)

Independence Day, celebrates the independence of Kyrgyzstan from the Soviet Union in 1991

Independence Day, celebrates the independence of Malaysia from the United Kingdom in 1957.

Independence Day, celebrates the independence of Trinidad and Tobago from the United Kingdom in 1962.

References

External links

BBC: On This Day

On This Day in Canada

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Walter Breuning 1896 2011) was an American supercentenarian. He was the last known surviving man who was born in 1896, and one of the last two verfied men born in the 1800s, the other being Japanese supercentenarian Jiroemon Kimura who succeeded him as the oldest recognized living man. Breuning is the oldest undisputed American-born man on record. He became the third oldest undisputed man ever on March 30, 2011. He was the last verified American man born in the 19th Century. At the time of his death, Breuning was one of the 40 undisputed oldest people ever.

Biography

Walter Breuning was born in Melrose, Minnesota. He was the son of John Breuning and Cora Morehouse Breuning, and had two brothers and two sisters. In 1901 when he was 5, his family moved to De Smet, South Dakota, where he went to school for nine years until his family broke up in 1910. Breuning referred to this time as "the dark ages", as his family lived without electricity, water, or plumbing, describing it as "carry the water in, heat it on the stove. That's what you took your bath in. Wake up in the dark, go to bed in the dark. That's not very pleasant". Apart from his parents who died at 50 and 46, longevity runs in Breuning's family. His paternal and maternal grandparents lived into their 90s and his siblings lived to ages 78, 85, 91 and 100. His only surviving family are 1 niece and 3 nephews all now in their 80s, plus great nieces and nephews.

In 1910 aged 14, Breuning dropped out of school and began scraping bakery pans for $2.50 weekly. He joined the Great Northern Railway in 1913, working for it for more than fifty years. During his early years, Breuning commented that he would have to hide from owner James J. Hill, as Hill did not want any railroad employees under the age of 18 (Breuning was first hired at age 17). Breuning worked for the Great Northern Railway until age 66, and was also a manager/secretary for the local Shriner's club until age 99. During World War I, he signed up for military service, but was never called up. When World War II broke out, he was too old to serve. He moved to Montana in 1918, where he continued working as a clerk for the Great Northern Railway. There, he met Agnes Twokey, a telegraph operator from Butte. He was married to her from 1922 until her death in 1957. They had no children and Breuning was believed to have never married again, as he stated that "Second marriages never work; even first marriages don't work today.” However, after his death, a marriage certificate was located, revealing that he married Margaret Vanest on October 5, 1958. Margaret died on January 15, 1975.

Breuning was a Freemason, and a member of Great Falls Lodge No. 118, Great Falls, Montana, for over 85 years. He held the 33rd Degree of the Scottish Rite, and was a Shriner.

In later years

Breuning lived at the Rainbow Retirement and Assisted Living Center in Great Falls, Montana for 32 years, moving in when it was 'The Rainbow Hotel' in 1979 when he was 83. The Rainbow Hotel turned into Rainbow Assisted Living Center in 1996. Each year starting with his 100th, The Rainbow held a Birthday Party for Breuning. As he became older and especially after gaining the title of Oldest Living Man in July 2009 the world media flocked to these occasions, if only to hear Breuning's annual birthday speech.

Breuning was a lifelong cigar smoker, but says in an interview at age 110 that he quit in 1999 when he was 103, saying they had become too expensive. However, at the age of 108 he briefly started smoking again, encouraged by gifts of cigars from as far away as London. Breuning retained a sharp memory, for example, he could remember his grandfather talking about his experiences in the American Civil War when he was three years old, and remembered the day President William McKinley was shot as the day "I got my first haircut".

On his 112th birthday, Breuning said the secret to long life is being active: "If you keep your mind busy and keep your body busy, you're going to be around a long time."

Breuning dressed in a suit and tie every day. On April 24, 2009, at the age of 112, Breuning was interviewed on CBS by Steve Hartman for ''Assignment America''. When asked by Hartman if he would do a second CBS interview in four years, Breuning said, "Well hell you sure can!"

Public events

On his 110th birthday, in September 2006, Breuning was declared the oldest living retired railroader in the United States. The Governor of Montana, Brian Schweitzer, and the city mayor attended his celebration.

On February 16, 2009, Breuning made an appearance on the ''News Hour with Jim Lehrer'', giving his views about the current state of the economy and the newly elected president. Breuning said that the first president he ever voted for was Woodrow Wilson, and that the most memorable news item he ever heard about in his life was the stock market crash of 1929. He also described life during the Great Depression.

On April 24, 2009, Breuning was the focus of a segment done by Steve Hartman's "Assignment America" on the CBS Evening News. and on September 21, 2009, he was the focus of another such segment. During his 113th birthday celebrations, Breuning said: "Remember that life's length is not measured by its hours and days, but by that which we have done therein. A useless life is short if it lasts a century. There are greater and better things in us all, if we would find them out. There will always be in this world - wrongs. No wrong is really successful. The day will come when light and truth and the just and the good shall be victorious and wrong as evil will be no more forever."

The BNSF Railway named the west end of its new Broadview Subdivision, where it meets the ex-Great Northern Laurel Subdivision near Broadview, Montana, Walter Junction after Breuning. He was present at the dedication of the new line, which serves the Signal Peak Mine, on September 2, 2009.

On February 25, 2010, Breuning was honored by Montana Ambassadors for shining a spotlight on the state of Montana.

Health history and habits

In 1960, age 64, Breuning was diagnosed with colon cancer. It was successfully treated and did not return. Breuning did not have any other health issues until he broke his hip at the age of 108. He spent eight days in the hospital and was totally healed in 21 days. In November 2007 at the age of 111, Breuning was fitted with hearing aids. The week before his 113th birthday in September 2009, Breuning fell and bruised his scalp, but was otherwise unhurt. Breuning was in excellent health, walking unaided and refusing to use the elevator to reach his second floor apartment until he broke his hip. Breuning began to slow down physically in his last year, requiring first a walker and then a motor scooter to get around although his mental state was undiminished to the end.

Breuning attributed much of his longevity to his diet. Shortly after his wife died, Breuning started eating out at restaurants. Eventually, he stopped eating out, but continued eating two meals a day. He ate a big breakfast and a hearty lunch but skipped an evening meal, snacking on fruit instead. Breuning drank lots of water through the day plus a cup and a half of coffee with breakfast and one cup with lunch. He got up every day at 6:15 a.m. and had breakfast at 7:30 a.m. He then took a stroll around The Rainbow for exercise and could then be found sitting in the lobby chatting with fellow residents and his many visitors. Breuning would retire to his room in mid-afternoon to listen to radio and when his vision allowed him, read the newspaper and his many letters received from people from all over the world.

Overall, Breuning was in good health almost all of his life. His weight was around the same for the last 50 years of his life, . Because Breuning was , his body mass index was around 19. For years Breuning took a baby aspirin everyday, but he eventually gave that up stating that he didn't need it, from there on he took no medication. Breuning believed another key to his longevity was keeping his mind and body active, not retiring until the age of 99. He performed daily calisthenics almost to the end. He could not read well because his eyesight was badly impaired by cataracts, but he kept himself occupied mentally by listening to the radio

On March 31, 2011, Breuning was hospitalized for an unspecified illness, thought to be pneumonia. The Governor of Montana, Brian Schweitzer, visited the state's oldest resident in the hospital on April 6 and 8, 2011.

Death

In an interview with the Associated Press in autumn 2010, Breuning stated that he had no fear or rejection of change – especially death. "We're all going to die. Some people are scared of dying. Never be afraid to die. Because you're born to die," he said.

Breuning died peacefully in his sleep in a Great Falls hospital on April 14, 2011. He had been hospitalized since the beginning of the month with an undisclosed illness. At the time of his death, he was the 3rd oldest living person in the world, and the oldest male.

Before he died, Breuning shared a prayer with his pastor. He said "Talked to him this morning. Reminded him of our agreement." His pastor asked what the agreement was. He said, "If I'm not going to get better, I'm supposed to go now."

Longevity records

On September 23, 2006, Breuning, aged 110 years, 2 days, was added to the Gerontology Research Group list for Guinness World Records.

On December 27, 2008, George Francis died; Breuning, aged 112 years, 97 days, became the oldest living verified man in the United States.

On July 18, 2009, Henry Allingham died; Breuning, aged 112 years, 300 days, became the oldest living verified man in the world.

On November 19, 2009, Chiyo Shiraishi died and Breuning entered the list of the 10 oldest living people in the world.

On June 23, 2010, Breuning, aged 113 years, 275 days, became one of the 10 verified oldest men ever.

On September 11, 2010, Breuning, aged 113 years, 355 days, surpassed Fred Hale to become the oldest undisputed American-born male ever.

On September 21, 2010, Breuning became the 5th undisputed recorded man in history to reach the age of 114.

On September 30, 2010, Breuning, aged 114 years, 9 days, became the oldest person ever to be born in the state of Minnesota.

On January 31, 2011, Eunice Sanborn died; Breuning, aged 114 years, 132 days, became the 2nd oldest living person in the world.

On March 23, 2011, Breuning, aged 114 years, 183 days, became one of the 50 verified oldest people ever.

On March 30, 2011, Breuning, aged 114 years, 190 days, surpassed Yukichi Chuganji to become the 3rd oldest undisputed man ever, behind only Danish-American and oldest verified male Christian Mortensen and Emiliano Mercado del Toro of Puerto Rico, both 115-year-olds.

On April 14, 2011, Breuning died, aged 114 years, 205 days, as the 43rd verified oldest person and the 3rd oldest undisputed man ever.

On May 18, 2011, Maria Gomes Valentim of Brazil is verified and recognised as the oldest living person, and Walter Breuning was now recognised as the 3rd oldest person since the death of Eunice Sanborn on January 31, 2011, and dying as the 44th verified oldest person ever.

See also

List of supercentenarians from the United States

List of the verified oldest men

List of the verified oldest people

List of oldest people by nation

Oldest people

References

External links

Walter Breuning, 33° Scottish Rite Freemason, speaks about the oldest fraternity in the world

Validated Living Supercentenarians

The Oldest Human Beings

Great Falls Tribune's Breuning home page, with interactive timeline, photos, video, articles, links

Walter Breuning interviewed on KRTV and on CBS

Video of Walter reflecting on being one of the oldest male U.S. citizens

Great Falls' Walter Breuning, one of world's oldest men, turns 111

Report on Walter's 112th Birthday

''News Hour with Jim Lehrer'' interview with Walter Breuning

April 14, 2011 | after = Jiroemon Kimura}}

Category:1896 births Category:2011 deaths Category:Colorectal cancer survivors Category:American Methodists Category:People from Great Falls, Montana Category:People from Kingsbury County, South Dakota Category:People from Melrose, Minnesota Category:Verified American supercentenarians

bcl:Walter Breuning da:Walter Breuning et:Walter Breuning es:Walter Breuning fr:Walter Breuning it:Walter Breuning la:Gualterius Breuning ml:വാൾട്ടർ ബ്രൂണിങ് nl:Walter Breuning ja:ウォルター・ブラウニング pl:Walter Breuning ru:Брюнинг, Уолтер fi:Walter Breuning sv:Walter Breuning

name	Gerald Levert
background	solo_singer
birth name	Jammie Terrel Bolder
birth date	July 13, 1966
death date	November 10, 2006
origin	Cleveland, Ohio, U.S.
instrument	Voice
genre	R&B;, soul
occupation	Singer, songwriter, producer, actor
years active	1984–2006
label	Atlantic, EastWest, Elektra
associated acts	LeVert, LSG, Rude Boys, The O'Jays, Teddy Pendergrass
notable instruments	}}

Gerald Levert (July 13, 1966 – November 10, 2006) was an American R&B; singer. Gerald Levert sang with his brother, Sean Levert, and friend Marc Gordon in the R&B; trio LeVert. He was also a part of LSG, an R&B; supergroup comprising Keith Sweat, Johnny Gill, and Levert. His father, Eddie Levert, is the lead singer of the 1970s soul group The O'Jays.

Biography

Early life & career

Gerald Levert was born to The O'Jays frontman Eddie Levert and his wife Marth in Canton, Ohio on July 13, 1966. Levert grew up in Shaker Heights, Ohio, and due to his father's career, Levert would travel with the band regularly. While in high school, Levert's inclination towards music became apparent when he formed the R&B; trio LeVert, with his younger brother Sean Levert (deceased, March 30, 2008) and friend Marc Gordon in 1984. Four of the group's seven albums went platinum. These include, ''I Get Hot'' in 1985, ''Bloodline'' in 1986, ''The Big Throwdown'' in 1987, and ''Just Coolin'' in 1988. Among the group's memorable hits were, "(Pop, Pop, Pop, Pop) Goes My Mind", "Casanova", and "ABC-123" (not to be confused with The Jackson 5 hit with a similar title).

