Whitney Elizabeth Houston (August 9, 1963 – February 11, 2012) was an American singer, actress, producer, and model. In 2009, Guinness World Records named her the most awarded female act of all time. She sold an estimated 170–200 million records worldwide and released seven studio albums and two soundtrack albums, all certified diamond, multi-platinum, platinum, or gold. Houston was the only artist to chart seven consecutive No. 1 Billboard Hot 100 hits and the second artist after Elton John to have two number-one Billboard 200 albums on the year-end charts.
Her 1985 debut album, Whitney Houston, was the best-selling debut album by a woman and was named the best album of 1986 by Rolling Stone. Her second album, Whitney (1987), was the first by a woman to debut at number one on the Billboard 200. Houston starred in The Bodyguard (1992), whose soundtrack won the 1994 Grammy for Album of the Year. The lead single, "I Will Always Love You," won Record of the Year and is the best-selling single by a woman in history. The Bodyguard soundtrack made her the top female act on the best-selling albums list, at number four. She also starred in Waiting to Exhale (1995) and The Preacher's Wife (1996), with the latter's soundtrack becoming the best-selling gospel album ever. Houston died on February 11, 2012, from accidental drowning with heart disease and cocaine use as contributing factors. Her death coincided with the 2012 Grammy Awards and received extensive media coverage.
United States
