The Choices We Make

To die at 48 ... for such a brilliant talent is such a waste. Literally grew up with Whitney's music. She was nothing short of amazing, her voice, ... We all should be responsible for our actions and decisions in life. Her downfall was when she hooked up with Bobby Brown, you can basically trace her drug use and abuse from that moment onwards.

Whitney Houston, who reigned as pop music's queen until her majestic voice and regal image were ravaged by drug use, erratic behavior and a tumultuous marriage to singer Bobby Brown, has died. She was 48.

The singer's publicist, Kristen Foster, confirmed the news.

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Dead at 48 ... Whitney Houston. Photo: AP

US police said Houston was found dead in a room at the Beverly Hilton hotel in Los Angeles. Her cause of death is unknown.

At her peak, Houston was the golden girl of the music industry. From the middle 1980s to the late 1990s, she was one of the world's best-selling artists. She wowed audiences with effortless, powerful, and peerless vocals that were rooted in the black church but made palatable to the masses with a pop sheen.

Her success carried her beyond music to movies, where she starred in hits like The Bodyguard and Waiting to Exhale.

Top-selling artist ... Whitney Houston bows after performing "I Didn't Know My Own Strength" at the American Music Awards in Los Angeles, California in November 2009 Photo: Getty Images

She had the perfect voice and the perfect image: a gorgeous singer who had sex appeal but was never overtly sexual, who maintained perfect poise.

She influenced a generation of younger singers, from Christina Aguilera to Mariah Carey, who when she first came out sounded so much like Houston that many thought it was Houston.

But by the end of her career, Houston became a stunning cautionary tale of the toll of drug use. Her album sales plummeted and the hits stopped coming; her once serene image was shattered by a wild demeanour and bizarre public appearances. She confessed to abusing cocaine, marijuana and pills, and her once pristine voice became raspy and hoarse, unable to hit the high notes as she had during her prime.

Whitney Houston has died, aged 48. Photo: Michael Clayton-Jones

"The biggest devil is me. I'm either my best friend or my worst enemy," Houston told ABC's Diane Sawyer in an infamous 2002 interview with then-husband Brown by her side.

It was a tragic fall for a superstar who was one of the top-selling artists in pop music history, with more than 55 million records sold in the United States alone.

She seemed to be born into greatness. She was the daughter of gospel singer Cissy Houston, the cousin of 1960s pop diva Dionne Warwick and the goddaughter of Aretha Franklin.

Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/lifestyle/celebrity/whitney-houston-dead-20120212-1sz7p.html#ixzz1m8F4ZJrb