Solo career & collaborations

In 1991, Levert went solo with the albums, ''Private Line'', which went to number one on the R&B; charts. The following year, Gerald and his father, Eddie Levert, hit number one on the R&B; charts with the single, ''Baby Hold On to Me''. Levert recorded a string of albums throughout the 1990s and early 2000s, that contained the hit singles, "Thinkin' About It" (Pop #12), "Taking Everything" (Pop #11), "Funny", "Mr. Too Damn Good to You", "U Got That Love", and a remake of R. Kelly's "I Believe I Can Fly", along with gospel singer Yolanda Adams.

Levert also sung lead vocals in two songs on the 2002 film documentary "Standing in the Shadows of Motown" - the story of The Funk Brothers. Levert performed "Shotgun" and "Reach Out I'll Be There".

Levert released his tenth album,''Voices'', in 2005.

Levert wrote and produced songs for other artists such as, Barry White, Stephanie Mills, Teddy Pendergrass, James Ingram, The Winans and The O'Jays. In the mid 1990s, he also helped launch the careers of three Cleveland-area R&B; ensembles: The Rude Boys, Men at Large and 1 of the Girls. During the release of ''Groove On'', Levert appeared in the group Black Men United for the hit single "U Will Know" for the film ''Jason's Lyric'', the movie's soundtrack. who was participated in the group and joining with Keith Sweat as well. In 1997, Levert teamed up with fellow R&B; singers Keith Sweat and Johnny Gill, to form the supergroup, LSG. The trio released the album ''Levert-Sweat-Gill'' the same year, selling over two million copies; it was followed by ''LSG2'' in 2003. In 1999, Levert sang the chorus on the Chris Rock spoken-word comedy piece, "No Sex (In the Champagne Room)". Levert performed a duet with Teena Marie on the latter's 2004 album ''La Doña''. Levert's last collaborations included Jim Brickman on the song "My Angel", for Brickman's 2006 album entitled ''Escape'' and on the song "Real S***" from rapper Styles P's album, ''Time Is Money''.

Acting

Levert branched out into his acting career as Charles Young, his first appearance on ''The Jamie Foxx Show'' for 2 episodes with "Just Don't Do It" where Jamie and his mother (Jo Marie Payton) decided to marry him. In January 2001, Gerald appears again in the series finale "Always and Forever" where Jamie and Fancy got married and sang the opening ceremony at the wedding and joined by fellow singers Gladys Knight and Marilyn McCoo (without her husband Billy Davis, Jr. . On November 10, 2003, 3 years part of later of his death, LeVert's final acting role that aired during his lifetime he also appeared on the episode of ''The Parkers'' who plays T father (Played by Ken Lawson) where he and his son comes to visit to start a new band.

Death

On November 10, 2006, Gerald Levert was found dead in his bed at his Newbury home when a cousin tried to wake him. Initial reports stated that Levert had died of an apparent heart attack. In February 2007, an autopsy report conducted by the Cuyahoga County coroner's office concluded that Levert's death was caused by a fatal combination of prescription narcotics and over-the-counter drugs. The drugs in his bloodstream included the narcotic pain relievers Vicodin, Percocet, and Darvocet, along with anxiety medication Xanax and two over-the-counter antihistamines. The autopsy also revealed that Levert had pneumonia. The official cause of death was acute intoxication, and the death was ruled accidental. Gerald Levert was only 40 years old.

Following the disclosure of Gerald Levert's cause of death, a family spokesman stated that all the drugs found in Levert's bloodstream were prescribed to the singer. Levert was taking the pain medication because of chronic pain from a lingering shoulder problem and surgery in 2005 to repair a severed Achilles tendon.

Shortly before his death, Levert completed work on what would be his final album, ''In My Songs''. The album was released on February 13, 2007. In June 2007, a book Gerald was working to complete entitled, ''I Got Your Back: A Father and Son Keep it Real About Love, Fatherhood, Family, and Friendship'', was released. The book was initially planned as a tie-in for a Levert album of the same name. ''I Got Your Back'' explores Gerald and Eddie’s father/son relationship, the necessity of male bonding, and importance of repairing fractured families. Levert was also working on a reality show in which he was losing weight along with 12 of his female fans, who were training with him at his palatial home.

Personal life

Levert had three children: LeMicah, Camryn, and Carlysia. Carlysia, an aspiring singer, appeared on the MTV series ''My Super Sweet 16'', with her father in 2005.

He also dated commedienne Mo'Nique.....

Gerald briefly dated Kandi Burruss. On the TVOne series "Unsung," singer Miki Howard revealed that she had also been romantically involved with Gerald.

Awards and nominations

On December 7, 2006, it was announced that Levert, along with soul legend Chaka Khan, gospel singer Yolanda Adams, and R&B; crooner Carl Thomas were nominated for a Grammy in the category of Best R&B; Performance by a Duo Or Group With Vocals for their collaboration on "Everyday (Family Reunion)", a song from the soundtrack of Tyler Perry's ''Madea's Family Reunion''. He was nominated again for the Best Traditional R&B; Vocal Performance for his single, "In My Songs". At the 50th annual Grammy Awards, it was announced that Levert had won the award for "In My Songs". Levert's brother and former founding ''Levert'' member Sean Levert (deceased) accepted in his late brother's behalf.

American Music Award

*1999, Favorite R&B;/Soul Band, Duo or Group (Nominated) w/ LSG

*1993, Favorite Male R&B;/Soul Artist (Nominated)

*1988, Favorite R&B;/Soul Single: "Casanova" (Nominated) w/ Levert

BET Awards

*2007, Favorite Male R&B; Artist: (Nominated)

*2007, BET J Cool Like Dat: (Winner)

Grammy Awards

*2008, Best Traditional R&B; Performance: "In My Songs" (Winner)

*2007, Best R&B; Performance by a Duo or Group: "Everyday (Family Reunion)" (Nominated) w/ Chaka Khan, Carl Thomas & Yolanda Adams

*1998, Best R&B; Album By A Duo or Group: "Levert Sweat Gill" (Nominated) w/ w/ LSG

*1988, Best R&B; Performance by a Duo or Group: "Cassnova" (Nominated) w/ Levert

*2004, Outstanding Male Artist (Nominated)

*2008, Best Duo or Group (Winner) as Gerald Levert & Eddie Levert

Soul Train Awards

*2003, Favorite Male Soul/R&B; Album: ''The G Spot'' (Nominated)

*1999, Favorite Band, Duo or Group Album: ''Levert.Sweat.Gill'' (Nominated)

*1995, Favorite Male Soul/R&B; Album: ''Groove On'' (Nominated)

*1988, Favorite Band, Duo or Group Single: "Cassanova" (Winner) w/ Levert

*1988, Favorite Band, Duo or Group Album: The Big Throwdown (Winner) w/ Levert

Discography

Albums (Levert)

1985: ''I Get Hot''

1986: ''Bloodline'' (#8 R&B;, #192 Pop)

1987: ''The Big Throwdown'' (#3 R&B;, #32 Pop)

1988: ''Just Coolin'' (#6 R&B;, #79 Pop)

1990: ''Rope A Dope Style'' (#9 R&B;, #122 Pop)

1993: ''For Real Tho'' (#5 R&B;, #35 Pop)

1997: ''The Whole Scenario'' (#10 R&B;, #49 Pop)

Albums (Solo)

1991: ''Private Line''

1994: ''Groove On''

1998: ''Love & Consequences''

1999: ''G''

2001: ''Geralds World''

2002: ''The G Spot''

2003: ''Stroke Of Genius''

2004: ''Do I Speak For The World''

2005: ''Voices''

2007: ''In My Songs''

2010: ''The Best of Gerald Levert''

Albums (LSG)

1997: ''Levert-Sweat-Gill'' (#2 R&B;, #4 Pop)

2003: ''LSG2'' (#3 R&B;, #6 Pop)

Albums (Gerald & Eddie Levert)

1995: ''Father & Son''

2007: ''Something To Talk About'' (U.S. Sales as of July 12, 2007: 69,656 copies)

Singles With LeVert

1985: "I'm Still" (#70 R&B;)

1986: "Pop, Goes My Mind" (#1 R&B;)

1987: "Casanova" (#1 R&B;, #5 Pop)

1987: "My Forever Love" (#2 R&B;)

1988: "Sweet Sensation" (#4 R&B;)

1988: "Addicted to You" (#1 R&B;)

1988: "Pull Over" (#2 R&B;)

1989: "Just Coolin" (#1 R&B;, with Heavy D)

1989: "Gotta Get the Money" (#4 R&B;)

1990: "Rope A Dope Style" (#7 R&B;)

1990: "All Season" (#4 R&B;)

1991: "Baby I'm Ready" (#1 R&B;)

1993: "ABC-123" (#5 R&B;)

Singles With LSG

1997: "My Body"

Solo Singles

1988: "That's What Love Is" (#4 R&B;, duet with Miki Howard)

1991: "Private Line" (#1 R&B;)

1992: "Baby Hold On to Me" (#1 R&B;, #37 Pop, duet with Eddie Levert)

1992: "School Me" (#3 R&B;)

1992: "Can You Handle It" (#9 R&B;)

1994: "I'd Give Anything" (#4 R&B;, #28 Pop)

1995: "Answering Service" (#12 R&B;)

1995: "Can't Help Myself" (#17 R&B;)

1995: "How Many Times" (#55 R&B;)

1995: "Already Missing You" (#7 R&B;, #75 Pop, duet with Eddie Levert)

1996: "Wind Beneath My Wings" (#30 R&B;, duet with Eddie Levert)

1998: "Thinkin' Bout It" (#2 R&B;, #12 Pop)

1999: "Taking Everything" (#3 R&B;, #11 Pop)

1999: "Nothin' to Somethin" (#55 R&B;)

2000: "Baby U Are" (#31 R&B;, #89 Pop)

2000: "Mr. Too Damn Good" (#20 R&B;, #76 Pop)

2000: "Dream With No Love" (#84 R&B;)

2001: "Made To Love Ya" (#37 R&B;)

2002: "Funny" (#37 R&B;)

2002: "What Makes It Good To You (No Premature Lovin')" (#66 R&B;)

2003: "Closure" (#57 R&B;)

2004: "One Million Times" (#56 R&B;)

2004: "U Got That Love (Call It a Night)" (#30 R&B;)

2004: "Wear It Out" (#58 R&B;)

2005: "So What (If You Got a Baby)" (#49 R&B;)

2007: "In My Songs" (#21 R&B;)

2007: "DJ Don't" (#31 R&B;)

2010: Can It Stay

References

External links

Atlantic Records site for Gerald Levert

Gerald Levert - Cleveland ''Plain Dealer'' special section

Gerald Levert's Last Interview

Gerald Levert at Find A Grave

Category:1966 births Category:2006 deaths Category:African American singers Category:American male singers Category:American rhythm and blues singers Category:American soul singers Category:Atlantic Records artists Category:Drug-related deaths in Ohio Category:Grammy Award winners Category:People from Cleveland, Ohio Category:People from Shaker Heights, Ohio

de:Gerald Levert es:Gerald Levert fr:Gerald Levert id:Gerald Levert nl:Gerald Levert ja:ジェラルド・リバート

birth name	Whitney Elizabeth Houston
background	solo_singer
birth date	August 09, 1963
birth place
death date	February 11, 2012
death place
instrument	Vocals, piano
genre	R&B;, soul, pop, dance, gospel
occupation	Singer, actress, model, film producer, record producer, songwriter
years active	1977–2012
label	Arista, RCA
associated acts	Cissy Houston, Dionne Warwick, Aretha Franklin, Jermaine Jackson, Mariah Carey, Enrique Iglesias, Bobby Brown
website	130pxWhitney Houston's Autograph }}

Whitney Elizabeth Houston (August 9, 1963 – February 11, 2012) was an American recording artist, actress, producer, and model. In 2009, the ''Guinness World Records'' cited her as the most-awarded female act of all-time. Houston was also one of the world's best-selling music artists, having sold over 170 million albums, singles and videos worldwide. She released seven studio albums and three movie soundtrack albums, all of which have diamond, multi-platinum, platinum or gold certification. Houston's crossover appeal on the popular music charts, as well as her prominence on MTV, starting with her video for "How Will I Know", influenced several African-American female artists to follow in her footsteps.

Houston is the only artist to chart seven consecutive No. 1 ''Billboard'' Hot 100 hits. She is the second artist behind Elton John and the only female artist to have two number-one ''Billboard'' 200 Album awards (formerly "Top Pop Album") on the ''Billboard'' magazine year-end charts. Houston's 1985 debut album ''Whitney Houston'' became the best-selling debut album by a female act at the time of its release. The album was named ''Rolling Stone''s best album of 1986, and was ranked at number 254 on ''Rolling Stone''s list of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time. Her second studio album ''Whitney'' (1987) became the first album by a female artist to debut at number one on the ''Billboard'' 200 albums chart.

