Whitney Houston - Are Drugs To Blame?

At one time Whitney Houston had it all, a fairly tale life of a princess. The public loved her, because of her sweetness and powerful, yet angelic voice that spanned three octaves, causing goose bumps. Her music topped the charts, and she sold million of albums, and eventually she ventured into a movie career. Then slowly drug use chipped away at her soul and crumbled her castle and out of the rubble came a skinny, incoherent, erratic, disheveled women who could no longer sing.

Years later, while she was on her way to a possible comeback, her life ended abruptly, in a hotel in Beverly Hills. It's not known right now what killed her, and drug abuse is only speculation. Her story, would have been so much more beautiful, and ended so differently had she never touched cocaine.

Although Whitney's voice didn't tantalize the world's eardrums until 1985, she started her career as a child singing in church. Later, she sang backup for singers Jermaine Jackson, Lou Rawls and Chaka Khan. It wasn't until music mogul Clive Davis heard her perform at a nightclub in New York that a star was born. Part of her charm then, was that she could wear anything from T-shirts to formal gowns making her fun-loving.

Whitney Houston's official website claims that she sold over 170 million albums world-wide. During that time, she released seven albums, three movies with an equal number of sound tracks. She won six Grammys, 22 American Music Awards, 30 Billboard Awards and two Emmys.

Her 1985 album simply named “Whitney Houston,” sold millions and had multiple hits like “Saving All My Love For You,” “Greatest Love Of All,” and “How Will I Know.”

Whitney's follow up multi-platinum album in 1987 “Whitney” set precedence as the first for any female singer to enter No. 1 in the Billboard charts. Her hits included "Where Do Broken Hearts Go" and "I Wanna Dance With Somebody."

In 1992, she started acting and starred in "The Bodyguard," with Kevin Costner. Her version of Dolly Parton's "I Will Always Love You," in that movie topped the charts for weeks and garnered her the best female pop vocal and album of the year.

In 1995 and 1996 she returned to the movie set for “Waiting to Exhale,” and “The Preacher's Wife.”

In 1998 she won the Grammy for best female R & B "It's Not Right But It's Okay."

Whitney Houston's spiral into drug abuse took a toll on her appearance and sucked the life out of her voice.

Their union was tumultuous at best. In an interview with Oprah Winfrey in 2009 Whitney portrayed it as a turbulent and passionate marriage that was blemished by drug abuse, physical confrontations, psychological abuse and professional jealousy. The marriage ended in divorce in 2007.

2000: Whitney was arrested in Hawaii for possession of marijuana, but the charges were later dropped.

2001: It was rumored she had passed a away after viewers were shocked by her astonishingly frail appearance at Michael Jackson's tribute concert.

2002: During an interview with Diane Sawyer, she admitted to using cocaine, prescription drugs, marijuana and alcohol but was adimant that she did not do crack because crack is a poor man's drug.

2002: Her album “Just Whitney,” lashed out at media and insisted her loyalty towards her then-husband.

2004: She entered rehab and returned later the next year.

2005: On her husband's reality show, her jittery appearance and crude behavior demonstrated her decline. She eventually left the spotlight for a couple of years.

2006: Her mom, Cissy Houston, performed an intervention and a year later she divorced Bobby.

2009: Whitney came out with her album “I look at You” which eventually went platinum; it included her song “I Didn't Know My Own Strength.” She embarked on her “Nothing But Love Comeback Tour.” Most of her tour dates were sold out, but a lot of fans complained that her voice was no longer up to par, which led to some canceled shows. She couldn't get through the sets without frequent breathlessness and halts.

2010: Whitney told Oprah that by the time the “Preacher's Wife” was released, drugs were a daily habit for her for a couple of years. She would go to work and then do drugs, but claimed at the time of the interview; she was drug-free.

2011: In May, her battle continued, and she enrolled in a an out-patient rehabilitation program.

Whitney's final performance was on Thursday, and she was to perform again, the evening of her death. She recently returned to the movie set to do a movie due to be released in August of 2012, called “Sparkle and is based loosely on The Supremes.

Although she looked beautiful Thursday, you can tell that what was once a driving force in her life and her way of communicating with the masses, her amazing voice, had lost its shine. She brought so much joy to the world and brightened the lives of anyone who heard her sing. Drugs took that light. More importantly it ripped away a mother and daughter. Anyone even considering trying drugs, please remember Whitney Houston and all the others that have been stolen from us before their time. It's a battle that can never be won. Drugs are a force stronger than any human can withstand.