Whitney Houston: Legendary Talent Gone Too Soon

The winner of two Emmy Awards, six Grammy Awards, 30 Billboard Music Awards, and 22 American Music Awards, Houston was a singer, actress, and producer who in 2009 was cited by the Guinness World Records as the most-awarded female act of all time. Born into a musical family, and with Aretha Franklin as a godmother, Houston was encouraged from a young age to make the most her natural vocal talent. Coming to the attention of Arista Records's Clive Davis began the singer's meteoric rise to superstardom. With over 170 million combined album, singles and videos sold worldwide during her career, Whitney Houston established a benchmark for superstardom that will quite simply never be eclipsed in the modern era. She was a singer's singer who has influenced countless other vocalists female and male. Houston passed away unexpectedly on February 11th, 2012.