Houston's first acting role was as the star of the feature film ''The Bodyguard'' (1992). The film's original soundtrack won the 1994 Grammy Award for Album of the Year. Its lead single "I Will Always Love You", became the best-selling single by a female artist in music history. With the album, Houston became the first act (solo or group, male or female) to sell more than a million copies of an album within a single week period under Nielsen SoundScan system. The album makes her the top female act in the top 10 list of the best-selling albums of all time, at number four. Houston continued to star in movies and contribute to their soundtracks, including the films ''Waiting to Exhale'' (1995) and ''The Preacher's Wife'' (1996). ''The Preacher's Wife'' soundtrack became the best-selling gospel album in history.

On February 11, 2012, Houston was found dead in her guest room at the Beverly Hilton Hotel, in Beverly Hills, California, of causes not immediately known. News of her death, the day before and after the 2012 Grammy Awards, featured prominently in American and international media.

Life and career

1963–1976: Early life

Whitney Houston was born in what was then a middle-income neighborhood in Newark, New Jersey, the second child of Army serviceman and entertainment executive John Russell Houston, Jr. (September 13, 1920 – February 2, 2003), and gospel singer Cissy Houston (née Emily Drinkard). She was of African American, Native American and Dutch descent. Her mother, along with cousins Dionne Warwick and Dee Dee Warwick, godmother Darlene Love and honorary aunt Aretha Franklin were all notable figures in the gospel, rhythm and blues, pop, and soul genres. She met her honorary aunt at age 8, or 9, when her mother took her to a recording studio. Houston was raised a Baptist, but was also exposed to the Pentecostal church. After the 1967 Newark riots, the family moved to a middle-class area in East Orange, New Jersey, when she was four.

At the age of 11, Houston began to follow in her mother's footsteps and started performing as a soloist in the junior gospel choir at the New Hope Baptist Church in Newark, where she also learned to play the piano. Her first solo performance in the church was "Guide Me, O Thou Great Jehovah". When Houston was a teenager, she attended Mount Saint Dominic Academy, a Catholic girls' high school in Caldwell, New Jersey, where she met her best friend Robyn Crawford, whom she described as the "sister she never had". While Houston was still in school, her mother continued to teach her how to sing. In addition to her mother, Franklin, and Warwick, Houston was also exposed to the music of Chaka Khan, Gladys Knight, and Roberta Flack, most of whom would have an impact on her as a singer and performer.

1977–1984: Early career

Houston spent some of her teenage years touring nightclubs where her mother Cissy was performing, and she would occasionally get on stage and perform with her. In 1977, at age 14, she became a backup singer on the Michael Zager Band's single "Life's a Party". In 1978, at age 15, Houston sang background vocals on Chaka Khan's hit single "I'm Every Woman", a song she would later turn into a larger hit for herself on her monster-selling ''The Bodyguard'' soundtrack album. She also sang back-up on albums by Lou Rawls and Jermaine Jackson.

In the early 1980s, Houston started working as a fashion model after a photographer saw her at Carnegie Hall singing with her mother. She appeared in ''Seventeen'' and became one of the first women of color to grace the cover of the magazine. She was also featured in layouts in the pages of ''Glamour'', ''Cosmopolitan'', ''Young Miss'', and appeared in a Canada Dry soft drink TV commercial. Her striking looks and girl-next-door charm made her one of the most sought after teen models of that time. While modeling, she continued her burgeoning recording career by working with producers Michael Beinhorn, Bill Laswell and Martin Bisi on an album they were spearheading called ''One Down'', which was credited to the group Material. For that project, Houston contributed the ballad "Memories", a cover of a song by Hugh Hopper of Soft Machine. Robert Christgau of ''The Village Voice'' called her contribution "one of the most gorgeous ballads you've ever heard". She also appeared as a lead vocalist on one track on a Paul Jabara album, entitled ''Paul Jabara and Friends'', released by Columbia Records in 1983.

Houston had previously been offered several recording agencies (Michael Zager in 1980, and Elektra Records in 1981), however her mother declined the offers stating her daughter must first complete high school. In 1983, Gerry Griffith, an A&R; representative from Arista Records, saw her performing with her mother in a New York City nightclub and was impressed. He convinced Arista's head Clive Davis to make time to see Houston perform. Davis too was impressed and offered a worldwide recording contract which Houston signed. Later that year, she made her national televised debut alongside Davis on ''The Merv Griffin Show''.

Houston signed with Arista in 1983, but did not begin work on her album immediately. The label wanted to make sure no other label signed the singer away. Davis wanted to ensure he had the right material and producers for Houston's debut album. Some producers had to pass on the project due to prior commitments. Houston first recorded a duet with Teddy Pendergrass entitled "Hold Me" which appeared on his album, ''Love Language''. The single was released in 1984 and gave Houston her first taste of success, becoming a Top 5 R&B; hit. It would also appear on her debut album in 1985.

1985–1986: Rise to international prominence

With production from Michael Masser, Kashif, Jermaine Jackson, and Narada Michael Walden, Houston's debut album ''Whitney Houston'' was released in February 1985. ''Rolling Stone'' magazine praised Houston, calling her "one of the most exciting new voices in years" while ''The New York Times'' called the album "an impressive, musically conservative showcase for an exceptional vocal talent". Arista Records promoted Houston's album with three different singles from the album in the US, UK and other European countries. In the UK, the dance-funk "Someone for Me", which failed to chart in the country, was the first single while "All at Once" was in such European countries as the Netherlands and Belgium, where the song reached the top 5 on the singles charts, respectively.

In the US, the soulful ballad "You Give Good Love" was chosen as the lead single from Houston's debut to establish her in the black marketplace first. Outside the US, the song failed to get enough attention to become a hit, but in the US, it gave the album its first major hit as it peaked at No. 3 on the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart, and No. 1 on the Hot R&B; chart. As a result, the album began to sell strongly, and Houston continued promotion by touring nightclubs in the US. She also began performing on late-night television talk shows, which were not usually accessible to unestablished black acts. The jazzy ballad "Saving All My Love for You" was released next and it would become Houston's first No. 1 single in both the US and the UK. She was then an opening act for singer Jeffrey Osborne on his nationwide tour. "Thinking About You" was released as the promo single only to R&B-oriented; radio stations, which peaked at number ten on the US R&B; Chart. At the time, MTV had received harsh criticism for not playing enough videos by black, Latino, and other racial minorities while favoring white acts. The third US single, "How Will I Know", peaked at No. 1 and introduced Houston to the MTV audience thanks to its video. Houston's subsequent singles from this, and future albums, would make her the first African-American female artist to receive consistent heavy rotation on MTV.

By 1986, a year after its initial release, ''Whitney Houston'' topped the ''Billboard'' 200 albums chart and stayed there for 14 non-consecutive weeks. The final single, "Greatest Love of All", became Houston's biggest hit at the time after peaking No. 1 and remaining there for three weeks on the Hot 100 chart, which made her debut the first album by a female artist to yield three No. 1 hits. Houston was No. 1 artist of the year and ''Whitney Houston'' was the No. 1 album of the year on the 1986 ''Billboard'' year-end charts, making her the first female artist to earn that distinction. At the time, Houston released the best-selling debut album by a solo artist. Houston then embarked on her world tour, ''Greatest Love Tour''. The album had become an international success, and was certified 13× platinum (diamond) in the United States alone, and has sold a total of 25 million copies worldwide.

At the 1986 Grammy Awards, Houston was nominated for three awards including Album of the Year. She was not eligible for the Best New Artist category due to her previous hit R&B; duet recording with Teddy Pendergrass in 1984. She won her first Grammy award for Best Pop Vocal Performance, Female for "Saving All My Love for You". At the same award show, she performed that Grammy-winning hit, that performance later winning her an Emmy Award for Outstanding Individual Performance in a Variety or Music Program.

Houston won seven American Music Awards in total in 1986 and 1987, and an MTV Video Music Award. The album's popularity would also carry over to the 1987 Grammy Awards when "Greatest Love of All" would receive a Record of the Year nomination. Houston's debut album is listed as one of ''Rolling Stone''s 500 Greatest Albums of All Time and on The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame's Definitive 200 list. Houston's grand entrance into the music industry is considered one of the 25 musical milestones of the last 25 years, according to ''USA Today''. Following Houston's breakthrough, doors were opened for other African-American female artists such as Janet Jackson and Anita Baker to find notable success in popular music and on MTV.

1987–1991: ''Whitney'', ''I'm Your Baby Tonight'' and "The Star Spangled Banner"

With many expectations, Houston's second album, ''Whitney'', was released in June 1987. The album again featured production from Masser, Kashif and Walden as well as Jellybean Benitez. Many critics complained that the material was too similar to her previous album. ''Rolling Stone'' said, "the narrow channel through which this talent has been directed is frustrating". Still, the album enjoyed commercial success. Houston became the first female artist in music history to debut at number one on the ''Billboard'' 200 albums chart, and the first artist to enter the albums chart at number one in both the US and UK, while also hitting number one or top ten in dozens of other countries around the world. The album's first single, "I Wanna Dance With Somebody (Who Loves Me)", was also a massive hit worldwide, peaking at No. 1 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart and topping the singles chart in many countries such as Australia, Germany and the UK. The next three singles, "Didn't We Almost Have It All", "So Emotional", and "Where Do Broken Hearts Go" all peaked at number one on the US Hot 100 chart, which gave her a total of seven consecutive number one hits, breaking the record of six previously shared by The Beatles and The Bee Gees. Houston became the first female artist to generate four number-one singles from one album. ''Whitney'' has been certified 9× Platinum in the US for shipments of over 9 million copies, and has sold a total of 20 million copies worldwide.

At the 30th Grammy Awards in 1988, Houston was nominated for three awards, including Album of the Year, winning her second Grammy for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance for "I Wanna Dance With Somebody (Who Loves Me)". Houston also won two American Music Awards in 1988 and 1989, respectively, and a Soul Train Music Award. Following the release of the album, Houston embarked on the ''Moment of Truth World Tour'', which was one of the ten highest grossing concert tours of 1987. The success of the tours during 1986–87 and her two studio albums ranked Houston No. 8 for the highest earning entertainers list according to ''Forbes'' magazine. She was the highest earning African-American woman overall and the third highest entertainer after Bill Cosby and Eddie Murphy.

Houston was a supporter of Nelson Mandela and the anti-apartheid movement. During her modeling days, the singer refused to work with any agencies who did business with the then-apartheid South Africa. On June 11, 1988, during the European leg of her tour, Houston joined other musicians to perform a set at Wembley Stadium in London to celebrate a then-imprisoned Nelson Mandela's 70th birthday. Over 72,000 people attended Wembley Stadium, and over a billion people tuned in worldwide as the rock concert raised over $1 million for charities while bringing awareness to apartheid. Houston then flew back to the US for a concert at Madison Square Garden in New York City in August. The show was a benefit concert that raised a quarter of a million dollars for the United Negro College Fund. In the same year, she recorded a song for NBC's coverage of the 1988 Summer Olympics, "One Moment in Time", which became a Top 5 hit in the US, while reaching number one in the UK and Germany. With her world tour continuing overseas, Houston was still one of the top 20 highest earning entertainers for 1987–88 according to ''Forbes'' magazine.

In 1989, Houston formed The Whitney Houston Foundation For Children, a non-profit organization that has raised funds for the needs of children around the world. The organization cares for homelessness, children with cancer or AIDS, and other issues of self-empowerment. With the success of her first two albums, Houston was undoubtedly an international crossover superstar, the most prominent since Michael Jackson, appealing to all demographics. However, some black critics believed she was "selling out". They felt her singing on record lacked the soul that was present during her live concerts.

At the 1989 Soul Train Music Awards, when Houston's name was called out for a nomination, a few in the audience jeered. Houston defended herself against the criticism, stating, "If you're gonna have a long career, there's a certain way to do it, and I did it that way. I'm not ashamed of it". Houston took a more urban direction with her third studio album, ''I'm Your Baby Tonight'', released in November 1990. She produced and chose producers for this album and as a result, it featured production and collaborations with L.A. Reid and Babyface, Luther Vandross, and Stevie Wonder. The album showed Houston's versatility on a new batch of tough rhythmic grooves, soulful ballads and up-tempo dance tracks. Reviews were mixed. ''Rolling Stone'' felt it was her "best and most integrated album". while ''Entertainment Weekly'', at the time thought Houston's shift towards an urban direction was "superficial".

