We ‘will always love you’

Israelis hold fond memories of Whitney Houston’s 2003 visit

The late Whitney Houston performing at the GMA awards in 2009. (photo credit: CC BY-SA Asterix611, Flickr)
The late Whitney Houston performing at the GMA awards in 2009. (photo credit: CC BY-SA Asterix611, Flickr)

Whitney Houston, who ruled as pop music’s queen until her majestic voice was ravaged by drug use and her regal image was tarnished by erratic behavior and a tumultuous marriage to singer Bobby Brown, died on the eve of the Grammy Awards she once reigned over. She was 48.

Houston was pronounced dead Saturday afternoon in her room on the fourth floor of the Beverly Hilton, Beverly Hills police Lt. Mark Rosen said. “There were no obvious signs of any criminal intent,” he said.

The cause of death was unknown, said Houston’s publicist, Kristen Foster.

Houston’s death came on the night before music’s biggest showcase, the Grammys. She will be remembered Sunday in a tribute by Jennifer Hudson, organizers said. Houston had been at rehearsals for the show Thursday, coaching singers Brandy and Monica, according to a person who was at the event but was not authorized to speak publicly about it. The person said Houston looked disheveled, was sweating profusely and liquor and cigarettes could be smelled on her breath.

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

On multiple occasions during her stellar career she expressed her deep belief and connection to the land of Israel. Houston visited Israel in 2003 and was baptized in the Jordan River. Expressing her love for the country, Israel 21c quoted her saying, “I’ve never felt like this in any other country. I feel at home, I feel wonderful.”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=cDuzaTTMtZ0

Her bond to Israel and her unfaltering Christian faith are clearly expressed in her performance of the Academy Award-winning song “When You Believe” with Mariah Carey for the film “Prince of Egypt.”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r1NAfA2dLn8&feature=related

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.

 

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