It was 1985 the first time I took notice of Whitney Houston. I was a little girl, standing by mother’s record player, holding her pastel-colored album in my hands. Whitney looked back at me with sparkling eyes and glowing brown skin. She was so beautiful and I wanted to be like her. I danced around the house in my bright neon clothes singing, “How Will I Know” and “The Greatest Love Of All.”
As the years passed, Whitney sold millions of albums and won six Grammy Awards. Movie fans probably know her best from her role in “The Bodyguard,” but I’ll always remember her performance in “Waiting To Exhale.” She gave a voice to sisters everywhere who were fed up with bad relationships. Unfortunately for Whitney, art and life were intertwined… from her troubled marriage with Bobby Brown to her longtime struggle with addiction.
While the mainstream media turned Whitney into a punchline, she continued to decline. I have watched several people close to me struggle with addiction. Whether it’s drugs, alcohol, food or another vice, under the surface is a world of pain. The road to recovery must have been very hard for Whitney under the public eye. If anything positive can come out of the tragedy of her untimely death, I hope we can all learn to judge each other less and love each other more.
Whitney’s music touched me personally. When I broke up with my first boyfriend, I played “Where Do Broken Hearts Go” over and over again until I found the strength to move on. The day I got my dream job, I listened to her version of “I’m Every Woman.” My husband brings to mind her recent song “Million Dollar Bill” because he has that effect on me. Whitney shared her incredible gift of song with all of us.
As I reflect on Whitney’s life, it makes me wonder about the costly demands of being a superstar. I couldn’t imagine the constant flashing of paparazzi cameras whenever I left my house. It’s impossible for me to picture a life of limited personal space and harsh public scrutiny. The pressures would be overwhelming to say the least. Maybe Whitney would have been happier being a stay-at-home mom and singing in church choirs and venues around Newark, New Jersey. A life without the turmoil of fame and fortune might have been more fulfilling.