The album contained several hits: the first two singles, "I'm Your Baby Tonight" and "All the Man That I Need" peaked at number one on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart; "Miracle" peaked at number nine; "My Name Is Not Susan" peaked in the top twenty; "I Belong to You" reached the top ten of the US R&B; chart and garnered Houston a Grammy nomination; and the sixth single, the Stevie Wonder duet "We Didn't Know", reached the R&B; top twenty. The album peaked at number three on the ''Billboard'' 200 and went on to be certified 4× platinum in the US while selling twelve million total worldwide.

In 1990, Houston was the spokesperson for a youth leadership conference hosted in Washington, D.C. She had a private audience with President George H. W. Bush in the Oval Office to discuss the associated challenges.

With America entangled in the Persian Gulf War, Houston performed "The Star Spangled Banner" at Super Bowl XXV at Tampa Stadium on January 27, 1991. Due to overwhelming response to her rendition, it was released as a commercial single and video of her performance, and reached the Top 20 on the US Hot 100, making her the only act to turn the national anthem into a pop hit of that magnitude (Jose Feliciano's version reached No. 50 in November 1968). Houston donated all her share of the proceeds to the American Red Cross Gulf Crisis Fund. As a result, the singer was named to the Red Cross Board of Governors.

Her rendition was considered the benchmark for singers and critically acclaimed. ''Rolling Stone'' commented that "her singing stirs such strong patriotism. Unforgettable", and the performance ranked No. 1 on the 25 most memorable music moments in NFL history list. VH1 listed the performance as one of the greatest moments that rocked TV. Following the attacks on 9/11, it was released again by Arista Records, all profits going towards the firefighters and victims of the attacks. This time it peaked at No. 6 in the Hot 100 and was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America.

Later in 1991, Houston put together her ''Welcome Home Heroes'' concert with HBO for the soldiers fighting in the Persian Gulf War and their families. The free concert took place at Naval Station Norfolk in Norfolk, Virginia in front of 3,500 servicemen and women. HBO descrambled the concert so that it was free for everyone to watch. Houston's concert gave HBO its highest ratings ever. She then embarked on the ''I'm Your Baby Tonight World Tour''.

1992–1994: Marriage to Bobby Brown and ''The Bodyguard''

Throughout the 1980s, Houston was romantically linked to American football star Randall Cunningham and actor Eddie Murphy, whom she dated. She then met R&B; singer Bobby Brown at the 1989 Soul Train Music Awards. After a three-year courtship, the two were married on July 18, 1992. On March 4, 1993, Houston gave birth to their daughter Bobbi Kristina Houston Brown, her only child, and his fourth. Brown would go on to have several run-ins with the law, including some jail time.

With the commercial success of her albums, movie offers poured in, including offers to work with Robert De Niro, Quincy Jones, and Spike Lee; but Houston felt the time wasn't right. Houston's first film role was in ''The Bodyguard'', released in 1992 and co-starring Kevin Costner. Houston played Rachel Marron, a star who is stalked by a crazed fan and hires a bodyguard to protect her. ''USA Today'' listed it as one of the 25 most memorable movie moments of the last 25 years in 2007. Houston's mainstream appeal allowed people to look at the movie color-blind.

Still, controversy arose as some felt the film's advertising intentionally hid Houston's face to hide the film's interracial relationship. In an interview with ''Rolling Stone'' in 1993, the singer commented that "people know who Whitney Houston is – I'm black. You can't hide that fact." Houston received a Razzie Award nomination for Worst Actress. ''The Washington Post'' said Houston is "doing nothing more than playing Houston, comes out largely unscathed if that is possible in so cockamamie an undertaking", and ''The New York Times'' commented that she lacked passion with her co-star. Despite the film's mixed reviews, it was hugely successful at the box office, grossing more than $121 million in the U.S. and $410 million worldwide, making it one of the top 100 grossing films in film history at its time of release, though it is no longer in the top 100 due to rising ticket prices since the time the film was released.

The film's soundtrack also enjoyed big success. Houston executive produced and contributed six songs for the motion picture's adjoining soundtrack album. ''Rolling Stone'' said it is "nothing more than pleasant, tasteful and urbane". The soundtrack's lead single was "I Will Always Love You", written and originally recorded by Dolly Parton in 1974. Houston's version of the song was acclaimed by many critics, regarding it as her "signature song" or "iconic performance". ''Rolling Stone'' and ''USA Today'' called her rendition "the tour-de-force". The single peaked at number one on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 for a then-record-breaking 14 weeks, number one on the R&B; chart for a then-record-breaking 11 weeks, and number one on the Adult Contemporary charts for five weeks, thus becoming the first single to top those three charts simultaneously for five weeks.

The single was certified 4× platinum by the RIAA, making Houston the first female artist with a single to reach that level in the RIAA history and becoming the best-selling single by a female artist in the US. The song also became a global success, hitting number-one in almost all countries, and one of the best-selling singles of all time with 12 million copies sold. The soundtrack topped the ''Billboard'' 200 chart and remained there for 20 non-consecutive weeks, the longest tenure by any album on the chart in the Nielsen SoundScan era, and became one of the fastest selling albums ever. During Christmas week of 1992, the soundtrack sold over a million copies within a week, becoming the first album to achieve that feat under Nielsen SoundScan system. With the follow-up singles "I'm Every Woman", a Chaka Khan cover, and "I Have Nothing" both reaching the top five, Houston became the first female artist to ever have three singles in the Top 11 simultaneously. The album was certified 17× platinum in the US alone, with worldwide sales of 44 million, making ''The Bodyguard'' the biggest-selling album by a female act on the list of the world's Top 10 best-selling albums, topping Shania Twain's 40 million sold for ''Come On Over''.

Houston won three Grammys for the album in 1994, including two of the Academy's highest honors, Album of the Year and Record of the Year. In addition, she won a record 8 American Music Awards at that year's ceremony including the Award of Merit, 11 Billboard Music Awards, 3 Soul Train Music Awards in 1993–94 including Sammy Davis, Jr. Award as Entertainer of the Year, 5 NAACP Image Awards including Entertainer of the Year, a record 5 World Music Awards, and a BRIT award. Following the success of the project, Houston embarked on another expansive global tour, ''The Bodyguard World Tour'', in 1993–94. Her concerts, movie, and recording grosses made her the third highest earning female entertainer of 1993–94, just behind Oprah Winfrey and Barbra Streisand according to ''Forbes'' magazine. Houston placed in the top five of ''Entertainment Weekly''s annual "Entertainer of the Year" ranking and was labeled by ''Premiere'' magazine as one of the 100 most powerful people in Hollywood.

In October 1994, Houston attended and performed at a state dinner in the White House honoring newly elected South African president Nelson Mandela. At the end of her world tour, Houston performed three concerts in South Africa to honor President Mandela, playing to over 200,000 people. This would make the singer the first major musician to visit the newly unified and apartheid free nation following Mandela's winning election. The concert was broadcast live on HBO with funds of the concerts being donated to various charities in South Africa. The event was considered the nation's "biggest media event since the inauguration of Nelson Mandela".

1995–1997: ''Waiting to Exhale'', ''The Preacher's Wife'', and ''Cinderella''

In 1995, Houston starred alongside Angela Bassett, Loretta Devine, and Lela Rochon in her second film ''Waiting to Exhale'', a motion picture about four African-American women struggling with relationships. Houston played the lead character Savannah Jackson, a TV producer in love with a married man. She chose the role because she saw the film as "a breakthrough for the image of black women because it presents them both as professionals and as caring mothers". After opening at number one and grossing $67 million in the US at the box office and $81 million worldwide, it proved that a movie primarily targeting a black audience can cross over to success, while paving the way for other all-black movies such as ''How Stella Got Her Groove Back'' and the Tyler Perry movies that have become popular in the 2000s. The film is also notable for its portrayal of black women as strong middle class citizens as opposed to stereotypes. The reviews were mainly positive for the ensemble cast. ''The New York Times'' said "Ms. Houston has shed the defensive hauteur that made her portrayal of a pop star in 'The Bodyguard' seem so distant." Houston was nominated for an NAACP Image Award for "Outstanding Actress In A Motion Picture", but lost to her co-star Bassett.

The film's accompanying soundtrack, ''Waiting to Exhale: Original Soundtrack Album'', was produced by Houston and Babyface. Though Babyface originally wanted Houston to record the entire album, she declined. Instead, she "wanted it to be an album of women with vocal distinction", and thus gathered several African-American female artists for the soundtrack, to go along with the film's strong women message. As a result, the album featured a range of contemporary R&B; female recording artists along with Houston, such as Mary J Blige, Aretha Franklin, Toni Braxton, Patti Labelle, and Brandy. Houston's "Exhale (Shoop Shoop)" peaked at No. 1, and then spent a record eleven weeks at the No. 2 spot and eight weeks on top of the R&B; Charts. "Count On Me", a duet with CeCe Winans, hit the US Top 10; and Houston's third contribution, "Why Does It Hurt So Bad", made the Top 30. The album debuted at No. 1, and was certified 7× Platinum in the United States, denoting shipments of seven million copies. The soundtrack received strong reviews as ''Entertainment Weekly'' said "the album goes down easy, just as you'd expect from a package framed by Whitney Houston tracks.... the soundtrack waits to exhale, hovering in sensuous suspense" and has since ranked it as one of the 100 Best Movie Soundtracks. Later that year, Houston's children's charity organization was awarded a VH1 Honor for all the charitable work.

In 1996, Houston starred in the holiday comedy ''The Preacher's Wife'', with Denzel Washington. She plays a gospel-singing wife of a pastor (Courtney B. Vance). It was largely an updated remake of the 1948 film "The Bishop's Wife" which starred Loretta Young, David Niven and Cary Grant. Houston earned $10 million for the role, making her one of the highest-paid actresses in Hollywood at the time and the highest earning African American actress in Hollywood. The movie, with its all African-American cast, was a moderate success, earning approximately $50 million at the U.S. box offices. The movie gave Houston her strongest reviews so far. ''The San Francisco Chronicle'' said Houston "is rather angelic herself, displaying a divine talent for being virtuous and flirtatious at the same time" and that she "exudes gentle yet spirited warmth, especially when praising the Lord in her gorgeous singing voice". Houston was again nominated for an NAACP Image Award and won for Outstanding Actress In A Motion Picture.

Houston recorded and co-produced, with Mervyn Warren, the film's accompanying gospel soundtrack. ''The Preacher's Wife: Original Soundtrack Album'' included six gospel songs with Georgia Mass Choir that were recorded at the Great Star Rising Baptist Church in Atlanta. Houston also duetted with gospel legend Shirley Caesar. The album sold six million copies worldwide and scored hit singles with "I Believe in You and Me" and "Step by Step", becoming the largest selling gospel album of all time. The album received mainly positive reviews. Some critics, such as that of ''USA Today'', noted the presence of her emotional depth, while ''The Times'' said "To hear Houston going at full throttle with the 35 piece Georgia Mass Choir struggling to keep up is to realise what her phenomenal voice was made for".

In 1997, Houston's production company changed its name to BrownHouse Productions and was joined by Debra Martin Chase. Their goal was "to show aspects of the lives of African-Americans that have not been brought to the screen before" while improving how African-Americans are portrayed in film and television. Their first project was a made-for-television remake of Rodgers & Hammerstein's ''Cinderella''. In addition to co-producing, Houston starred in the movie as the Fairy Godmother along with Brandy, Jason Alexander, Whoopi Goldberg, and Bernadette Peters. Houston was initially offered the role of Cinderella in 1993, but other projects intervened. The film is notable for its multi-racial cast and nonstereotypical message. An estimated 60 million viewers tuned into the special giving ABC its highest TV ratings in 16 years. The movie received seven Emmy nominations including Outstanding Variety, Musical or Comedy, while winning Outstanding Art Direction in a Variety, Musical or Comedy Special.

Houston and Chase then obtained the rights to the story of Dorothy Dandridge. Houston was to play Dandridge, who was the first African American actress to be nominated for an Oscar. She wanted the story told with dignity and honor. However, Halle Berry also had rights to the project and she got her version going first. Later that year, Houston paid tribute to her idols such as Aretha Franklin, Diana Ross, and Dionne Warwick by performing their hits during the three-night HBO Concert ''Classic Whitney'', live from Washington, D.C. The special raised over $300,000 for the Children's Defense Fund. Houston received The Quincy Jones Award for outstanding career achievements in the field of entertainment at the 12th Soul Train Music Awards.

1998–2000: ''My Love Is Your Love'' and ''Whitney: The Greatest Hits''

After spending much of the early and mid 1990s working on motion pictures and their soundtrack albums, Houston's first studio album in eight years, the critically acclaimed ''My Love Is Your Love'', was released in November 1998. Though originally slated to be a greatest hits album with a handful of new songs, recording sessions were so fruitful that a new full-length studio album was released. Recorded and mixed in only six weeks, it featured production from Rodney Jerkins, Wyclef Jean and Missy Elliott. The album debuted at number thirteen, its peak position, on the ''Billboard'' 200 chart. It had a funkier and edgier sound than past releases and saw Houston handling urban dance, hip hop, mid-tempo R&B;, reggae, torch songs, and ballads all with great dexterity.

