Remembering Whitney Houston's Remarkable Career
The icon would have been 60 years old today.
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On what would have been her 60th birthday, we remember the remarkable Whitney Houston. With her mesmerizing voice, powerful performances, and countless chart-topping hits, Whitney became an iconic figure in the music world. Although she passed away in 2012 at 48, her talent will forever shine bright. Happy birthday, Whitney Houston!
Photo By Photo by Suzie Gibbons/Redferns
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Cover Girl - Even before Clive Davis discovered her tremendous singing talent, a modeling scout noticed Whitney for her cover girl good looks. In the early 1980s, she appeared in Glamour, Cosmopolitan and was even one of the first Black women to grace to cover of Seventeen. (Photo by Ebet Roberts/Redferns)
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Whitney Houston - With the release of her self-titled debut album in 1985, there was no looking back for Whitney. Early hits such as "Saving All My Love for You" and "How Will I Know" made her a music superstar. (Photo: Paul Natkin/WireImage)
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You Never Forget Your First - By the end of her career, she had amassed enough awards to form her own army of statuettes (415 to be exact), but it all started with her first Grammy win in 1986 for Best Pop Vocal Performance for "Saving All My Love for You." (Photo: dpa /Landov)
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Record Smasher - While critics claimed Whitney's second album, titled Whitney, sounded too much like her first, listeners couldn't get enough. Whitney became the first female artist in history to debut at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 albums chart, and she scored a record seven consecutive top hits. (Photo: Ron Galella, Ltd./WireImage)
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A Voice for Justice - A supporter of Nelson Mandela and his anti-apartheid movement, in 1988 Houston joined other musicians to perform at Wembley Stadium in London to celebrate a then-imprisoned Mandela's 70th birthday. The event raised $1 million for charities and brought awareness to the apartheid movement. (Photo: Darlene Hammond/Hulton Archive/Getty Images)
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America, the Beautiful - Whitney's performance of "The Star-Spangled Banner" at the Super Bowl in 1991 — while America was entangled in the Persian Gulf War — drew such an overwhelming response that it was released as a single along with a video of her heartfelt performance. (Photo: Ron Galella, Ltd./WireImage)
Photo By Ron Galella
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The Bodyguard - With her gorgeous face and undeniable presence on camera, offers from Hollywood had been pouring in for years. But Houston waited until 1992 to make her big-screen debut opposite Kevin Costner in The Bodyguard. Again and audiences loved it. The film went on to gross $410 million at the box office. (Photo: REUTERS/Mark Peterson /Landov)
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Hat Trick - Most artists could retire after seven consecutive number-one hits, but Whitney beat herself at her own game when she scored three simultaneous chart toppers in 1992: "I Will Always Love You," "I Have Nothing" and "I'm Every Woman" -- all from the Bodyguard soundtrack. (Photo: Ebet Roberts/Redferns)
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Part of History - At the peak of her career in 1994, Houston took a break from film premieres and sold-out tours to honor just-elected South African president Nelson Mandela by playing three concerts in his newly unified nation. She became the first international performer to visit the country post-apartheid. (Photo: MARK CARDWELL/AFP/Getty Images)
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Waiting to Exhale and The Preacher's Wife - With her big-screen credentials in check, Houston followed up her star-making turn in The Bodyguard with back-to-back hits Waiting to Exhale, opposite Angela Bassett and Lela Rochon, and The Preacher's Wife, with Denzel Washington. Houston earned $10 million for the latter role, making her one of the highest paid actresses in Hollywood at the time. (Photo: Jan Persson/Redferns)
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Back to the Studio - After taking an extended break from the studio to pursue her movie career, Whitney recorded her first album in eight years in 1998. My Love Is Your Love became a monster hit, which included Wyclef Jean, Kelly Price, Faith Evans and more. (Photo: Ron Galella/WireImage)
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Silver Lining - In 2001, Houston signed the most lucrative recording contract in music history with Arista/BMG: $100 million for six new albums. (Photo: Larry Busacca/WireImage)
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Being Bobby Brown - Whitney stole the spotlight once again when she appeared on husband Bobby Brown's Bravo reality show, Being Bobby Brown. The reality show aired for one season in 2005. (Photo: L. Cohen/WireImage)
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Comeback - After a decade, Whitney came back to the studio for I Look to You in 2009. The album debuted at No. one, earning her stellar opening-week sales, proving the The Voice still had it. (Photo: Larry Busacca/Getty Images For The Recording Academy)
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