Tribute: Whitney Houston 1963 – 2012

it took me some time to get myself together before giving my tribute for Whitney Houston because it totally caught me off guard like those who were huge fans of Michael Jackson.  Well, Whitney Houston was my Michael Jackson, so please bear with me.

like most artist, Whitney Houston started out singing in church as a child.  singing was in her blood line, from her mother Cissy Houston to her aunts Dionne Warwick and Dee Dee Warwick to her God-Mother Aretha Franklin.  Her talents didn’t stop there.  Whitney’s beautiful smile and her grace landed her a modeling gig in Seventeen magazine in the early 1980’s, being the first woman of color to ever grace the cover.  She later graced pages of Glamour magazine, Cosmopolitan and others as well as having a part in a Canada Dry soft drink commercial and Scope advertisement.  All of this only paved her way to acting later in life in movies such as, Preachers Wife, The Bodyguard and Waiting to Exhale, all in which i love, especially their soundtracks. 

speaking of her music, i can remember as far back to 1987, i was only 8 years old and jamming to my most favorite Whitney Houston songs, “I Wanna Dance With Somebody”, to “I’m Your Baby Tonight.”  And who knew at such a ripe young age of 9 / 10 years old, i would get emotional to her songs like, “Where Do Broken Hearts Go” and “Didn’t We Almost Have It All”, also favorites of mine.  Whitney had that effect on me as well as many others all over the world as her hit singles reached the top of Billboards for several weeks in a row.  She made me want to jump around with my brightest flourescent colored shirts and mini skirts [of course, when my mom wasn’t home.  LOL!] on to crying at thoughts of a potential love lost in the future of my teen years yet to come.

the most profound groundbreaking moment for me was when she sang “The Stars Spangled Banner” at Superbowl XXV in my hometown at the Tampa Bay stadium.  For the first time in my life, that song actually meant something to me.  That was the day, the United States stood still and there wasn’t a dry eye in the entire stadium, nor household that was tuned in.  Since then, no one has EVER been able to sing it the way she did on that day.  Her slight grin after she effortlessly finished the song was confirmation she knew the same.

unlike most, i will not focus on the downs of her life or how she passed.   To me, it’s irrelevant, useless and non of my business or others.  i could never imagine being scrutinized in front of the camera for the entirety of my life.  if someone had a flashlight on me at every single thing i did “wrong”, i would probably be shunned from this earth on the next space shuttle headed to the moon.  However, what i will remember is Whitney Houston left us all with a gift; a gift of song and i will always love her for the impression she left on my life.  i looked up to her as a young girl.  she made me feel okay about being skinny with short natural hair [as she sported at times] and my nobby knees.  i took in account her grace, her beauty and her class before the camera.  she is now at peace and i am happy for her.  I can only pray for her daughter Bobbi Christina, as i could never imagine enduring the pain of losing a mother. 

Whitney, you will always have a place in my heart and your music will always have a place in my home.  You’re legacy lives on.  xoxo!

p.s.  this should be a reminder to give your roses to those you love now before they are gone from this place called earth.