From late 1998 to early 2000, the album spawned several hit singles: "When You Believe" (US No. 15, UK No. 4), a duet with Mariah Carey for 1998's ''The Prince of Egypt'' soundtrack, which also became an international hit as it peaked in the Top 10 in several countries and won an Academy Award for Best Original Song; "Heartbreak Hotel" (US No. 2, UK No. 25) featured Faith Evans and Kelly Price, received a 1999 MTV VMA nomination for Best R&B; Video, and number one on the US R&B; chart for seven weeks; "It's Not Right But It's Okay" (US No. 4, UK No. 3) won Houston her sixth Grammy Award for Best Female R&B; Vocal Performance; "My Love Is Your Love" (US No. 4, UK No. 2) with 3 million copies sold worldwide; and "I Learned from the Best" (US No. 27, UK No. 19). These singles became international hits as well, and all the singles, except "When You Believe", became number one hits on the ''Billboard'' Hot Dance/Club Play chart. The album sold four million copies in America, making it certified 4× platinum, and a total of eleven million copies worldwide.

The album gave Houston some of her strongest reviews ever. ''Rolling Stone'' said Houston was singing "with a bite in her voice" and ''The Village Voice'' called it "Whitney's sharpest and most satisfying so far". In 1999, Houston participated in VH-1's Divas Live '99, alongside Brandy, Mary J. Blige, Tina Turner, and Cher. The same year, Houston hit the road with her 70 date ''My Love Is Your Love World Tour''. The European leg of the tour was Europe's highest grossing arena tour of the year. In November 1999, Houston was named Top-selling R&B; Female Artist of the Century with certified US sales of 51 million copies at the time and ''The Bodyguard Soundtrack'' was named the Top-selling Soundtrack Album of the Century by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). She also won The Artist of the Decade, Female award for extraordinary artistic contributions during the 1990s at the 14th Soul Train Music Awards, and an MTV Europe Music Award for Best R&B;.

In May 2000, ''Whitney: The Greatest Hits'' was released worldwide. The double disc set peaked at number five in the United States, reaching number one in the United Kingdom. In addition, the album reached the Top 10 in many other countries. While ballad songs were left unchanged, the album features house/club remixes of many of Houston's up-tempo hits. Included on the album were four new songs: "Could I Have This Kiss Forever" (a duet with Enrique Iglesias), "Same Script, Different Cast" (a duet with Deborah Cox), "If I Told You That" (a duet with George Michael), and "Fine", and three hits that had never appeared on a Houston album: "One Moment in Time", "The Star Spangled Banner", and "If You Say My Eyes Are Beautiful", a duet with Jermaine Jackson from his 1986 ''Precious Moments'' album. Along with the album, an accompanying VHS and DVD was released featuring the music videos to Houston's greatest hits, as well as several hard-to-find live performances including her 1983 debut on ''The Merv Griffin Show'', and interviews. The greatest hits album was certified 3× platinum in the US, with worldwide sales of 10 million.

2000–2005: ''Just Whitney'', and personal struggles

Though Houston was seen as a "good girl" with a perfect image in the 1980s and early 1990s, by the late 1990s, her behavior changed. She was often hours late for interviews, photo shoots and rehearsals, and canceling concerts and talk-show appearances. With the missed performances and weight loss, rumors about Houston using drugs with her husband circulated. On January 11, 2000, airport security guards discovered marijuana in both Houston's and husband Bobby Brown's luggage at a Hawaii airport, but the two boarded the plane and departed before authorities could arrive. Charges were later dropped against them, but rumors of drug usage between the couple would continue to surface. Two months later, Clive Davis was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. Houston had been scheduled to perform at the event, but failed to show up.

Shortly thereafter, Houston was scheduled to perform at the Academy Awards but was fired from the event by musical director and long time friend Burt Bacharach. Her publicist cited throat problems as the reason for the cancellation. In his book ''The Big Show: High Times and Dirty Dealings Backstage at the Academy Awards'', author Steve Pond revealed that "Houston's voice was shaky, she seemed distracted and jittery, and her attitude was casual, almost defiant", and that while Houston was to sing "Over the Rainbow", she would start singing a different song. Houston later admitted to having been fired. Later that year, Houston's long-time executive assistant and friend, Robyn Crawford, resigned from Houston's management company.

In August 2001, Houston signed the biggest record deal in music history with Arista/BMG. She renewed her contract for $100 million to deliver six new albums, on which she would also earn royalties. She later made an appearance on ''Michael Jackson: 30th Anniversary Special''. Her extremely thin frame further spurred rumors of drug use. Houston's publicist said, "Whitney has been under stress due to family matters, and when she is under stress she doesn't eat." The singer was scheduled for a second performance the following night but canceled. Within weeks, Houston's rendition of "The Star Spangled Banner" would be re-released after the September 11 attacks, with the proceeds donated to the New York Firefighters 9/11 Disaster Relief Fund and the New York Fraternal Order of Police. The song peaked at No. 6 this time on the US Hot 100, topping its previous position.

In 2002, Houston became involved in a legal dispute with John Houston Enterprise. Although the company was started by her father to manage her career, it was actually run by company president Kevin Skinner. Skinner filed a breach-of-contract lawsuit and sued for $100 million (but lost), stating that Houston owed the company previously unpaid compensation for helping to negotiate her $100 million contract with Arista Records and for sorting out legal matters. Houston stated that her 81-year-old father had nothing to do with the lawsuit. Although Skinner tried to claim otherwise, John Houston never appeared in court. Houston's father later died in February 2003. The lawsuit was dismissed on April 5, 2004, and Skinner was awarded nothing.

Also in 2002, Houston did an interview with Diane Sawyer to promote her then-upcoming album. The interview was the highest-rated television interview in history. During the prime-time special, Houston spoke on topics including rumored drug use and marriage. She was asked about the ongoing drug rumors and replied, "First of all, let's get one thing straight. Crack is cheap. I make too much money to ever smoke crack. Let's get that straight. Okay? We don't do crack. We don't do that. Crack is wack." The line was from Keith Haring's mural which was painted in 1986 on the handball court at 128th Street and 2nd Avenue. Houston did, however, admit to using other substances at times, including cocaine.

In December 2002, Houston released her fifth studio album, ''Just Whitney...''. The album included productions from then-husband Bobby Brown, as well as Missy Elliott and Babyface, and marked the first time that Houston did not produce with Clive Davis as Davis had been released by top management at BMG. Upon its release, ''Just Whitney...'' received mixed reviews. The album debuted at number 9 on the ''Billboard'' 200 chart and it had the highest first week sales of any album Houston had ever released. The four singles released from the album, didn't fare well on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, but became Hot Dance Club Play hits. ''Just Whitney...'' was certified platinum in the United States, and sold approximately three million worldwide.

On a June 2003 trip to Israel, Houston said of her visit, "I've never felt like this in any other country. I feel at home, I feel wonderful."

In late 2003, Houston released her first Christmas album ''One Wish: The Holiday Album'', with a collection of traditional holiday songs. Houston produced the album with Mervyn Warren and Gordon Chambers. A single titled "One Wish (for Christmas)" reached the Top 20 on the Adult Contemporary chart, and the album was certified gold in the US. Having always been a touring artist, Houston spent most of 2004 touring and performing in Europe, the Middle East, Asia, and Russia. In September 2004, she gave a surprise performance at the World Music Awards in a tribute to long time friend Clive Davis. After the show, Davis and Houston announced plans to go into studio to work on her new album.

In early 2004, husband Bobby Brown starred in his own reality TV program, ''Being Bobby Brown'' (on the Bravo network), which provided a view into the domestic goings-on in the Brown household. Though it was Brown's vehicle, Houston was a prominent figure throughout the show, receiving as much screen time as Brown. The series aired in 2005 and featured Houston in, what some would say, not her most flattering moments. The ''Hollywood Reporter'' said it was "undoubtedly the most disgusting and execrable series ever to ooze its way onto television." Despite the perceived train-wreck nature of the show, the series gave Bravo its highest ratings in its time slot and continued Houston's successful forays into film and television. The show was not renewed for a second season after Houston stated that she would no longer appear in it, and Brown and Bravo could not come to an agreement for another season.

2006–2012: Return to music, ''I Look to You'', tour and film comeback

After years of controversy and turmoil, Houston separated from Bobby Brown in September 2006, filing for divorce the following month. On February 1, 2007, Houston asked the court to fast track their divorce. The divorce was finalized on April 24, 2007, with Houston granted custody of the couple's daughter. On May 4, Houston sold the suburban Atlanta home featured in ''Being Bobby Brown'' for $1.19 million. A few days later, Brown sued Houston in Orange County, California court in an attempt to change the terms of their custody agreement. Brown also sought child and spousal support from Houston. In the lawsuit, Brown claimed that financial and emotional problems prevented him from properly responding to Houston's divorce petition. Brown lost at his court hearing as the judge dismissed his appeal to overrule the custody terms, leaving Houston with full custody and Brown with no spousal support. In March 2007, Clive Davis of Arista Records announced that Houston would begin recording a new album. In October 2007, Arista released another compilation ''The Ultimate Collection'' outside the United States.

Houston gave her first interview in seven years in September 2009, appearing on Oprah Winfrey's season premiere. The interview was billed as "the most anticipated music interview of the decade". Whitney admitted on the show to using drugs with former husband Bobby Brown, who "laced marijuana with rock cocaine". By 1996, she told Oprah, "[doing drugs] was an everyday thing... I wasn't happy by that point in time. I was losing myself."

Houston released her new album, ''I Look to You'', in August 2009. The album's first two singles are "I Look to You" and "Million Dollar Bill". The album entered the Billboard 200 at No. 1, with Houston's best opening-week sales of 305,000 copies, marking Houston's first number one album since '' The Bodyguard'', and Houston's first studio album to reach number one since 1987's ''Whitney''. Houston also appeared on European television programs to promote the album. She performed the song "I Look to You" on the German television show ''Wetten, dass..?''. Three days later, she performed the worldwide first single from I Look To You, Million Dollar Bill, on the French television show Le Grand Journal. Houston appeared as guest mentor on ''The X Factor'' in the United Kingdom. She performed "Million Dollar Bill" on the following day's results show, completing the song even as a strap in the back of her dress popped open two minutes into the performance. She later commented that she "sang [herself] out of [her] clothes".

The performance was poorly received by the British media, and was variously described as "weird" and "ungracious", "shambolic" and a "flop". Despite this reception, "Million Dollar Bill" jumped to its peak from 14 to number 5 (her first UK top 5 for over a decade), and three weeks after release "I Look to You" went gold. Houston appeared on the Italian version of ''The X Factor'', performing the same song "Million Dollar Bill" to excellent reviews. She was awarded the Gold Certificate for achieving over 50,000 CD sales of "I Look To You" in Italy. In November, Houston performed "I Didn't Know My Own Strength" at the 2009 American Music Awards in Los Angeles, California. Two days later, Houston performed both songs on the Dancing With The Stars season 9 finale. As of December 2009, "I Look to You" has been certified platinum by the RIAA for sales of more than one million copies in the United States. On January 26, 2010, her debut album was re-released in a special edition entitled ''Whitney Houston – The Deluxe Anniversary Edition''.

Houston later embarked on a world tour, entitled the Nothing but Love World Tour. It was her first world tour in over ten years and was announced as a triumphant comeback. However, some poor reviews and rescheduled concerts brought some negative media attention. Houston canceled some concerts due to illness and received widespread negative reviews from fans who were disappointed in the quality of her voice and performance. Some fans reportedly walked out of her concerts.

In January 2010, Houston was nominated for two NAACP Image Awards, one for Best Female Artist and one for Best Music Video. She won the award for Best Music Video for her single "I Look to You". On January 16, she received The BET Honors Award for Entertainer citing her lifetime achievements spanning over 25 years in the industry. The 2010 BET Honors award was held at the Warner Theatre in Washington, D.C. and aired on February 1, 2010. Jennifer Hudson and Kim Burrell performed in honor of her, garnering positive reviews. Houston also received a nomination from the Echo Awards, Germany's version of the Grammys, for Best International Artist. In April 2010, the UK newspaper ''The Mirror'' reported that Houston was thinking about recording her eighth studio album and wanted to collaborate with will.i.am (of The Black Eyed Peas), her first choice for a collaboration.

Houston also performed the song "I Look to You" on the 2011 BET ''Celebration of Gospel'', with gospel–jazz singer Kim Burrell, held at the Staples Center, Los Angeles. The performance aired on January 30, 2011. Early in 2011, she gave an uneven performance in tribute to cousin Dionne Warwick at music mogul Clive Davis' annual pre-Grammy gala. In May 2011, Houston enrolled in a rehabilitation center again, as an out-patient, citing drug and alcohol problems. A representative for Houston said that it was a part of Houston's "longstanding recovery process".

