There is so much that everyone knows about the late Whitney Houston especially easily found facts about her career but how many people know that before she began her breath-taking career in music, she was almost casted on The Cosby Show (1984 – 1992) and was a teen model. Literally everything about Houston’s career was termed record breaking; from her signed record deals to her number on the list of black entertainers and even to the huge number of awards she collected in her lifetime. She was even crowned the highest-earning African-American woman before she passed away.

Date of Birth: August 9, 1963

Date of Death: February 11, 2012 (aged 48)

Zodiac Sign: Leo

Like several famous artists, she started off in gospel music until she was discovered by the renowned Clive Davis and had to switch to pop music for better career growth. Her debut album was released at the age of 22 and almost immediately, it became a smash pop sensation. Before the world could get over the first dose of awesomeness, she released yet another one and so began a positively huge cycle. Less than a decade after her first album, Houston was already on top of the world.

Whitney Houston indeed had a voice of gold and an outstanding career to show for it. Her success however did not last as it could have had she not been caught up in an awful marriage and the addictive pleasures of drug use. Her career got off track but as the pro that she is, she was able to make a comeback with the 2009’s I Look To You. In 2012, the legendary soul/pop singer passed away after drowning accidentally in her bathtub. Read on to know all there is to be said about her inner circle of family.

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John Russell Houston (father)

Date of Birth: September 13, 1920

Date of Death: February 2, 2003 (aged 82)

Zodiac Sign: Virgo

He was a City administrator and entertainment executive. He was a self made man who managed the careers of his wife and daughter for some time. He was a hands on dad who was almost always present while Cissy was busy playing club dates and promoting her singles. Throughout his life, he maintained a cordial relationship with his kids and Whitney even mentioned that she would always be a daddy’s girl. After a lengthy battle with diabetes and heart disease, John passed away in 2003 at the age of 82.

Cissy Houston (mother)

Date of Birth: September 30, 1933

Zodiac Sign: Libra

She was first married to Freddie Garland for whom she had a son before their divorce. In 1959, she married Houston and that was how she became the mother to one of the world’s favourite voices. Cissy like her daughter was also a legendary singer. She was the choir minister at a Baptist church and that was the same church where her daughter Whitney got her start. By the time her baby girl was a teenager, they were performing at events together.  

When Whitney was younger, Cissy wanted her to finish school even though several advances were coming in from record labels. After Houston became a successful artist, she had the privilege again of her stern mother coming to her rescue when things were going terribly. Houston was in an increasingly rocky marriage and her personal life was filled with controversies from her drug habit, it took Cissy stepping into the picture to bring order into the chaos of Whitney’s life.

Mama Houston demanded that her daughter goes on TV and announce publicly that she was retiring so she could get her life in order. Hence, she was responsible for turning her daughter’s life around for the better at least before her eventual death.

Gary Garland (half brother from mother’s first marriage)

Date of Birth: October 12, 1957

Zodiac Sign: Libra

Garland is a retired professional basketball player and has performed severally as a singer. He was in one of the late singer’s tour and maintained a close relationship with her even though they were only half-siblings.

Michael Houston (brother from same parents)

Michael is the only other child Cissy had with John Russell. He had always been close to Whitney, so close to the point of introducing her into drugs. This was way back in the 1980s when it was acceptable but little did he know it was going to lead to the downfall of his dear sister Nippy (as Whitney is fondly called by her family).

Bobby Brown (former spouse)

Duration of Marriage: July 18, 1992 – April 24, 2007 (14 years)

Date of Birth: February 5, 1969

Zodiac Sign: Aquarius

Robert Barisford (his birth name) is a singer, dancer and songwriter. He started with the R&B and pop group called New Edition but soon went into a solo career. Brown is considered the pioneer of the new jack swing, a fusion of R&B. he met Whitney in 1989 at a music awards and they soon began a friendship. Robert was six years younger than the music goddess yet their friendship developed quickly into a passionate romance.

Whitney and fellow singer Bobby were engaged for three years then decided to take it further and got hitched. Their marriage at first was a bliss-filled adventure until their passionate love was replaced with a new found love for drugs. Both lovers were unfortunately involved with drugs and increasingly erratic behaviours. The iconic singer eventually alluded to emotional and domestic abuse from her lover.

The I Will Always Love You singer was indeed unfortunate marriage wise as her union with Brown is regarded as one of the biggest factors that derailed her life and career though Bobby claims that she wasn’t he one who initiated her into drugs. According to her ex-husband, she was seen snorting drugs on the day of their wedding and that was the first time he saw her with it. After their 2007 divorce, Brown continued with his manager Alicia Etheredge and in 2012, got married to her.

Bobbi Kristina Brown (late daughter with Bobby Brown)

Date of Birth: March 4, 1993

Date of Death: July 26, 2015 (aged 22)

Zodiac Sign: Pisces

Bobbi was born to famous parents so since she was a child, her life has always been in the public eye. She performed several times alongside her mother and was in her mother’s custody after the divorce from Bobby Brown. The late Bobbi was rumoured to be married to Nick Gordon, a brother-like childhood friend who was at times raised by Whitney. She later confirmed that they were yet to be married and were only engaged.

Bobbi Kristina Brown with grandmother

She was found by her fiancé Nick Gordon lying lifeless in a coma and was immediately placed on life support. Bobbi was found in her bathtub almost three years to the day that Whitney died after suffering a similar fate while staying at a Hotel for the 2012 Grammys. It was revealed later that the cause of Bobbi’s death was immersion of her face in water complicated by mixed drug intoxication. She was laid to rest by her surviving family next to her mother.

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