Whitney Houston was not just one of the greatest voices the music scene had ever had. She used to have incredible beauty, which was ruined by drug and alcohol abuse. On what would have been her 57th birthday on August 9, we take a look back on how her colorful career turned into a tragic, sad story.
It had been eight years since the Guinness World Records' most awarded female artist of all time was found dead at the Beverly Hilton hotel in Los Angeles on February 11, 2012. She was found face down in the bathtub, and looked unrecognizable compared with her glamorous look on stage.
At the time, according to Mirror Online, Houston was in L.A. for the Grammys. Before the awards' night, some noticed her "erratic behavior, untidy look, and mismatched clothes."
The Bodyguard star told her assistant then that she would take a bath before Clive Davis' pre-Grammys party. However, at 3:35 pm, she was found dead in 13 inches of scalding hot water, which was believed to be at 66°C.
The autopsy report revealed some of her back skin was burned. There was also "skin slippage" on her legs.
There was a needle mark on her inner left elbow, marks of bilateral breast procedures, and breast implant scars. They also found her wig sewed on her real hair, while her brow was thin.
The most notable, saddest change in her appearance was the loss of her 11 front teeth, which was reportedly due to "marathon crack cocaine binges." Tina Brown, Houston's former sister-in-law, revealed she knocked her own teeth out after a cocaine spree that went on for days.
Sadly, Houston was not just ruined on the outside. Her autopsy report stated that she had advanced heart disease that caused 60% blockage in one of her arteries. Hence, the official cause of her death was declared as accidental drowning due to heart disease and cocaine use.
Meanwhile, fans are about to see the life and music of Houston in a new biopic, I Wanna Dance with Somebody. Deadline reported Sony's TriStar Pictures won the rights to make the biographical film in an auction.
The studio has already set a date for the film's release: Thanksgiving 2022. The Whitney Houston Estate, Primary Wave, and Houston's mentor, Clive Davis, are all aboard. Stella Meghie will direct the film, while Anthony McCarter will pen the script and produce the movie. The only question now is who among the young artists of today will play the role of Houston?