In September 2011, ''The Hollywood Reporter'' announced that Houston would produce and star alongside Jordin Sparks and Mike Epps in the remake of the 1976 film ''Sparkle''. In the film, Houston portrays Sparks' "not-so encouraging mother". Houston will have executive producer credits on top of acting credits according to Debra Martin Chase, producer of ''Sparkle''. She stated that Houston deserved the title considering she had been there from the beginning in 2001, when Houston obtained ''Sparkle'' production rights. R&B; singer Aaliyah - originally tapped to star as Sparkle – died in a 2001 plane crash. Her death derailed production, which would have begun in 2002. Houston's remake of ''Sparkle'' was filmed in the fall of 2011, and is set for release by TriStar Pictures in August 2012.

Death

On February 9, 2012, Houston visited singers Brandy and Monica, together with Clive Davis, at their rehearsals for Davis' pre-Grammy Awards party. That same day, she made her last public performance, when she joined Kelly Price on stage at the party and sang "Jesus Loves Me".

On February 11, 2012, Houston was found dead in a suite at the Beverly Hilton Hotel, in Beverly Hills, California, submerged in the bathtub. The cause of death was not immediately known. Beverly Hills paramedics arrived at approximately 3:30 p.m. and found the singer unresponsive and performed CPR. Houston was pronounced dead at 4:00 p.m. PST. Local police said there were "no obvious signs of criminal intent."

Houston had an invitation-only memorial on Saturday, February 18, 2012, at the New Hope Baptist Church in Newark, New Jersey. The service was scheduled for two hours, but lasted for four hours. Stevie Wonder (rewritten version of "Ribbon in the Sky," and "Love's in Need of Love Today"), CeCe Winans ("Don't Cry" and "Jesus Loves Me"), Alicia Keys ("Send Me an Angel"), Kim Burrell (rewritten version of "A Change Is Gonna Come") and R. Kelly ("I Look to You") were among those who performed at the funeral, interspersed with hymns by the church choir and remarks by Clive Davis, Houston’s record producer; Kevin Costner; Ricky Minor her music director; her cousin Dionne Warwick and Ray Watson, her security guard for the past 11 years. Aretha Franklin was listed on the program and was expected to sing, but was unable to attend the service due to illness. Bobby Brown, Houston's ex-husband, was also invited to the funeral but he left before the service began. Houston was buried Sunday, February 19, 2012, in Fairview Cemetery, in Westfield, New Jersey next to her father, John Russell Houston, who died in 2003.

Reaction

The Clive Davis' pre-Grammy party that Houston was expected to attend, and that featured many of the biggest names in music and movies, went on as scheduled although it was quickly turned into a tribute to Houston. Davis spoke about Houston's death at the evening's start: "By now you have all learned of the unspeakably tragic news of our beloved Whitney's passing. I don't have to mask my emotion in front of a room full of so many dear friends. I am personally devastated by the loss of someone who has meant so much to me for so many years. Whitney was so full of life. She was so looking forward to tonight even though she wasn't scheduled to perform. Whitney was a beautiful person and a talent beyond compare. She graced this stage with her regal presence and gave so many memorable performances here over the years. Simply put, Whitney would have wanted the music to go on and her family asked that we carry on."

Tony Bennett, who had a drug addiction problem in the 1970s, spoke of Houston's death before performing at Davis' party. He said, "First, it was Michael Jackson, then Amy Winehouse, now, the magnificent Whitney Houston", tying it into his public stance in favor of legalizing drugs. Bennett sang "How Do You Keep the Music Playing?" and said of Houston, "When I first heard her, I called Clive Davis and said, 'You finally found the greatest singer I've ever heard in my life.'"

However, many people were shocked at Davis' decision to continue on the party despite the fact that a police investigation was being conducted in Houston's hotel room and her body was still in the building. Chaka Khan, in an interview with CNN's Piers Morgan on February 13, 2012, shared that she felt the party should have been canceled, saying "I thought that was complete insanity. And knowing Whitney I don't believe that she would have said 'the show must go on.' She's the kind of woman that would've said 'Stop everything! Un-unh. I'm not going to be there.' [...] I don't know what could motivate a person to have a party in a building where the person whose life he had influenced so enormously and whose life had been affected by hers. They were like... I don't understand how that party went on." Sharon Osbourne, on February 15 episode of ''The Talk'', also condemned the Davis party, declaring "I think it was disgraceful that the party went on. I don't want to be in a hotel room when there's someone you admire who's tragically lost their life four floors up. I'm not interested in being in that environment and I think when you grieve someone, you do it privately, you do it with people who understand you. I thought it was so wrong."

Several other celebrities released statements responding to Houston's death. Dolly Parton, whose song "I Will Always Love You" was covered by Houston, said, "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'." Aretha Franklin said, "It's so stunning and unbelievable. I couldn't believe what I was reading coming across the TV screen." Mariah Carey said, "Heartbroken and in tears over the shocking death of my friend ... She will never be forgotten as one of the greatest voices to ever grace the earth." Oprah Winfrey, who did an in-depth interview with Houston in 2009, wrote on Twitter "To me Whitney was THE VOICE. We got to hear a part of God every time she sang. Heart is heavy, spirit grateful for the GIFT of her." Quincy Jones said, "I am absolutely heartbroken at the news of Whitney’s passing. Ashford & Simpson first made me aware of Whitney when she was just sixteen, and 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."

Moments after news of her death emerged, CNN, MSNBC and Fox News all broke from their regularly scheduled programming to dedicate time to non-stop coverage of Houston's death. All three featured live interviews with people who knew Houston including those that have worked with her, interviewed her along with some of her peers in the music industry. ''Saturday Night Live'' displayed a still photo in silent reverence of a smiling Houston, alongside Molly Shannon, from her 1996 appearance. MTV and VH-1 interrupted their regularly scheduled programming on Sunday February 12 to air many of Houston's classic videos with MTV often airing news segments in between and featuring various reactions from fans and celebrities.

Houston's former husband, Bobby Brown, was reported to be "in and out of crying fits" since receiving the news. He did not cancel a scheduled performance and within hours of his ex-wife's sudden death, an audience in Mississippi observed as Brown blew kisses skyward, tearfully saying: "I love you, Whitney".

Ken Ehrlich, executive producer of the 54th Grammy Awards announced that Jennifer Hudson would perform a tribute to Houston at the February 12, 2012, awards. He said "event organizers believed Hudson – an Academy Award-winning actress and Grammy Award-winning artist – could perform a respectful musical tribute to Houston". Ehrlich went on to say: "It's too fresh in everyone's memory to do more at this time, but we would be remiss if we didn't recognize Whitney's remarkable contribution to music fans in general, and in particular her close ties with the Grammy telecast and her Grammy wins and nominations over the years". At the start of the awards ceremony, a footage of Houston performing "I Will Always Love You" from 1994 Grammys was shown following a prayer read by host, LL Cool J. Later in the program following a montage of photos of musicians who died in 2011 including Houston singing "Saving All My Love for You" at the 1986 Grammys, Hudson paid tribute to Houston and the other artists by performing "I Will Always Love You". New Jersey Governor Chris Christie said that all New Jersey state flags will be flown at half-staff on Tuesday, February 21 to honor Houston.

Artistry and legacy

Voice

Houston was a mezzo-soprano, and was commonly referred to as "The Voice" in reference to her exceptional vocal talent. Her vocal range extended from G below middle C (G₃) to high B-flat (B₅); she could belt out to treble F (F₅). She was third in MTV's list of 22 Greatest Voices, and sixth on ''Online Magazine COVE''s list of the 100 Best Pop Vocalists with a score of 48.5/50. In 2008, ''Rolling Stone'' listed Houston as the thirty-fourth of the 100 greatest singers of all time, stating, "Her voice is a mammoth, coruscating cry: Few vocalists could get away with opening a song with 45 unaccompanied seconds of singing, but Houston's powerhouse version of Dolly Parton's 'I Will Always Love You' is a tour de force." Matthew Perpetua from ''Rolling Stone'' also eulogized Houston's vocal, enumerating ten performances, including "How Will I Know" from the 1986 MTV VMAs and "The Star Spangled Banner" at the 1991 Super Bowl. "Whitney Houston was blessed with an astonishing vocal range and extraordinary technical skill, but what truly made her a great singer was her ability to connect with a song and drive home its drama and emotion with incredible precision," he stated. "She was a brilliant performer, and her live shows often eclipsed her studio recordings."

Jon Caramanica of ''The New York Times'' commented, "Her voice was clean and strong, with barely any grit, well suited to the songs of love and aspiration. [...] Hers was a voice of triumph and achievement, and it made for any number of stunning, time-stopping vocal performances." Mariah Carey stated, "Whitney has a really rich, strong mid-belt that very few people have. She sounds really good, really strong." While in her review of ''I Look to You'', music critic Ann Powers of the ''Los Angeles Times'' writes, "[Houston's voice] stands like monuments upon the landscape of 20th century pop, defining the architecture of their times, sheltering the dreams of millions and inspiring the climbing careers of countless imitators", adding "When she was at her best, nothing could match her huge, clean, cool mezzo-soprano".

Lauren Everitt from BBC News Magazine commented on melisma used in Houston's recording and its influence. "An early 'I' in Whitney Houston's 'I Will Always Love You' takes nearly six seconds to sing. In those seconds the former gospel singer-turned-pop star packs a series of different notes into the single syllable," stated Everitt. "The technique is repeated throughout the song, most pronouncedly on every 'I' and 'you'. The vocal technique is called melisma, and it has inspired a host of imitators. Other artists may have used it before Houston, but it was her rendition of Dolly Parton's love song that pushed the technique into the mainstream in the 90s. [...] But perhaps what Houston nailed best was moderation." Everitt said that "[i]n a climate of reality shows ripe with 'oversinging', it's easy to appreciate Houston's ability to save melisma for just the right moment".

Houston's vocal stylings have had a significant impact on the music industry. She has been called the "Queen of Pop" for her influence during the 1990s, commercially rivaling Mariah Carey and Celine Dion. Stephen Holden from ''The New York Times'', in his review of Houston's Radio City Music Hall concert on July 20, 1993, praised her attitude as a singer highly, writing, "Whitney Houston is one of the few contemporary pop stars of whom it might be said: the voice suffices. While almost every performer whose albums sell in the millions calls upon an entertainer's bag of tricks, from telling jokes to dancing to circus pyrotechnics, Ms. Houston would rather just stand there and sing." With regard to her singing style, he added: "Her [Houston's] stylistic trademarks – shivery melismas that ripple up in the middle of a song, twirling embellishments at the ends of phrases that suggest an almost breathless exhilaration – infuse her interpretations with flashes of musical and emotional lightning."

Elysa Gardner of the ''Los Angeles Times'' in her review for ''The Preacher's Wife Soundtrack'' praised Houston's vocal ability highly, commenting, "She is first and foremost a pop diva – at that, the best one we have. No other female pop star – not Mariah Carey, not Celine Dion, not Barbra Streisand – quite rivals Houston in her exquisite vocal fluidity and purity of tone, and her ability to infuse a lyric with mesmerizing melodrama."

Influence

During the 1980s, MTV was coming into its own and received harsh criticism for not playing enough videos by black artists. With Michael Jackson breaking down the color barrier for black male artists, Houston did the same for black female artists. She became the first black female artist to receive heavy rotation on the network following the success of the "How Will I Know" video. Following Houston's breakthrough, other African-American female artists, such as Janet Jackson and Anita Baker, were successful in popular music. Baker commented that "Because of what Whitney and Sade did, there was an opening for me... For radio stations, black women singers aren't taboo anymore."

Allmusic noted her contribution to the success of black artists on the pop scene, commenting, "Houston was able to handle big adult contemporary ballads, effervescent, stylish dance-pop, and slick urban contemporary soul with equal dexterity" and that "the result was an across-the-board appeal that was matched by scant few artists of her era, and helped her become one of the first black artists to find success on MTV in Michael Jackson's wake". ''The New York Times'' stated that "Houston was a major catalyst for a movement within black music that recognized the continuity of soul, pop, jazz and gospel vocal traditions". Richard Corliss of ''Time'' magazine commented on her initial success breaking various barriers:

Of her first album's ten cuts, six were ballads. This chanteuse [Houston] had to fight for air play with hard rockers. The young lady had to stand uncowed in the locker room of macho rock. The soul strutter had to seduce a music audience that anointed few black artists with superstardom. [...] She was a phenomenon waiting to happen, a canny tapping of the listener's yen for a return to the musical middle. And because every new star creates her own genre, her success has helped other blacks, other women, other smooth singers find an avid reception in the pop marketplace.

