Legendary pop star Whitney Houston died on February 11, 2012, at the fourth floor of the Beverly Hilton Hotel. The Beverly Hills Police Department declared her dead after letting paramedics spend almost 20 minutes trying to revive her. Miss Houston's cause of death remains uncertain up to this moment.
Although authorities have ruled out any criminal design but speculations rife over drug use and misconceptions on antidepressant overdose. The incident happened at the eve of the music's industry's most prestigious award-giving event, the Grammy Awards.
She was invited to a pre-Grammy event at the same hotel by her mentor, Clive Davis, who was hosting the event. Miss Houston, a six time Grammy award winner, was set to perform at the Grammy's and has commenced filming a movie with American Idol winner Jordin Sparks called "Sparkle".
Born Whitney Elizabeth Houston on August 9, 1963, she brought with her a strong tie with gospel music being the daughter of Cissy Houston, cousins with Dionne Warwick and the goddaughter of Aretha Franklin. From her humble beginnings in Newark, New Jersey, Miss Houston was named as the greatest female artist of this generation who could sing within three octaves and could belt it out flawlessly and magnificently.
Her voice was very flexible and was rich with soul and power. In her bag, she collected hundreds of awards including two Emmy Awards, 30 Billboard Music Awards and 22 American Music Awards. She has a daughter from former husband Bobby Brown whom she named Bobbi Kristina. Houston's career went downward spiral when she was reported to have been abusing drugs and suffering from depression.
With the failure of her marriage with Bobbi Brown and her dwindling movie and musical career, she admitted to Oprah Winfrey in an interview that she had hit rock bottom and is on the slippery, steep road towards recovery. Her issue with cocaine and antidepressant abuse became publicized after they led to the deterioration of her once-so-opulent singing voice.
Many fans were disappointed in her come-back concerts as she failed to hit the high notes and that her voice had become scratchy. Anxiety has also taken its toll on her daughter Bobbi Kristina when she went hysterical at the time of her mother's death when she was prohibited from entering the hotel room of her mother just moments after the latter's death.
Depression is a very serious issue which may lead to the destruction of a life or a possible loss of a loved one. As for the indications of depression, the use of antidepressants, the side effects of Paxil use, or various types of therapy, the public needs to take its share of education and awareness. According to the World Health Organization, $40 million have been spent to cover productivity losses due to depression. This mental disorder has been declared as one of the leading causes of disability in the United States.
REFERENCES:
- http://www.nytimes.com/2012/02/12/arts/music/whitney-houston-dies.
- html http://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/2012/02/11/whitney-houston-dies-at-48/
- http://articles.cnn.com/2012-02-12/entertainment/showbiz_whitney-houston-death_1_whitney-houston-bobbi-kristina-music-exec?_s=PM:SHOWBIZ
- http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-207_162-57376028/singer-whitney-houston-dies-at-48
- http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/02/12/us-usa-whitneyhouston-idUSTRE81B01020120212
- http://www.forbes.com/sites/trialandheirs/2012/01/30/whitney-houston-denies-shes-broke-wins-lawsuit-vs-step-mom/