Remembering Whitney Houston

Arguably the greatest voice in the history of recorded music, Whitney Houston’s death is a tragic and senseless loss.
The singer was found dead in her hotel bathroom, submerged in the bathtub on Saturday, February 12, just one day before the GRAMMY awards, for which she was in town.
Official autopsy results will not be available for a few weeks, but preliminary investigations allude to cause of death from a mixture of prescriptions medication and alcohol.
Houston, who was raised in a Baptist church, reigned the air waves throughout the 80s and in 1991, with her incomparable take on “I Will Always Love You,” solidified her place as one of the greatest singers of all time.

Members of the CCM community have come forward with their own expressions of sympathy and reflection for a legacy artist gone far too soon.

“I remember singing Whitney Houston’s version of ‘Jesus Loves Me’ growing up, and one of my favorite movies was The Preachers Wife. I know Whitney loved God. It’s a tragedy her demons kept her down, but I hope she is in heaven now singing with the angels. The entertainment world lost one of its most beautiful voices.” – Lara Landon

“I remember first being introduced to Whitney Houston by my older sister. She had a Whitney Houston cassette, and we listened to it while riding around in her Toyota Corolla. I remember being blown away by this voice. Who was this? A few years later, I was thrilled to hear that Whitney would be singing the National Anthem at the Super Bowl, and in my own hometown, at Tampa Stadium! A worrying child by nature, I had been full of anxiety for months as our nation slowly drifted toward the first Gulf War. Now we were there, and we needed encouragement. At least I did. Boy, did Whitney provide it. I think I knew instinctively even then, as she lifted her arms in triumph at the song’s finale and jets from MacDill Air Force base flew over her head, that this moment was special. This performance would be the new standard. And it has remained so for more than 20 years.”

“Her voice was a treasure, no doubt. But even more than that was her ability to communicate a song from someplace deep within her. She could wring every emotion from a lyric without ever moving away from her microphone stand. I am so sad that her talent was taken from us too soon. And I truly hope that the many gospel songs she sang with such conviction were coming from someplace real, that she knew the One she was singing about.”
 – Sam and Laura Allen of No Other Name

For more on Houston’s life, death and legacy, check out the March issue of CCM Magazine available in March at TodaysChristianMusic.com and CCMMagazine.com.