Stephen Holden of ''The New York Times'' said that Houston "revitalized the tradition of strong gospel-oriented pop-soul singing". Ann Powers of the ''Los Angeles Times'' referred to the singer as a "national treasure". Jon Caramanica, other music critic of ''The New York Times'', called Houston "R&B;'s great modernizer," adding "slowly but surely reconciling the ambition and praise of the church with the movements and needs of the body and the glow of the mainstream". He also drew comparisons between Houston's influence and other big names' on 1980s pop:

She was, alongside Michael Jackson and Madonna, one of the crucial figures to hybridize pop in the 1980s, though her strategy was far less radical than that of her peers. Jackson and Madonna were by turns lascivious and brutish and, crucially, willing to let their production speak more loudly than their voices, an option Ms. Houston never went for. Also, she was less prolific than either of them, achieving most of her renown on the strength of her first three solo albums and one soundtrack, released from 1985 to 1992. If she was less influential than they were in the years since, it was only because her gift was so rare, so impossible to mimic. Jackson and Madonna built worldviews around their voices; Ms. Houston’s voice was the worldview. She was someone more to be admired, like a museum piece, than to be emulated.

''The Independant''s music critic Andy Gill also wrote about Houston's influence on modern R&B; and singing competitions, comparing it to Michael Jackson's. "Because Whitney, more than any other single artist ― Michael Jackson included ― effectively mapped out the course of modern R&B;, setting the bar for standards of soul vocalese, and creating the original template for what we now routinely refer to as the 'soul diva'," stated Gill. "Jackson was a hugely talented icon, certainly, but he will be as well remembered (probably more so) for his presentational skills, his dazzling dance moves, as for his musical innovations. Whitney, on the other hand, just sang, and the ripples from her voice continue to dominate the pop landscape." Gill said that there "are few, if any, Jackson imitators on today's TV talent shows, but every other contestant is a Whitney wannabe, desperately attempting to emulate that wondrous combination of vocal effects – the flowing melisma, the soaring mezzo-soprano confidence, the tremulous fluttering that carried the ends of lines into realms of higher yearning".

Houston was considered by many to be a "singer's singer", who had an influence on countless other vocalists, both female and male. Similarly, Steve Huey from Allmusic wrote that the shadow of Houston's prodigious technique still looms large over nearly every pop diva and smooth urban soul singer – male or female – in her wake, and spawned a legion of imitators. ''Rolling Stone'', on her biography, stated that Houston "redefined the image of a female soul icon and inspired singers ranging from Mariah Carey to Rihanna". ''Essence'' ranked Houston the fifth on their list of 50 Most Influential R&B; Stars of all time, calling her "the diva to end all divas".

A number of artists have acknowledged Houston as an influence, including Celine Dion, Mariah Carey, Toni Braxton, Christina Aguilera, LeAnn Rimes, Jessica Simpson, Nelly Furtado, Kelly Clarkson, Britney Spears, Ciara, P!nk,Ashanti, Robin Thicke, Jennifer Hudson, Stacie Orrico, Amerie, and Destiny's Child. Mariah Carey, who was often compared to Houston, said, "Houston has been a big influence on me." She later told ''USA Today'' that "none of us would sound the same if Aretha Franklin hadn't ever put out a record, or Whitney Houston hadn't." Celine Dion who was the third member of the troika that dominated female pop singing in the 1990s, did a telephone interview with ''Good Morning America'' on February 13, 2012, telling "Whitney's been an amazing inspiration for me. I've been singing with her my whole career, actually. I wanted to have a career like hers, sing like her, look beautiful like her." Beyoncé told the ''Globe and Mail'' that Houston "inspired [her] to get up there and do what [she] did". She also wrote on her website on the day after Houston's death, "I, like every singer, always wanted to be just like [Houston]. Her voice was perfect. Strong but soothing. Soulful and classic. Her vibrato, her cadence, her control. So many of my life's memories are attached to a Whitney Houston song. She is our queen and she opened doors and provided a blueprint for all of us."

Mary J. Blige said that Houston inviting her onstage during VH1's ''Divas Live'' show in 1999 "opened doors for [her] all over the world". Brandy stated, "The first Whitney Houston CD was genius. That CD introduced the world to her angelic yet powerful voice. Without Whitney, half of this generation of singers wouldn't be singing." Kelly Rowland, in an ''Ebony'' feature article celebrating black music in June 2006, recalled that "[I] wanted to be a singer after I saw Whitney Houston on TV singing 'Greatest Love of All'. I wanted to sing like Whitney Houston in that red dress." She added that "And I have never, ever forgotten that song [Greatest Love of All]. I learned it backward, forward, sideways. The video still brings chills to me. When you wish and pray for something as a kid, you never know what blessings God will give you."

Alicia Keys, in an interview about her album ''The Element of Freedom'' with ''Billboard'' magazine, also said "Whitney is an artist who inspired me from [the time I was] a little girl". Oscar winner Jennifer Hudson cites Houston as her biggest musical influence. She told ''Newsday'' that she learned from Houston the "difference between being able to sing and knowing how to sing". Leona Lewis, who has been called "the new Whitney Houston", also cites her as an influence. Lewis stated that she idolized her as a little girl.

Awards and achievements

Houston was the most awarded female artist of all time, according to Guinness World Records, with two Emmy Awards, six Grammy Awards, 30 Billboard Music Awards, 22 American Music Awards, among a total of 415 career awards as of 2010. She held the all-time record for the most American Music Awards of any female solo artist and shared the record with Michael Jackson for the most AMAs ever won in a single year with eight wins in 1994. Houston won a record 11 Billboard Music Awards at its fourth ceremony in 1993. She also had the record for the most WMAs won in a single year, winning five awards at the 6th World Music Awards in 1994.

In May 2003, Houston placed at number three on VH1's list of "50 Greatest Women of the Video Era", behind Madonna and Janet Jackson. She was also ranked at number 116 on their list of the "200 Greatest Pop Culture Icons of All Time". In 2008, ''Billboard'' magazine released a list of the Hot 100 All-Time Top Artists to celebrate the US singles chart's 50th anniversary, ranking Houston at number nine. Similarly, she was ranked as one of the "Top 100 Greatest Artists of All Time" by VH1 in September 2010. In November 2010, ''Billboard'' released its "Top 50 R&B;/Hip-Hop Artists of the Past 25 Years" list and ranked Houston at number three whom not only went on to earn eight number one singles on the R&B;/Hip-Hop Songs chart, but also landed five number ones on R&B;/Hip-Hop Albums.

Houston's debut album is listed as one of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time by ''Rolling Stone'' magazine and is on Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's Definitive 200 list. In 2004, ''Billboard'' picked the success of her first release on the charts as one of 110 Musical Milestones in its history. Houston's entrance into the music industry is considered one of the 25 musical milestones of the last 25 years, according to ''USA Today'' in 2007. It stated that she paved the way for Mariah Carey's chart-topping vocal gymnastics. In 1997, the Franklin School in East Orange, New Jersey was renamed to The Whitney E. Houston Academy School of Creative and Performing Arts. In 2001, Houston was the first artist ever to be given a BET Lifetime Achievement Award.

Houston was also one of the world's best-selling music artists, having sold over 200 million albums and singles worldwide. Although she released relatively few albums, she was ranked as the fourth best-selling female artist in the United States by the Recording Industry Association of America, with 55 million certified albums sold in the US alone.

She held an Honorary Doctorate in Humanities from Grambling State University, Louisiana.

Discography

''Whitney Houston'' (1985)

''Whitney'' (1987)

''I'm Your Baby Tonight'' (1990)

''My Love Is Your Love'' (1998)

''Just Whitney'' (2002)

''One Wish: The Holiday Album'' (2003)

''I Look to You'' (2009)

Filmography

+ Film roles
! Year	! Title	! Role	Notes and awards
1992	''The Bodyguard''	Rachel Marron	Nominated – 1993 MTV Movie Award for Best Female PerformanceNominated – 1993 MTV Movie Award for Best Breakthrough PerformanceNominated – 1993 MTV Movie Award for Best On-Screen Duo with co-star Kevin CostnerNominated – 1992 Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Actress
1995	''Waiting to Exhale''	Savannah Jackson	Nominated – 1996 NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actress in a Motion Picture
1996	''The Preacher's Wife''	Julia Biggs
1997		Fairy Godmother	Made-for-television film, part of a revival of the ''Wonderful World of Disney''.Nominated – 1998 Emmy Award for Outstanding Variety, Music Or Comedy SpecialNominated – 1998 NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Television Movie/Mini-Series
2012		Emma	Posthumous release

+ Television roles	! Year	! Title	! Network	! Role	Notes
1984	''Gimme a Break!''	NBC	Rita	"Katie's College" (Season 3, Episode 20)
1985	''Silver Spoons''	NBC	Herself	"Head Over Heels" (Season 4, Episode 1, Air date: September 15, 1985)She performed the edited version of "Saving All My Love for You", changing some of the words.
2002	''Boston Public''	Fox	Herself	She performed "Try It On My Own" from the 2002 studio album ''Just Whitney''.

+ Commercials
! Year	! Company	! Promoting	! Country	Notes
	Dr Pepper/Seven Up	Canada Dry(soft drink beverage)	United States		* Houston appeared in this commercial before debut as a professional singer and sang the praises of sugar free Canada Dry Ginger Ale.
	Coca-Cola	Diet Coke(soft drink beverage)	United States		* Houston sang the Diet Coke theme song, "Just for the taste of it".
	Coca-Cola	Diet Coke(soft drink beverage)	United States		* Houston sang the other version of the Diet Coke advertising slogan at the time, "Just for the taste of it".	* Outside the United States, the second version of advertising was released, in which "Greatest Love of All" was used as background music.	1989 MTV Video Music Awards#Video of the Year>Video of the Year winning "This Note's for You" by Neil Young, parodied parts of this advertising to criticize pop/rock stars who make commercial endorsements, most notably Michael Jackson for Pepsi and Houston for Diet Coke, using look-alikes for them.
		Electronics(the stereo, TV)	Japan		Keith Thomas (producer)>Keith Thomas. It was released as a CD single in Japan and included in Japanese edition of ''I'm Your Baby Tonight''.
	AT&T;	Telephone services	United States		* Houston sang its theme song, "True Voice".

+ Production
! Year	! Title	! Director	Notes and awards
1997		Robert Iscove	Executive producerNominated – 50th Primetime Emmy Awards
2001		[[Garry Marshall	ProducerWon – 2002 Young Artist Award for Best Family Feature Film – ComedyNominated – 2002 Broadcast Film Critics Association Award for Best Family Film (Live Action) Nominated – 2002 Phoenix Film Critics Society Award for Best Family FilmNominated – 2002 Teen Choice Award for Film – Choice Movie, Comedy
2003		Oz Scott	Producer
2004	''The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement''	Garry Marshall	Producer
2006		Kenny Ortega	Co-executive producer

Tours

;World tours

''The Greatest Love World Tour'' (1986)

''Moment of Truth World Tour'' (1987–88)

''I'm Your Baby Tonight World Tour'' (1991)

''The Bodyguard World Tour'' (1993–94)

''My Love Is Your Love World Tour'' (1999)

''Nothing But Love World Tour'' (2010)

;Regional tours

''Feels So Right Tour'' (1990)

''Pacific Rim Tour'' (1997)

''The European Tour'' (1998)

''Soul Divas Tour'' (2004)

;Televised concerts

''Nelson Mandela 70th Birthday Tribute'' (1988)

''Welcome Home Heroes with Whitney Houston'' (1991)

''The Concert for a New South Africa'' (1994)

''Classic Whitney Live from Washington, D.C.'' (1997)

See also

American Music Award nominations for Whitney Houston

Grammy nominations for Whitney Houston

Honorific nicknames in popular music

List of artists who reached number one in the United States

List of artists who reached number one on the U.S. Dance chart

List of best-selling music artists

Melisma

References

Further reading

External links

Category:1963 births Category:2012 deaths Category:American people of Dutch descent Category:American people of Native American descent Category:Actors from New Jersey Category:African American female singers Category:African American film actors Category:African American record producers Category:African-American film producers Category:American dance musicians Category:American female models Category:American gospel singers Category:American mezzo-sopranos Category:American pop singers Category:American rhythm and blues singers Category:Arista Records artists Category:Articles with inconsistent citation formats Category:Baptists from the United States Category:Death in California Category:Emmy Award winners Category:English-language singers Category:Grammy Award winners Category:Musicians from New Jersey Category:Participants in American reality television series Category:People from East Orange, New Jersey Category:People from Newark, New Jersey Category:People self-identifying as alcoholics Category:People self-identifying as substance abusers

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alt	A mid-twenties African American man wearing a sequined military jacket and dark sunglasses. He is walking while waving his right hand, which is adorned with a white glove. His left hand is bare.
background	solo_singer
birth name	Michael Joseph Jackson
alias	Michael Joe Jackson, MJ, King of Pop
birth date	August 29, 1958
birth place	Gary, Indiana, U.S.
death date	June 25, 2009
death place	Los Angeles, California, U.S.
instrument	vocals, guitar, drums, percussion, keyboards
genre	R&B;, pop, rock, soul, dance, funk, disco, new jack swing
occupation	Singer-songwriter, musician, composer, dancer, choreographer, record producer, actor, businessman, philanthropist
years active	1964–2009
label	Motown, Epic, Legacy
associated acts	The Jackson 5
relatives	Janet Jackson (sister)
website	130pxMichael Jackson's signature }}

Michael Joseph Jackson (August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009) was an American recording artist, entertainer, and businessman. Often referred to as the King of Pop, or by his initials MJ, Jackson is recognized as the most successful entertainer of all time by Guinness World Records. His contribution to music, dance, and fashion, along with a much-publicized personal life, made him a global figure in popular culture for over four decades. The seventh child of the Jackson family, he debuted on the professional music scene along with his brothers as a member of The Jackson 5, then the Jacksons in 1964, and began his solo career in 1971.

