We look back at the premature end to the Bodyguard actress’ life after selling more than 170 million albums and winning six Grammys.
Whitney Houston was once the dazzling star of pop music, but her life was in ruins.
The How Will I Know singer was just 48 when she died, after battling drug addiction for decades. Despite entering rehab on numerous occasions, Whitney had been unable to break free from the addictive substances that shaped her life.
Shockingly, the star earned £76 million over the years but by the time of her death in 2012, her fortune was all gone. We take a look back at the final days that marked a tragic end to Whitney’s once glittering career…
READ MORE: Whitney Houston’s bodyguard reveals he almost ‘gave up everything’ to be her lover
The singer from New Jersey was unmatched in her ability, but after marrying Bobby Brown in 1992, her drug use grew even more severe. The same year, Whitney made her big-hitting debut with The Bodyguard.
She admitted to spending seven months in her pyjamas, sitting on the sofa, and taking crack cocaine, “after The Bodyguard it started getting heavy – cocaine, marijuana.” You are residing with the same person as them while you are seated next to them, and you haven’t said a word in a week. And you simply sit there watching TV. That’s awful, she said.
I had completely forgotten about that life when I stopped thinking about singing. By that point, I was running out of money.
In 2004, Whitney failed again the following year after only five days of rehab. She admitted to Oprah that she was drug-free in 2010, but that year she canceled a number of her planned gigs in the UK and America due to ill health.
By 2011 Whitney was recovering from surgery, and she was scheduled to perform a comeback at the Grammys in Los Angeles a few days prior to the ceremony. Whitney reportedly appeared “dishevelled” and “erratic,” and was spotted waving her arms around while navigating the Beverly Hilton hotel while donning wet hair.
The singer made her final public appearance on February 9th, when she sang Jesus Loves Me while Kelly Price was playing the song. She had her daughter Bobbi and her family at the hotel for breakfast on July 11; according to sources, she later retired to Suite 434 and took some Xanax before Clive Davis’ party, which she was scheduled to attend that evening.
After nights of heavy drinking, a source told Radar Online, “She frequently took anti-anxiety medications to help her sleep.” She also used them to ease her nerves before big events.
Whitney apparently then called her cousin, singer Dionne Warwick, to discuss seating arrangements for the evening, followed by another call from her mother, gospel singer Cissy Houston, who the magazine described as “joy and upbeat.”
She is said to have told her assistant that she had a sore throat and was going to take a bath before the pre-Grammys bash.
The troubled actress then reportedly demanded more room service and a burger and fries while taking a bath. Along with a gravy boat of olive oil, she brought a turkey sandwich and some jalapeno peppers into the bathroom to presumably make her skin softer.
Her bodyguards, according to the report, audibly audible her singing in the bathtub. However, they realized she had been quiet for some time just before 3 p.m.
When one guard knocked on the door and found Whitney face down in the bathtub, there was no response. Therefore, he opened the door and discovered her. The iconic singer was declared dead at the scene by paramedics who attempted to perform CPR.
According to toxicology reports, Whitney’s system contained a mixture of cocaine, cannabis, Xanax, Benadryl, and Flexeril. The Bodyguard actress’s autopsy revealed that her heart condition had advanced to the point where it was 60% blocked in one artery.
Whitney’s death was described as an accidental drowning brought on by heart disease and cocaine use. Her daughter Bobbi Kristina and Brown both had similar experiences just three years later, historically speaking. After consuming drugs and alcohol, Bobbi was just 22 when she was discovered unconscious in a bathtub at home.
Source: Mirror
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