Whitney Houston Dies

[cabinetman]

She was a fantastic singer and had some great recordings.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-17001548

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[wardprobst]

Oh my goodness, so talented and troubled.
I will miss her,
DP

[tommyt654]

Just read that on CNN, I always think her rendition of the Star Spangled Banner at the superbowl waaay back was the best I had ever heard.She had a bout with drugs but BB may have been her true downfall, She will be missed as a singer for sure and I would imagine the Grammys tonight will reflect that

[LCHIEN]

does Hollywood and the recording industry have more than its share of drug abuse problems or is it the way the media portrays it?

Isn't it time for Hollywood to take care of its own? Why do we watch a parade oF celebs go down the trail to self destruction and they do nothing about it?

[chopnhack]

Wow, that is so sad... Loring, the problem is that it is really hard to treat sub. abuse, the person has to want to quit.. and the stars often have unlimited resources to get what they want.

[BobSch]

Wow, that is so sad... Loring, the problem is that it is really hard to treat sub. abuse, the person has to want to quit.. and the stars often have unlimited resources to get what they want.

Not to mention keepers who keep telling them how perfect they are.

[cwsmith]

I loved the old Whitney Houston. When she first came into popularity she was IMHO absolutely terrific. But, she became a "screamer", as I call it and a "druggy" and personally I lost interest in her.

While I know this is harsh, I'm really quite sick of such talented and gifted people and thier substance abuse. I refuse to remember them fondly and certainly don't understand why they should be idolized.

Yes, a great talent... but there are many great talents out there. At what point do we all say, "Enough is Enough"... and when is someone in the business and in Hollywood going to bravely stand up and see this tragedy as it really is. Who is responsible, why didn't some of her friends and managers act in her behalf, and why aren't her suppliers being pursued?

Yes, it is sad that this great talent is gone, like so many others. But the real tragedy is that nobody did anything to prevent it; and worse, keep it from happening to others.

CWS

[dbhost]

Wow, that is so sad... Loring, the problem is that it is really hard to treat sub. abuse, the person has to want to quit.. and the stars often have unlimited resources to get what they want.

To a certain extent you are right, yes substance abuse is a very hard issue to treat. The entertainment industry does, as a rule, seem to have higher rates of serious drug abuse than the general population. Perhaps it is being reported more than drug problems with your average joe, but I kind of suspect that there is a mindset amongst the Hollywood types that they are somehow different from everyone else, and entitled...

And I do agree, they often have insane financial resources to indulge their addictions, but like was mentioned, they also have people around them all day long telling them how great they are, and how their stuff don't stink you know... What these people need are some real friends that will actually stand up and say, "dude, you're a mess!".

Now to the subject of Whitney Houston,

She had a fantastic voice, and a great reputation as a squeaky clean, fun pop singer, until she got mixed up with Bobby Brown. Now I don't recall the sequence of events, but I know she got married to BB, got involved with drugs somewhere in there, and her career took a free fall... Not a coincidence. She has spent the last couple of years struggling to revive her career, and get back into shape. And while she wasn't in her prime, she was making progress. I understand she was at least reportedly clean... So her death actually does come as a bit of a shock. Unless she relapsed into drug usage....

So long story short, I've felt sorry for Whitney since she got involved in Bobby Brown...

[LCHIEN]

Wow, that is so sad... Loring, the problem is that it is really hard to treat sub. abuse, the person has to want to quit.. and the stars often have unlimited resources to get what they want.

yeah, well that and a bunch of enablers who encourage the wild behavior and provide them with access to drugs, no one will tell them to their face to quite using it.

[cabinetman]

does Hollywood and the recording industry have more than its share of drug abuse problems or is it the way the media portrays it?

Isn't it time for Hollywood to take care of its own? Why do we watch a parade oF celebs go down the trail to self destruction and they do nothing about it?

What could they possibly do. Not much different than anyone under a performance contract. If they can't there are penalties...not to say there aren't criminal penalties.

yeah, well that and a bunch of enablers who encourage the wild behavior and provide them with access to drugs, no one will tell them to their face to quite using it.

They are adults and make their own decisions of what goes into their bodies. There's no excuses for blaming other people.

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[chopnhack]

yeah, well that and a bunch of enablers who encourage the wild behavior and provide them with access to drugs, no one will tell them to their face to quite using it.

No, they sure won't, they run the risk of being fired! Keep them doped and happy and keep your job seems to be the status quo...

[os1kne]

I think that Whitney Houston had one of greatest voices ever. It's always a shame when someone with such talent dies, particulary so young. I heard that she was working on a comeback a couple of years ago, and I was hoping that she'd succeed.

I hadn't really followed her in 10 years or so, but I did see about 10 minutes of the TV show a few years ago and she appeared to be drugged out of her mind. When I saw that, it reminded me of something that Mike Ditka said several years ago, when Ricky Williams was having his problems with drugs. I don't know the exact words, but the gist of it was that it was difficult to respect someone that had so much God-given talent, but chose to throw it away due to drugs.

When you think of all of the people that dream and work to make it big as a professional entertainer/athlete, etc. (look at American Idol, The Voice, high school/college athletics, etc.) Most just don't have the talent. Some have the talent, but aren't fortunate enough to catch the right "break". Some have the talent and the lucky break - and throw it away.

[sailor55330]

I Some have the talent, but aren't fortunate enough to catch the right "break". Some have the talent and the lucky break - and throw it away.

IMHO, Whitney Houston had one of the best "pure" voices in recent history. She didn't rely on electronic enhancement, gimmicks, or cheap showy theatrics, she just flat performed, and did it very well. Unfortunately, her life became a slave to controlled substances and turmoil after getting married. She definitely inspired many. On a side note, as mentioned above about lucky breaks, she was Dionne Warwick's neice which probably helped her get noticed to begin with, what she did from there (good and bad) was due to her own efforts.

[Shep]

I saw this coming a long time ago. Very sad.