Whitney Houston!: The Spectacular Rise and Tragic Fall of the Woman Whose Voice Inspired a Generation

by Mark Bego

Overview

Whitney Houston (1963–2012) was a superstar. Few in the world of show business reach the career heights that she attained with what seemed such ease. Her megastardom peaked in 1992 with the release of the hit movie The Bodyguard and the international Number One hit “I Will Always Love You.” The movie soundtrack still stands as one of the bestselling albums of all time. She won six Grammy Awards, two Emmy Awards, thirty Billboard Music Awards, and twenty-two American Music Awards, and amassed a vast fortune. Her death has shocked the entertainment world and her fans.

Whitney Houston! traces the life of this American icon. Here is her childhood in Newark, New Jersey, growing up in a family with a strong musical legacy. Her mother, Cissy, sang professionally with such stars as Aretha Franklin. Her cousin was Dionne Warwick. Share the joy as Whitney signs with Arista Records and the legendary Clive Davis and becomes an international star. Here superstar biographer Mark Bego offers a unique look at her family and immense talent, the secrets behind her years of erratic behavior, the truth about her tumultuous marriage to bad boy Bobby Brown, her mother’s desperate attempt to control her, her dynamic final film role in Sparkle (which will be released posthumously), and the events that led up to her tragic death.

Whitney Houston! will stand as a singular tribute to, and a revealing look at, one of the great superstars of our time.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781620872574
Publisher:	Skyhorse
Publication date:	03/02/2012
Sold by:	SIMON & SCHUSTER
Format:	eBook
Pages:	256
File size:	2 MB

About the Author

Mark Bego is a New York Times best-selling author of sixty-two books on rock ‘n’ roll, country music, and show business. Heralded in Publisher's Weekly as "The Prince of Pop Music Bios,” his biographies have covered Aretha Franklin, Whitney Houston, Michael Jackson, and Billy Joel, with 11 million copies of his books in print. Bego lives in Tucson, Arizona.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments ix

Prologue: "Grammy Eve, Saturday, February 11, 2012" xi

Introduction: "Didn't She Used to Have It All?" xiii

Chapter 1 "Whitney's Famous Family" 1

Chapter 2 "A Charmed Childhood" 17

Chapter 3 "The Teenage Years" 25

Chapter 4 "Enter: Clive Davis" 33

Chapter 5 "Her Brilliant Career" 43

Chapter 6 "The Glamorous Life" 53

Chapter 7 "Conflicting Rumors" 63

Chapter 8 "One Tough Diva" 75

Chapter 9 "Bobby Brown and The Bodyguard" 81

Chapter 10 "Life as a Movie Star" 97

Chapter 11 "It Begins to Unravel" 115

Chapter 12 "I Fought the Law" 125

Chapter 13 "Whatchulookinat?" 145

Chapter 14 "Whitney: Her Dramatic Fall" 167

Chapter 15 "Like I Never Left" 181

Chapter 16 "Heartbreak Hotel" 197

Quote Sources 207

Whitney Houston: Discography 209

Awards 213

About the Author 221

Editorial Reviews

To me, Whitney was THE VOICE. We got to hear a part of God every time she sang.

Oprah Winfrey

Whitney Houston was the greatest singer I’ve ever heard and she will be truly missed.

Tony Bennett

Whitney, I will always love you. You will be missed.

Dolly Parton