Age, Biography, and Wiki
Whitney Houston was born on August 9, 1963, in Newark, New Jersey. She rose to fame with her debut album in 1985 and went on to become a global superstar, selling over 220 million records worldwide. Houston's career spanned multiple genres, including pop, R&B, and gospel, and she is remembered as one of the best-selling music artists of all time.
| Occupation | Film Producer |
|---|---|
| Date of Birth | 9 August 1963 |
| Age | 61 Years |
| Birth Place | Newark, New Jersey, U.S. |
| Horoscope | Leo |
| Country | Jersey |
| Date of death | 11 February, 2012 |
| Died Place | Beverly Hills, California, U.S. |
Height, Weight & Measurements
- Height: 5 feet 8 inches (173 cm)
- Weight: Varies, but was around 130 lbs (59 kg) during her peak career
- Measurements: Not publicly detailed, but known for her slender physique
| Height | 5 feet 8 inches |
| Weight | 130 lbs |
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Dating & Relationship Status
Whitney Houston was married to singer Bobby Brown from 1992 to 2007. The couple had a tumultuous relationship marked by personal struggles and media scrutiny. After their divorce, Houston focused on her music career and personal well-being.
Houston signed to Arista Records at the age of 19. Her first two studio albums, Whitney Houston (1985) and Whitney (1987), topped the Billboard 200 for 14 and 11 weeks, respectively. The former remains the best selling debut album by a solo artist in history, while the latter made her the first woman to debut atop the US and UK charts. Houston took a more urban turn with her third album, I'm Your Baby Tonight (1990), and performed an acclaimed rendition of "The Star-Spangled Banner" at Super Bowl XXV in 1991. The soundtrack of her film debut The Bodyguard (1992) won the Grammy Award for Album of the Year, topped the Billboard 200 for 20 weeks, and remains the best-selling soundtrack album of all time. Its lead single, "I Will Always Love You", won the Grammy Award for Record of the Year and became the best-selling single by a woman in history. Houston continued her work in the film industry, including starring roles in Waiting to Exhale (1995), The Preacher's Wife (1996) and Cinderella (1997) and producing series such as The Princess Diaries and The Cheetah Girls. Soundtrack of The Preacher's Wife became the best-selling gospel album of all time.
Cissy was a Grammy-winning gospel and soul singer who was a member of The Drinkard Singers and the founder of The Sweet Inspirations before becoming a solo artist. John was a former Army serviceman who later became an administrator under Newark mayor Kenneth A. Gibson. According to her mother, Houston was named after actress Whitney Blake. Houston was given the nickname "Nippy" by her father.
Houston's parents were both African-American. Cissy Houston stated that she had partial Dutch and Native American ancestry. Houston was a cousin of singers Dionne and Dee Dee Warwick as well as a cousin of opera singer Leontyne Price. Aretha Franklin became an "honorary aunt" while Darlene Love was Houston's godmother. Houston's paternal great-great-grandfather Jeremiah Burke Sanderson was an American abolitionist and advocate for the civil and educational rights of black Americans during the mid-19th century. Houston had three older brothers: paternal half-brother John III; maternal half-brother Gary, a basketball player and singer; and full brother Michael.
At three, Houston witnessed the Newark race riots of 1967. Following Cissy signing a solo recording contract in 1970, the Houston family relocated to a suburban area of East Orange, New Jersey called Doddtown. Prior to moving to East Orange, the Houstons had raised their children at Newark's Wainwright Street. Houston's parents married in the spring of 1964, just months before Houston's first birthday. Initially a happy union, the marriage dissolved by Houston's teen years after Houston's father suffered a near-fatal heart attack. By 17, Houston's parents separated; divorcing over a decade later.
Houston was raised in the Baptist faith. She joined the church choir at New Hope Baptist Church in Newark at the age of five, and she also learned to play piano at New Hope. She later recalled being exposed to the Pentecostal church nearby as well. Houston made her solo performance debut at New Hope singing the hymn "Guide Me O Thou Great Jehovah" at the age of 12. Around this same period, she told her mother that she wanted to pursue a career in music. Houston would be trained on how to sing by Cissy throughout her teen years. Houston’s biggest musical influence was her mother. She was also heavily influenced by her successful cousins Dionne and Dee Dee. Other musical influences included Aretha Franklin, Chaka Khan, Gladys Knight, and Roberta Flack.
Houston's professional career began when she joined her mother's band as a background singer at fourteen while Cissy performed at Manhattan cabaret clubs. Houston gave her first solo during Cissy's performance at Manhattan's Town Hall in February 1978, performing "Tomorrow" from the Broadway musical, Annie, where she received her first standing ovation. Houston began a career as a session vocalist backing up artists like her mother, Michael Zager, Chaka Khan and Lou Rawls. Houston was the featured vocalist in Zager's disco song "Life's a Party" (1978).
Houston became a fashion model in 1980 after being spotted at Carnegie Hall and signed first with Click Models before moving onto the Wilhelmina Models agency, where she landed the cover of Seventeen. Houston's girl next door charm helped her to land in fashion spreads for Glamour, Cosmopolitan and Young Miss. Houston continued her music career during this period, recording demos of gospel recordings. Houston's vocal talent made her sought after for recording deals, but were turned down by her mother, who insisted that Houston finish high school.
