Houston’s bodyguard found her body in her room in the Beverly Hilton hotel in Beverly Hills, California. She had been scheduled to appear at a gala on the eve of the Grammy award ceremonies, music’s biggest night.
Like her fellow African-American Michael Jackson, who died young, Houston, while best known as a singer, conquered multiple entertainment platforms and influenced countless artists soon after bursting into the industry.
The slew of 415 career accolades that she received as of 2010 were given not only by peers and fans in the world of music, but also by award-giving bodies in cinema, television and women’s circles around the planet
As a testament to Houston’s global significance, online editions of magazines and newspapers from different countries featured story, photo and music video packages on the chanteuse hours after her demise.
Houston influenced generations of musicians even in the Philippines, where artists such as Lani Misalucha and Regine Velasquez refer to her as their idol and the likes of Gary Valenciano, Aiza Seguerra and Charice Pempengco registered grief at her passing.
As the most awarded female artist in history according to Guinness World Records, Houston to many symbolized high human achievement, but she was also a sign of the vulnerability that comes with a high profile and pressure to succeed that has driven many a talent to a phalanx of addictions.
Her inability to grab the handle on personal troubles including a failed marriage and reportedly suicidal daughter in the last 10 years of her career was worsened in part by her consumption of harmful, illegal drugs. She had used these to the detriment of her pipes and consequently the disappointment of her many listeners.
On top of this, Houston had been a smoker and alcoholic. The vices fuel speculation, even while the coroner is still out, that her system simply succumbed to the harmful substances she looked to for ease from burdens.
Still, in an era when cyber-bullying is rampant and it is often easy to issue, under the cloak of pseudonyms, snide remarks about artists or any public figure who become gossip fodder by virtue of their struggles, it is prudent to withhold judgment and instead take Houston’s falls as a message of caution for those who aim high at whatsoever field of endeavor they are engaged in (and their supporters, too).
Meanwhile, the younger set would do well to take some time to appreciate Houston’s work, especially as a vocalist and vocal arranger, thereby reeducating themselves in tasteful musical choices amid the wilderness of discordant beats and bleats passed off as music that are now inflicted on listeners everywhere.