Summary
In her three decades in the music business, Whitney Houston, powered by her three-octave voice, sold more than 170 million albums, singles, and videos worldwide and won six Grammys. The daughter of two professional singers, Houston never doubted that her path lay in music. As a child, she accompanied her mother, soul singer Cissy Houston, to the recording studio and sang in church at every opportunity. After graduating from high school, she signed with an agent and began to sing professionally. When her debut album was released in 1983, it smashed sales records by selling 13 million copies in America and 20 million worldwide. But it was her starring role in the movie The Bodyguard opposite Kevin Costner, for which she sang the Dolly Parton hit "I Will Always Love You" that put Houston on the superstardom map. Other acting roles followed, as did marriage to fellow singer Bobby Brown and the birth of her only child, Bobbi Kristina. But fame, fortune, and love came at a steep price. Houston was plagued with drug and alcohol problems, and her work suffered for it. On February 11, 2012, she was found dead in her hotel room. Whitney Houston delves into the life of this talented woman and explores her triumphs and struggles as a singer, woman, and mother.