In the early 1980s, Jackson became a dominant figure in popular music. The music videos for his songs, including those of "Beat It", "Billie Jean", and "Thriller", were credited with transforming the medium into an art form and a promotional tool, and the popularity of these videos helped to bring the relatively new television channel MTV to fame. Videos such as "Black or White" and "Scream" made him a staple on MTV in the 1990s. Through stage performances and music videos, Jackson popularized a number of complicated dance techniques, such as the robot and the moonwalk, to which he gave the name. His distinctive musical sound and vocal style have influenced numerous hip hop, post-disco, contemporary R&B;, pop and rock artists.

Jackson's 1982 album ''Thriller'' is the best-selling album of all time. His other records, including ''Off the Wall'' (1979), ''Bad'' (1987), ''Dangerous'' (1991), and ''HIStory'' (1995), also rank among the world's best-selling. Jackson is one of the few artists to have been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame twice. He was also inducted into the Dance Hall of Fame as the first (and currently only) dancer from the world of pop and rock 'n' roll. Some of his other achievements include multiple Guinness World Records; 13 Grammy Awards (as well as the Grammy Legend Award and the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award); 26 American Music Awards (more than any other artist, including the "Artist of the Century"); 13 number-one singles in the United States in his solo career (more than any other male artist in the Hot 100 era); and the estimated sale of over 750 million records worldwide. Jackson won hundreds of awards, which have made him the most-awarded recording artist in the history of popular music.

Life and career

Early life and The Jackson 5 (1958–1975)

Michael Jackson was born on August 29, 1958, the eighth of ten children in an African American working-class family who lived in a small 3-room house in Gary, Indiana, an industrial city near Chicago. His mother, Katherine Esther Scruse, was a devout Jehovah's Witness, and his father, Joseph Walter "Joe" Jackson, was a steel mill worker who performed with an R&B; band called The Falcons. Jackson had three sisters: Rebbie, La Toya, and Janet, and five brothers: Jackie, Tito, Jermaine, Marlon, and Randy. A sixth brother, Brandon, died shortly after birth.

Jackson had a troubled relationship with his father, Joe. In 1980, Jackson won three awards at the American Music Awards for his solo efforts: Favorite Soul/R&B; Album, Favorite Soul/R&B; Male Artist, and Favorite Soul/R&B; Single for "Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough". That year, he also won Billboard Year-End for Top Black Artist and Top Black Album and a Grammy Award for Best Male R&B; Vocal Performance, also for "Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough". Jackson again won at the American Music Awards in 1981 for Favorite Soul/R&B; Album and Favorite Soul/R&B; Male Artist. Despite its commercial success, Jackson felt ''Off the Wall'' should have made a much bigger impact, and was determined to exceed expectations with his next release. In 1980, he secured the highest royalty rate in the music industry: 37 percent of wholesale album profit.

''Thriller'' and ''Motown 25'' (1982–83)

In 1982, Jackson contributed the song "Someone In the Dark" to the storybook for the film ''E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial''; the record won a Grammy for Best Recording for Children in 1984. In the same year he won another seven Grammys and eight American Music Awards (including the Award of Merit, the youngest artist to win it), making him the most awarded in one night for both award shows. The album topped the ''Billboard'' 200 chart for 37 weeks and was in the top 10 of the 200 for 80 consecutive weeks. It was the first album to have seven ''Billboard'' Hot 100 top 10 singles, including "Billie Jean", "Beat It," and "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'." ''Thriller'' was certified for 29 million shipments by the RIAA, giving it Double Diamond status in the United States. The album won also another Grammy for Best Engineered Recording – Non Classical in 1984, awarding Bruce Swedien for his work. Thanks to the ''Bad'' album, Bruce Swedien and Humberto Gatica won one Grammy in 1988 for Best Engineered Recording – Non Classical and Michael Jackson won one Grammy for Best Music Video, Short Form for "Leave Me Alone" in 1989. ''HIStory'' received a Grammy nomination for Album of the Year. However, the sales for ''Invincible'' were lower than those of his previous releases, due in part to a lack of promotion, no supporting world tour and the label dispute. The album also came out at a bad time for the music industry in general. Jackson rehearsed in Los Angeles in the weeks leading up to the tour under the direction of choreographer Kenny Ortega. Most of these rehearsals took place at the Staples Center, which was owned by AEG. With ''Thriller'', Christopher Connelly of ''Rolling Stone'' commented that Jackson developed his long association with the subliminal theme of paranoia and darker imagery. Allmusic's Stephen Thomas Erlewine noted this is evident on the songs "Billie Jean" and "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'". In "Billie Jean", Jackson sings about an obsessive fan who alleges he has fathered a child of hers. In "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'" he argues against gossip and the media. "Beat It" decried gang violence in an homage to ''West Side Story'', and was Jackson's first successful rock cross-over piece, according to Huey. He also observed that the title track "Thriller" began Jackson's interest with the theme of the supernatural, a topic he revisited in subsequent years. In 1985, Jackson co-wrote the charity anthem "We Are the World"; humanitarian themes later became a recurring theme in his lyrics and public persona.

In ''Bad'', Jackson's concept of the predatory lover can be seen on the rock song "Dirty Diana". The lead single "I Just Can't Stop Loving You" is a traditional love ballad, while "Man in the Mirror" is an anthemic ballad of confession and resolution. "Smooth Criminal" was an evocation of bloody assault, rape and likely murder. Allmusic's Stephen Thomas Erlewine states that ''Dangerous'' presents Jackson as a very paradoxical individual. He comments the album is more diverse than his previous ''Bad'', as it appeals to an urban audience while also attracting the middle class with anthems like "Heal the World". The first half of the record is dedicated to new jack swing, including songs like "Jam" and "Remember the Time". The album is Jackson's first where social ills become a primary theme; "Why You Wanna Trip on Me", for example, protests against world hunger, AIDS, homelessness and drugs. ''Dangerous'' contains sexually charged efforts such as the multifaceted love song, "In the Closet". The title track continues the theme of the predatory lover and compulsive desire. The second half includes introspective, pop-gospel anthems such as "Will You Be There", "Heal the World" and "Keep the Faith"; these songs show Jackson opening up about various personal struggles and worries. In the ballad "Gone Too Soon", Jackson gives tribute to his friend Ryan White and the plight of those with AIDS.

''HIStory'' creates an atmosphere of paranoia. Its content focuses on the hardships and public struggles Jackson went through just prior to its production. In the new jack swing-funk-rock efforts "Scream" and "Tabloid Junkie", along with the R&B; ballad "You Are Not Alone", Jackson retaliates against the injustice and isolation he feels, and directs much of his anger at the media. In the introspective ballad "Stranger in Moscow", Jackson laments over his "fall from grace", while songs like "Earth Song", "Childhood", "Little Susie" and "Smile" are all operatic pop pieces. In the track "D.S.", Jackson launched a verbal attack against Tom Sneddon. He describes Sneddon as an antisocial, white supremacist who wanted to "get my ass, dead or alive". Of the song, Sneddon said, "I have not—shall we say—done him the honor of listening to it, but I've been told that it ends with the sound of a gunshot". ''Invincible'' found Jackson working heavily with producer Rodney Jerkins. It is a record made up of urban soul like "Cry" and "The Lost Children", ballads such as "Speechless", "Break of Dawn" and "Butterflies" and mixes hip-hop, pop and R&B; in "2000 Watts", "Heartbreaker" and "Invincible".

Vocal style

Jackson sang from childhood, and over time his voice and vocal style changed noticeably. Between 1971 and 1975, Jackson's voice descended from boy soprano to high tenor. Jackson first used a technique called the "vocal hiccup" in 1973, starting with the song "It's Too Late to Change the Time" from The Jackson 5's ''G.I.T.: Get It Together'' album. Jackson did not use the hiccup technique— somewhat like a gulping for air or gasping— fully until the recording of ''Off the Wall'': it can be seen in full force in the "Shake Your Body (Down to the Ground)" promotional video. With the arrival of ''Off the Wall'' in the late 1970s, Jackson's abilities as a vocalist were well regarded. At the time, ''Rolling Stone'' compared his vocals to the "breathless, dreamy stutter" of Stevie Wonder. Their analysis was also that "Jackson's feathery-timbred tenor is extraordinarily beautiful. It slides smoothly into a startling falsetto that's used very daringly". 1982 saw the release of ''Thriller'', and ''Rolling Stone'' was of the opinion that Jackson was then singing in a "fully adult voice" that was "tinged by sadness".

A distinctive deliberate mispronunciation of "come on", used frequently by Jackson, occasionally spelled "cha'mone" or "shamone", is also a staple in impressions and caricatures of him. The turn of the 1990s saw the release of the introspective album ''Dangerous''. ''The New York Times'' noted that on some tracks, "he gulps for breath, his voice quivers with anxiety or drops to a desperate whisper, hissing through clenched teeth" and he had a "wretched tone". When singing of brotherhood or self-esteem the musician would return to "smooth" vocals. When commenting on ''Invincible'', ''Rolling Stone'' were of the opinion that—at the age of 43—Jackson still performed "exquisitely voiced rhythm tracks and vibrating vocal harmonies". Nelson George summed up Jackson's vocals by stating "The grace, the aggression, the growling, the natural boyishness, the falsetto, the smoothness—that combination of elements mark him as a major vocalist".

Music videos and choreography

Referred to as the King of Music Videos, Steve Huey of Allmusic observed how Jackson transformed the music video into an art form and a promotional tool through complex story lines, dance routines, special effects and famous cameo appearances; simultaneously breaking down racial barriers. Before ''Thriller'', Jackson struggled to receive coverage on MTV, allegedly because he was African American. Pressure from CBS Records persuaded MTV to start showing "Billie Jean" and later "Beat It", leading to a lengthy partnership with Jackson, also helping other black music artists gain recognition. MTV employees deny any racism in their coverage, or pressure to change their stance. MTV maintains that they played rock music, regardless of race. The popularity of his videos on MTV helped to put the relatively young channel "on the map"; MTV's focus shifted in favor of pop and R&B.; His performance on ''Motown 25: Yesterday, Today, Forever'' changed the scope of live stage show; "That Jackson lip-synced 'Billie Jean' is, in itself, not extraordinary, but the fact that it did not change the impact of the performance is extraordinary; whether the performance was live or lip-synced made no difference to the audience" thus creating an era in which artists re-create the spectacle of music video imagery on stage. Short films like ''Thriller'' largely remained unique to Jackson, while the group dance sequence in "Beat It" has frequently been imitated. The choreography in ''Thriller'' has become a part of global pop culture, replicated everywhere from Indian films to prisons in the Philippines. The ''Thriller'' short film marked an increase in scale for music videos, and has been named the most successful music video ever by the ''Guinness World Records''.

In the 19-minute music video for "Bad"—directed by Martin Scorsese—Jackson began using sexual imagery and choreography not previously seen in his work. He occasionally grabbed or touched his chest, torso and crotch. When asked by Oprah in the 1993 interview about why he grabbed his crotch, he replied, "I think it happens subliminally" and he described it as something that was not planned, but rather, as something that was compelled by the music. "Bad" garnered a mixed reception from both fans and critics; ''Time'' magazine described it as "infamous". The video also featured Wesley Snipes; in the future Jackson's videos would often feature famous cameo roles.

}} ;Bibliography

George, Nelson (2004). ''Michael Jackson: The Ultimate Collection'' booklet. Sony BMG.

Further reading

External links

Michael Jackson Live: Best Pics – slideshow by ''Life magazine''

Michael Jackson at MTV

FBI file on Michael Jackson

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