Whitney Houston would have been 50 years old today (Aug. 9).
The singer known as “The Voice” died unexpectedly on February 11th, 2012 at the age of 48. Houston’s sister-in-law, Pat Houston revealed to Insider.com‘s Kevin Frazier how she plans on celebrating the singer’s birthday:
“We are celebrating with a private dinner at our home here in Georgia, that was one of Whitney’s favorite birthday celebrations. It’s a very emotional time for all of us but she would want us to celebrate with peace, love and happiness. Today, we celebrate a legacy of a matchless gift, Whitney Houston…To all of her fans, let’s celebrate with divine peace, love and joy.”
Since Houston’s tragic passing, her daughter Bobbi Kristina Brown hasn’t maintained much of a relationship with her grandmother, Cissy Houston and father Bobby Brown. According to revealing tweets, the 20-year-old is spending most of her time with her unofficially adopted brother/fiance, Nick Gordon. Last week, Cissy extended an olive branch in a touching open letter her granddaughter.
Despite the rocky family relationships and the trouble that followed the singer for the last few years of her life, she will always be remembered by her musical achievements. Over her nearly 30-year career, Houston amassed, among others, 31 Billboard Music Awards, 22 American Music Awards, seven Grammys and two Emmys.
Houston’s grave, which lies next to her father’s in New Jersey, has a teardrop headstone with the inscription “I Will Always Love You” and “The Voice.”
Happy Birthday, Whitney!
“I Will Always Love You”
