Whitney Houston dead at 48 (From The Northern Echo)
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Whitney Houston dead at 48
10:29am Sunday 12th February 2012 in News
Whitney Houston pictured at Newcastle Metro Arena in 2010
Tributes have poured in for troubled American singer and actress Whitney Houston, who has died at the age of 48.
The death of the Grammy award-winning star - one of the worlds best-selling artists in the 1980s and 1990s - was confirmed by her publicist.
Los Angeles police said the singer, who had battled with drug addiction, was found in her hotel room on the fourth floor of the Beverly Hilton late yesterday.
Following the news, which came on the eve of this years Grammys ceremony, fellow celebrities and contemporaries lined up to pay their respects.
She last appeared in the North-East when she played at Newcastle's Metro Arena in April, 2010.
Music mogul Simon Cowell described Houston as one of the greatest singers of all time.
He wrote on Twitter: "I am so sad to hear about Whitney. We have lost one of the greatest singers of all time."
The cause of Houston's death is unclear, but detectives have launched an investigation.
The singer, most famous for 'I Will Always Love You' and 'Saving All My Love', won multiple Grammys including album and record of the year, selling millions of albums and singles worldwide.
She also carried her success into the film industry, appearing in hit movies including The Bodyguard.
However, her career began to unravel as she battled with drug addiction, spending various spells in rehab.
Her powerful voice began to suffer because of her demons prompting record sales to nosedive and in 2007 she split from husband Bobby Brown after 15 years of marriage.
Last week Houston was pictured looking dishevelled and disorientated as she left a Hollywood nightclub with daughter Bobbi Kristina after performing at a pre-Grammy party.
Recent reports suggested that the soul star was on the brink of bankruptcy, while others said she was being lined-up by Cowell as a judge on the American equivalent of the X Factor.
Houston had made a comeback in 2009 releasing a new album after seven years off the scene. She revealed that her life began to spiral out of control after her 1992 success in The Bodyguard.
Detectives said paramedics unsuccessfully tried to resuscitate the singer, who was pronounced dead at 3.55pm local time.
Houston was due to appear at the LA gala of musics biggest occasion - the Grammy Awards - later tonight (early Monday UK time) and had also been at rehearsals for the show, coaching singers Brandy and Monica.
