Tributes after Whitney Houston dies aged 48 (From Daily Echo)

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Tributes after Whitney Houston dies aged 48

7:32am Sunday 12th February 2012 in News

Tributes after Whitney Houston dies aged 48

Tributes have been pouring in for American singer and actress Whitney Houston, who has died at the age of 48.

The death of the Grammy award-winning star, who was one of the world's best-selling artists in the 1980s and 1990s, was confirmed by her publicist, leaving the entertainment industry and fans around the world in shock.

Los Angeles police said the troubled singer, who had battled with drug addiction, was found in her hotel room on the fourth floor of the Beverly Hilton late yesterday.

Following the news, which came on the eve of this year's Grammys ceremony, fellow celebrities and contemporaries lined up to pay their respects.

Music mogul Simon Cowell described Houston as ''one of the greatest singers of all time''.

He wrote on Twitter: ''I am so sad to hear about Whitney. We have lost one of the greatest singers of all time.''

Mitch Winehouse, the father of late British singer Amy Winehouse who died last year, also paid tribute to Houston and the recently deceased Etta James on the social networking site, writing: ''Amy, Etta, Whitney. Their music will NEVER die. What a great girl group in heaven. Mitch''.

Winehouse, who was in Los Angeles when he heard the news, also said he was ''absolutely devastated''.

The cause of Houston's death is unclear, but detectives have launched an investigation.

The I Will Always Love You and Saving All My Love singer won multiple Grammys including album and record of the year, selling millions of albums and singles worldwide.

She also carried her success into the film industry, appearing in hit movies including The Bodyguard.

However, her career began to unravel as she battled with drug addiction, spending various spells in rehab. Her powerful voice began to suffer because of her demons prompting record sales to nosedive and in 2007 she split from husband Bobby Brown after 15 years of marriage.

Showbiz journalist Dan Wootton told broadcasters: ''She will be remembered as one of the voices of the 1980s and 1990s. She as a powerhouse, but unfortunately for the last 10 years we have witnessed her slow decline.

''It's something that no one would have expected. There are parallels to the shocking death of Amy Winehouse six months ago. You have to wonder what attracts these incredible voices on a path of self destruction that so often involved drug abuse.''

England footballer Rio Ferdinand was also among those to pay his respects, tweeting: ''RIP Whitney Houston...what a singer.'' British pop star Cheryl Cole also wrote: ''So sad :-(''

Last week Houston was pictured looking dishevelled and disorientated as she left a Hollywood nightclub with her daughter Bobbi Kristina after performing at a pre-Grammy party.

Recent reports suggested that the soul star was on the brink of bankruptcy, while others said she was being lined-up by Cowell as a judge on the American equivalent of the X Factor.

Houston had made a comeback in 2009 releasing a new album after seven years off the scene. She revealed that her life began to spiral out of control after her 1992 success in The Bodyguard.

''I am absolutely heartbroken at the news of Whitney's passing,'' legendary music producer Quincy Jones said in a written statement.

''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.''

Detectives said paramedics unsuccessfully tried to resuscitate the singer, who was pronounced dead at 3.55pm local time.

Houston was due to appear at the LA gala of music's biggest occasion - the Grammy Awards - later tonight (early Monday UK time) and had also been at rehearsals for the show, coaching singers Brandy and Monica.

Aspiring singer Joelle Moses, an contestant on the 2008 X Factor, said Houston was her main inspiration and influence, describing her as her ''musical mother''.

''I'm just in shock - I can't believe it,'' she told BBC 5Live.

Moses, from London, added: ''She was an incredible musician. I feel a lot of people wrote her off and thought she was washed out but personally I never felt that. Her voice was so incredible and so powerful and when you watched her you were so mesmerised by her performance because she sang from her heart.''

Police later said there were no ''obvious signs'' of any criminal intent in relation to her death.

Meanwhile, former husband Brown, also a singer, was due to perform in Mississippi, as news spread about Houston's death.

He told the sell-out crowd: ''First of all, I want to tell you that I love you all. Second, I would like to say, I love you Whitney. The hardest thing for me to do is to come on this stage.''

Comments(33)

Huey says...
8:13am Sun 12 Feb 12

Shame such a talent is lost but having seen those photos of her all drugged up with no teeth, and lauding crack cocaine on a talk show, I am not suprised.
Like Winehouse hopefully this will convince some younger fans of the mortal dangers of drugs and alcohol excess.