From huffingtonpost, Whitney Houston is dead at 48-years-old, according to the Associated Press.
The superstar singer and actress's publicist, Kristin Foster, broke the news of Houston's passing to the AP, but thus far, no cause of death has been revealed. In recent years, she struggled with drug abuse.
Her self-titled debut album, released in 1985, sold 25 million copies worldwide. In total, she released seven albums and three film soundtracks; a winner of six Grammys, Houston sold over 170 million albums and singles worldwide. She earned 30 Billboard Awards, 22 American Music Awards and 2 Emmy Awards. She starred in three films, beginning with 1992's "Waiting to Exhale," and was due to star in her big screen comeback later this year, a remake of the film "Sparkle."
She is survived by daughter Bobbi Kristina and ex-husband Bobby Brown. Theirs was a tumultuous marriage, marred by drugs, and ended in 2007. She spent time in rehabilitation for her drug problems, most recently in May 2011.
More to come...
4 comments:
I know this is the wrong conclusion, but this has me thinking about the insane amounts of money involved in pop stardom (for the 1% who make it that far). I read somewhere recently that Katy Perry made $44 million last year. I can't think of any movie stars who do that well (except maybe Johnny Depp during one of his Pirates sweeps) but it's routine for the Jaggers and Madonnas of the world. Plus (as we know from the lives of Charlie Sheen, Michael Jackson and Mel Gibson) when that much corporate profitability is concentrated into one "irreplaceable" person, that person basically gets a pass to do whatever they want as much as they want (up to certain arbitrary limits, usually involving the ACLU and/or certain -- but not all -- state and federal laws). So my point is, Whitney Houston must have made billions and that meant she could publicly sit around smoking crack every day for 20 years without anyone stopping her and without any fear of ending up living in a dumpster or eating at McDonald's.
I guess that is one conclusion, Jordan.
I'm bummed about her dying. She did have a lot of screwed up years, I'm not excusing that. But man, she did have an amazing voice.
I don't mean to sound callous. I was at a high school reunion right after Kurt Cobain's suicide, and while everyone was talking about what it all meant, one classmate (who'd become a shrink) said, "The only thing it 'means' is that people in positions of wealth and privilege don't get the mental health care that they need." I'm making a similar point. The socioeconomics aren't supposed to detract from the grief.
It sounds a lot less callous than my first thought, which was "didn't she basically turn into a crackhead with money?" Same thing but meaner.
I guess for a lot of people, ultimate freedom is a terrible thing.
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