Music legend Whitney Houston who rose to international prominence in her self-titled album in February 1985, would have been 50 today. Rolling Stone, upon listening to the tracks in her first album, called Houston, "one of the most exciting new voices in years." The New York Times, at the time, called the Whitney Houston's album "an impressive, musically conservative showcase for an exceptional vocal talent."
The New Jersey-born Houston died February 11, 2012 when she drowned in scalding hot water in her bathtub. In Whitney's final flight to where the Houstons moved in 1967, she was not surrounded by the people who truly cherished and loved the superstar. Reports at the time say, only very few aboard the plane are close to the singer. Pat Houston, her sister-in-law and her cousin Dionne Warwick were there. Also aboard that plane that Monday afternoon was 'entertainment consultant' Raffles van Exel who met the 'The Bodyguard' star on one of her concert tours. Raffles van Exel somehow wriggled into Whitney's circle and became close to the singer.
On the day she died, Houston was supposed to film a commercial for van Exel's business but reports say he was able to get a snapshot of Whitney in her casket. He then sold it for millions of dollars.
"Her family couldn't even protect her in death," a friend of Houston told reporters. "They had the person on the plane with her body that took her picture in the casket. That tells you a lot about the life she was living."
Today is Houston's 50th birthday and while some celebrate her life and her many successes in the music industry, many fans and those who truly love the singer are still mourning her death. The loss of an icon was difficult enough for Hollywood but her being lost in such a tragic scenario is heartbreaking.
