Ratu muzik pop Whitney Houston meninggal dunia

LOS ANGELES – Whitney Houston, yang mencipta nama sebagai ratu muzik pop selain diselubungi pelbagai kontroversi termasuk isu dadah dan masalah rumah tangga, meninggal dunia semalam, demikian menurut laporan media. Mendiang berusia 48 tahun.

Jurucakapnya, Kristen Foster mengesahkan Houston telah meninggal dunia semalam.

Jabatan Polis Beverly Hills telah memberikan respons kepada panggilan telefon kecemasan yang diterima dari Beverly Hills Hotel semalam, kata seorang pegawai polis.

Bagaimanapun punca sebenar kematian belum diketahui buat masa sekarang.

Penyanyi pop legenda dan pelakon itu, yang pernah menguasai dunia muzik Amerika Syarikat pada 1980-an dan 1990-an, ditemui mati di hotel tersebut.

“Pada jam 3.55 petang (semalam, waktu tempatan), Whitney Houston diisytihar meninggal dunia di sebuah hotel di Beverly Hills,” kata pegawai polis Lt Mark Rosen.

Katanya, tiada tanda yang jelas berlakunya sebarang kejadian jenayah di bilik digunakan artis itu.

"Kes sedang disiasat oleh polis Beverly Hills,” kataya.

Houston mula menceburkan diri dalam bidang lakonan pada 1992 menerusi filem The Bodyguard dan seterusnya membintangi dua filem lagi iaitu Waiting To Exhale (1995) dan The Preacher’s Wife (1996).

"Pemenang anugerah Grammy sebanyak enam kali, Whitney Houston, salah seorang penyanyi hebat di dunia, yang telah meninggalkan nama dalam dunia muzik sejak tiga dekad lalu," kata Neil Portnow, Presiden dan Ketua Pegawai Eksekutif The Recording Academy dalam satu kenyataan. SH

Whitney Houston meninggal dunia pada usia 48 tahun

LOS ANGELES: Ratu muzik pop, Whitney Houston yang terbabit dalam penggunaan dadah meninggal dunia awal pagi tadi pada usia 48 tahun.

Polis Beverly Hills, Leftenan Mark Rosen, berkata Whitney disahkan mati pada jam 3.55 pagi di dalam biliknya di Hotel Beverly Hilton.

Mayatnya kini masih berada di hotel berkenaan dan anggota polis sedang menyiasat punca kematian.

Pegawai peribadi Whitney, Kristen Foster, berkata punca kematian penyanyi pop itu masih tidak diketahui. - BH

Whitney Houston dead at 48

February 12, 2012

She was found on the floor of her room on a hotel's fourth floor as attempts were being made to resuscitate her.

LOS ANGELES: Grammy-winning pop legend and actress Whitney Houston was found dead Saturday in Beverly Hills, police said. She was 48.

The shock news came as the music industry gathered in Los Angeles for the annual Grammy awards show on Sunday, and a few hours ahead of a traditional pre-Grammys dinner in the hotel where Houston died.

Musicians took to Twitter to pay tribute to the singer, famous for songs including “I Will Always Love You,” who had led a public battle with drugs.

“Heartbroken and in tears over the shocking death of my friend … She will never be forgotten as one of the greatest voices to ever grace the earth,” wrote Mariah Carey.

Police confirmed her death in a brief statement outside the Beverly Hilton hotel, where stars were gathering for an annual pre-Grammys dinner hosted by veteran producer Clive Davis.

“At 3:55 pm, Whitney Houston was pronounced dead at the Beverly Hilton hotel,” said Mark Rosen, a police spokesman.

Rosen said police received an emergency call from someone in her entourage and found Houston on the floor of her room on the hotel’s fourth floor as attempts were being made to resuscitate her.

“There were no obvious signs of criminal intent at this time, and it is being investigated by the Beverly Hills police department,” the police spokesman added.

The cause of death was not immediately known.

A mobile crime laboratory and a number of police cars were stationed outside the hotel, while inside guests watched live television coverage about Houston’s death in the bar and lobby areas.

Shocked fans

Condolences poured in on Twitter from shocked fans and from the famous, as sadness over the news spread through the entertainment world.

“We have lost another legend. Love and prayers to Whitney’s family. She will be missed,” said Christina Aguilera, while Rihanna wrote simply: “No words! Just tears #DearWhitney.”

Grammys organizers the Recording Academy are scrambling to include some kind of tribute to Houston in Sunday’s show at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, according to CNN.

With a ferociously powerful voice and a dazzling range, Houston achieved stardom as a pop-soul singer known as “The Voice” and the “Queen of Pop.” She also appeared in hit movies like “Waiting to Exhale” and “The Bodyguard.”

From a musical family that included mother Cissy Houston, a gospel star, and Dionne Warwick, her cousin, Whitney Houston started out as a teen model and then made a dazzling segue to music.

Her hits included “How Will I Know,” “Saving all My Love for You,” and “I Will Always Love You.”

Houston’s trove of six Grammy awards included one for record of the year — for a soaring cover of Dolly Parton’s “I Will Always Love You,” and another for album of the year for “The Bodyguard.”

Houston, who grew up in New Jersey, was also a supporter of the anti-apartheid movement and South Africa’s Nelson Mandela, on whose behalf she campaigned during his imprisonment.

Drug abuse

She struggled with substance abuse, which took a toll on her health and career.

Houston has sold more than 170 million records worldwide but suffered a major career setback after admitting drug use during an abusive relationship with ex-husband Bobby Brown.

Brown was one of the hottest rhythm and blues singers in the late 1980s and early 90s, but became better known as the husband of Houston and for his frequent brushes with drugs and the law.

The pair, who were divorced in 2007, starred in a television reality series, “Being Bobby Brown,” that featured their marriage, warts and all. They have a daughter Bobbi Kristina.

Brown was detained in Atlanta in 1993 for lewd conduct and for brawling in 1995. He was arrested for drunk driving in 1996 and for alleged battery of Houston in late 2003. - AFP