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| Husband | Bobby Brown (m. 1992-2007) |
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Net Worth and Salary
At the height of her career, Whitney Houston's net worth was estimated at $250 million. However, by the time of her death in 2012, her financial situation had deteriorated significantly due to poor management and personal issues. Her estate was valued at approximately $20 million when she passed away. As of 2025, her estate's net worth is estimated to be between $20 million and $30 million, largely due to ongoing music sales and licensing deals.
Career, Business, and Investments
Whitney Houston's career was marked by numerous milestones:
- Music Career: She signed with Arista Records in 1983 and released her debut album in 1985, which included hits like "Saving All My Love for You" and "How Will I Know." Her second album, "Whitney" (1987), debuted at #1 on the charts. She reached her peak with "The Bodyguard" soundtrack in 1992, featuring "I Will Always Love You," one of the best-selling singles ever.
- Acting Career: Houston also demonstrated her acting abilities in films like "The Bodyguard" (1992) alongside Kevin Costner.
- Business Ventures: In addition to her music and film career, Houston was involved in various business ventures, though details are limited. Her estate continues to generate revenue from posthumous music sales and licensing deals.
Houston is one of the best-selling music artists of all time, with sales of more than 220 million records worldwide. Her first two albums, along with The Bodyguard soundtrack, rank among the best-selling albums of all time and made her the only black artist to score three RIAA diamond-certified albums. "I Wanna Dance with Somebody (Who Loves Me)" and "I Will Always Love You" are among the best-selling singles ever, with the latter being certified diamond by RIAA. Houston scored 11 Billboard Hot 100 number-one singles and remains the only artist to have seven consecutive singles top the chart. She has been inducted into multiple halls and walks of fame. Guinness World Records named Houston the highest-earning posthumous female celebrity. Her assets amounted to $250 million, earned over a 25-year career.
Houston was introduced to a national audience in June 1983, performing the song "Home" from the Broadway musical The Wiz on The Merv Griffin Show. During this period, Houston almost landed a role on The Cosby Show before pulling out on the show due to her emerging career. Houston landed a cameo role on Gimme a Break!, was featured in a Canada Dry commercial and also sang commercial jingles, including one for the restaurant brand, Steak & Ale.
Houston was ranked the top new pop artist of 1985 by Billboard; the following year, her debut was the best-selling album of the year. Houston was denied a nomination for the Best New Artist Grammy due to her recordings in the previous year, prompting an angry letter from Clive Davis. The album was nominated for five Grammys, including Album of the Year. She won her first Grammy for "Saving All My Love for You" in the Best Female Pop Vocal Performance category. Later, a performance of the song at the ceremony won Houston an Emmy for Individual Performance in a Variety or Music Program. She won her first seven American Music Awards from the album, out of 13 nominations. Houston's debut album is listed as one of Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Albums of All Time and on the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's Definitive 200 list. Houston's grand entrance into the music industry was considered one of the 25 musical milestones of the last 25 years, according to USA Today in 2007.
Houston's unprecedented success during this era caused Forbes magazine to take notice. In 1987, she ranked 8th place among the highest-paid entertainers in show business, earning $43 million, only trailing Bill Cosby and Eddie Murphy. She ranked 17th place in 1988.
With the success of her first two albums, Houston became an international crossover superstar, appealing to all demographics. However, some black critics believed she was "selling out". They felt her singing on record lacked the soul that was present during her live concerts. At the 1989 Soul Train Music Awards, when Houston's name was called out for a nomination, a few in the audience jeered. Houston defended herself against the criticism, stating, "If you're gonna have a long career, there's a certain way to do it and I did it that way. I'm not ashamed of it."
Houston took a more urban direction with her third studio album, I'm Your Baby Tonight, released in November 1990. The first album in which she served as executive producer and exerted creative control for the first time in her career, Houston recruited the production team of Antonio "L.A." Reid and Babyface, as well as Luther Vandross and Stevie Wonder for the album, while retaining previous producer Walden. Reviews were mixed to positive. Rolling Stone felt it was her "best and most integrated album", while Entertainment Weekly, at the time thought Houston's shift towards an urban direction was "superficial".
Social Network
Whitney Houston was active in the music industry but did not have a personal social media presence during her lifetime. However, her legacy is celebrated across various platforms by fans and her estate.
Houston did not begin work on an album immediately. The label wanted to make sure no other company signed her away and Davis wanted to ensure he had the right material and producers for her debut album. Some producers passed on the project because of prior commitments. After seeing her perform in New York, Michael Masser paired Houston with Teddy Pendergrass, on the duet, "Hold Me", which appeared on his album, Love Language. Released in May 1984, the song gave Houston her first taste of success, becoming a top-ten hit on the US R&B and adult contemporary charts. Houston also received notice in 1984 after being paired up with Jermaine Jackson, with whom the duet, "Take Good Care of My Heart", was featured on Jackson's Dynamite album, while also appearing with Jackson performing the song and another duet, "Nobody Loves Me Like You Do", on an episode of As the World Turns. All three songs eventually appeared on her debut album.
Education
Whitney Houston attended the Newark Arts High School in Newark, New Jersey, where she began developing her singing talents.
Houston attended Franklin Elementary School (now the Whitney E. Houston Academy of Creative and Performing Arts) from first grade to sixth grade before transferring to Mount Saint Dominic Academy, a Catholic girls' high school in Caldwell, New Jersey, at 13. She graduated from Mount Saint Dominic in 1981.
