Whitney Houston: Talent Personified

Another superstar icon has departed us, and despite the world’s collective shock, we all saw this one coming.

Whitney Houston’s death on Saturday was the bitter end to both a majestic and tragic life. What she represented to her fans—and the truth exposed by the personal demons that haunted her must clearly have been worlds apart, but many of us felt this death more acutely than others.

Why?

Perhaps it was because we felt we knew her. She was the beautiful and talented singer of superstar lineage, one who was blessed with a voice from heaven. The deaths of tormented artists couldn’t befall HER, could they?

Here’s the video of her hit song “The Greatest Love of All”:



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IYzlVDlE72w

Ironic that the lyrics of that song refer to “love of self” as the greatest love of all. Loving oneself, accepting oneself were the values espoused, but perhaps not actually lived out by the singer herself

Since the news, I’ve been struck by the number of people who blame her husband and co-addict Bobby Brown. That this “bad boy” of rap would appeal to Whitney was the stuff of tabloid trash back in the 80’s. Frankly, that same thought occurred to me as well.

It was all his fault.

Well, no, not really. She was a grown woman who made her own decisions, but I’ll always believe that were it not for that destructive relationship, Whitney would not only still be with us, but her career would still be going strong.


I was a DJ in Ellsworth, Maine when that first album came out in 1985. I have never seen an artist rocket from total obscurity to complete and total superstardom in such a short period of time. Even Michael Jackson-already famous from the Jackson Five—had only minor success with his solo project “Off The Wall”. When “Thriller” was released, we all heard the future hits that would define his trajectory.

With Whitney, her mother’s minor renown and her relation to Dionne Warwick were the only elements that foreshadowed the career that would follow.

NBC may own the TV rights to “The Voice”---but Whitney really was THE VOICE. Soaring, crystal clear and commanding, yet sensual and inviting, the young Ms. Houston could do it all. Straight ahead pop, dance and beautiful ballads, she handled them all with apparent ease.

As the hits piled up, the Grammys and other awards accumulated and sales records were broken, I suppose it only made sense for Whitney to segue to the big screen.

While never touted as a threat to Meryl Streep, I thought her to be a pretty good actress. Her movie, “The Preachers Wife” was filmed in part in Portland, Maine—and I recall vividly the excitement of this town as she and co-star Denzel Washington descended on the city. It seemed that everyone in town wanted to be an “extra” for the skating scene in Deering Oaks Park—and a great many of them were!


How then, is it possible that someone with so much talent, beauty, poise and wealth could degenerate into the frail and insecure woman we saw on TV in recent years? How can it be that this icon of music whose rendition of the “Star-Spangled Banner” at a Super Bowl in the 90’s still gives us goose bumps—and yet, whose voice failed her onstage when millions were watching?

The devastating effects of drugs are, of course, to blame. These substances---pills, cocaine, you name it—and the person closest to her who enabled and fed that dependency are the smoking gun.

There is perhaps no greater illustration as we teach our children to stay away from drugs than to point to Whitney Houston. That these substances could take away someone so vital and compelling is appalling—and frightening.

So, as much as she gave to the world---her contributions of music and performances both in concert and onscreen, it very well may be that her biggest contribution is yet to come----that of a deterrent to those who seek escape though the use of substances.

It’s too late for Whitney, but maybe not for some of her fans—who may now make better choices.

She had the voice of an angel.
Now, she is one.

If you’d like my blog in your box, just let me know: tim.moore@cumulus.com