That voice. That incredible, otherworldly voice. Whitney Houston was born with a gift so exceptional she was convinced it came from God. This bright-eyed kid from New Jersey — daughter to acclaimed soul singer Cissy Houston, cousin to Dionne Warwick and close family friend to Aretha Franklin — seemed destined for pop music royalty, and for more than a decade she bestrode the world as one of its biggest hit makers and Hollywood box-office draws. She shattered records and broke down barriers with iconic tracks like "Saving All My Love for You" and "I Will Always Love You," kicking open the doors of pop radio and the MTV airwaves for Black women and other women of color. But even as Houston's star was still in the ascent, she faced brutal scrutiny from the media and backlash from her fans over her race, her sexuality and her drug use, while her messy marriage to R&B bad boy Bobby Brown reduced her personal struggles to a cruel punch line. Ten years on from "The Prom Queen of Soul's" tragic death at the age of 48 in February 2012. This special commemorative magazine, full of iconic images and unforgettable moments, paints an intimate moment of a talent whose work will always shine brightly.
WHITNEY
WE WILL ALWAYS LOVE Whitney
Dancing WITH THE STARS • Whitney Houston’s dramatic story will be brought back to life with the authorized movie I Wanna Dance With Somebody.
KNOW YOUR ROLES • Meet the actors who lead the cast of the late singer’s commemorative film.
THE GIRL WHO ALMOST Had It All • The future star grew up an outcast in a suburb of New Jersey, but found her calling as a singer in the church.
BROTHERS’ KEEPERS • The singer took after her older siblings.
Bittersweet INSPIRATION • Cissy Houston and her what-might-have-been singing career set the tone for her daughter’s enormous successes.
SISTERS IN ARMS • These are the women in Whitney Houston’s family (and almost family) who shaped her.
A POP SUPERSTAR Is Born • Groomed for greatness by her parents and Clive Davis, the singer became an overnight sensation with her record-breaking debut album.
MATERIAL GIRL • The high school beauty moonlighted as a fashion model before she hit the music charts.
BIG BOSS MAN • Clive Davis carefully packaged the young singer for the masses.
THE REVOLUTION WAS Televised • The gifted vocalist helped lead a breakthrough for Black women in the early years of MTV.
AN ADVERTISER’S DREAM • The marketable singer solidified her fame through a series of TV commercials.
NOBODY’S Baby • The vocal giant’s runaway success continued with her second album, Whitney, but the pressures of critics and Black listeners began to overtake her life.
FODDER FOR THE RUMOR MILL • Robyn Crawford was the singer’s most trusted confidante, and alleged lover.
MAGNIFICENT SEVEN • She impressively beat The Beatles with her run of No. 1 singles.
Home FREE • The singer reinvented “The Star-Spangled Banner” at the 1991 Super Bowl.
O SAY CAN YOU SING • A salute to the (next) best renditions of the national anthem.
ESSENTIAL Songs • The stories behind some of her most iconic tracks.
Queen OF THE BIG SCREEN • The chanteuse added “Hollywood ‘It’ Girl” to her list of accolades when she headlined the blockbuster movie The Bodyguard.
HELLO, DOLLY! • How Whitney Houston made the country icon’s classic her most enduring hit.
Count ON ME • The performer used her star power to lift up Black women in films like Waiting to Exhale and The Preacher’s Wife.
TWO IN A MILLION • Aaliyah and later Jordin Sparks were both hand-picked by Whitney Houston to star in her remake of Sparkle.
Bad Boy PREROGATIVE • The legend’s tumultuous...