Not since the seemingly abrupt death of music superstar Michael Jackson on June 25, 2009 (which many found less surprising in retrospect) has a pop music death shocked and saddened music fans like tonight's announcement of the passing of top-selling pop diva Whitney Houston. Never a huge fan of either artist - both of whom dominated parts of the '80s to remarkable levels - I am nonetheless stunned and shaken by this recent news. Whitney Houston was quite simply one of pop music's most successful crossover superstars between 1985 and 1995, her peak years as a recording artist, concert performer and film actress. Therefore, her very public decline as an entertainer over the last 15 years has been sad to observe on many levels. Nevertheless, I never dreamed I'd be seeing a headline like this, despite the wide knowledge of Houston's admitted struggles with substance abuse.
Wow, what the hell else is there to say? More details of Houston's death will surely trickle in over the next few days, and speculation that drugs were the prime culprit will also bubble up freely until definitive answers become available. But for now I'll just take this opportunity to mourn the loss of a highly talented, once-vital human being who built a legion of fans, admirers and personal contacts over the years who are surely hurting right now. We can all speak later of Houston's monumental achievements as a pop singer; for now perhaps we can all agree on an earnest hope that Houston may now rest in peace on whatever plane where that might be possible.
- Top Whitney Houston Songs of the '80s
- Essential Artists of the '80s
- Top Singles of the '80s
Album Cover Image Courtesy of Arista
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