God gave Whitney Houston a golden voice, making her a world-class diva, but also brought her too many tragedies in less than 49 years of living on earth.

Whitney Houston (1963-2012).August 9 is Whitney Houston’s 𝐛𝐢𝐫𝐭𝐡day. If she were still alive, the singer would have turned 60 this year. Whitney Houston’s fans around the world still remember her wonderful voice and classic songs: I Will Always Love You, I Have Nothing, Greatest Love Of All or the wonderful duet with Mariah Carey – When You Believe… For fans, Whitney Houston will never die, because her voice is eternal.

February 11, 2012 became the saddest day for Whitney Houston’s family as well as many fans. Right before the Grammy Awards, that afternoon, people discovered that the famous singer had passed away in a bathtub at a hotel in Beverly Hills, USA.

Whitney Houston’s death was ruled an accident. She drowned in the bathtub after using cocaine and suffering a sudden heart attack – the conclusion was given in a 42-page report by the medical examiner. Whitney Houston passed away suddenly at the age of 49, ending the life of one of the most influential voices in world music.

Fans remember Whitney Houston.40 minutes before her death, Whitney Houston still called her biological mother, Cissy Houston, saying that her daughter seemed fine, there was nothing unusual in her voice.

Missing Whitney!

A year after Whitney Houston passed away, in 2013, gospel legend Cissy Houston released the book Remembering Whitney with never-before-seen stories and photos of her daughter. In 2022, Tan Viet Books bought the copyright to publish this work in Vietnam under the title Missing Whitney.

In addition to the boundless love of a mother for her 𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘥 and the pain that cannot be expressed in words, the book helps readers understand the tragedy of the Diva’s life behind the brilliant halo. Cissy Houston has shown the audience that the real Whitney Houston is completely different from what the tabloids have embroidered.

Missing Whitney is like a slow-motion film of 49 years of Whitney Houston’s life, from the time she was 𝐛𝐨𝐫𝐧 until she achieved great success in both music and film; the time she got married, had 𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘥ren, and endured the terrible pressure of fame. Cissy Houston is not afraid to expose her daughter’s ugly moments when she was tired, addicted to drugs, abused by her husband…

Cover of the book about Whitney Houston’s life written by her mother.

People often only know about Whitney Houston’s successful career, but almost never understand her real life, the price Whitney Houston had to pay when standing at the pinnacle of fame until reading the book written by the singer’s mother.

“I feel so tired, Mom”!

Whitney Houston complained to her mother many times: “I’m tired”, “I feel so tired, Mom”…. “But no matter how tired she was, Nippy (Whitney Houston’s nickname since 𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘥hood – PV) was always a responsible person. Nippy would stand on stage and sing in front of the audience regardless of whether her throat was having problems or she wanted to stay home with Bobby and little Krissi (Whitney Houston’s husband and daughter – PV). Nippy devoted everything to music, night after night, day after day”, excerpt from the chapter Secrets of a Diva.

Although her throat was once seriously damaged, the doctor asked her to stop performing for 2 weeks, but Whitney Houston did not want to cancel the show because she knew that she decided the livelihood of the band and her colleagues. “She also knew that the audience had to pay very expensive tickets to see the show. Canceling a show would affect hundreds, even thousands of people. That’s why Nippy valued performing more than anything”, excerpt from the book.

Standing at the peak of fame, Whitney Houston was not happy in her personal life. She fell in love and married singer Bobby Brown, who was 6 years younger than her and also inferior to Whitney Houston in every aspect, especially fame. However, during their dating period, the singer never mentioned Bobby Brown’s abusive behavior.

Whitney Houston is one of the best-selling music artists of all time with 220 million records sold worldwide. In 2023, Rolling Stone ranked Whitney Houston second in the list of the greatest singers in the world. She won 16 Grammy Awards, 16 Billboard Music Awards, 2 Emmy Awards and holds 28 Guinness World Records.

In 1992, they got married. But unlike his wife, Bobby Brown liked to party after each show. Bobby Brown also did not like Whitney Houston participating in big film projects because he was jealous of his wife’s male co-stars. “At the premiere of The Bodyguard, Bobby stormed out of the theater when the screen showed Nippy and Kevin Costner kissing. He was almost jealous of every man around Nippy,” from the chapter What We Know About Men.

Cissy Houston did not hesitate to mention the time her daughter was injured by Bobby Brown’s abuse in 1997, which caused her to be hospitalized. However, both Whitney Houston and Bobby Brown said it was an accident. She loved her husband and never complained to her mother. “When she mentioned him, she only praised him…. Above all, Nippy was a loyal wife. She wanted a peaceful marriage,” Cissy Houston wrote.

Whitney Houston and Bobby Brown.

Drugs and sudden death

Whitney Houston was at the peak of her fame, but like many other stars, she got involved in drugs, had to cancel many shows, and did not release an album for 7 years. Unfavorable rumors began to appear, but she was a master at keeping secrets to the point that even her relatives did not know that Whitney Houston was addicted.

“In January 2000, Hawaii airport security discovered marijuana in Nippy and Bobby’s luggage. They reported it to the police, but Nippy did not want to be arrested. So they quickly boarded the waiting flight. When the police arrived, the plane had not yet taken off. But the police decided to let it go because the amount of marijuana was small. Nippy had never broken the law, so people talked a lot about the incident,” excerpt from the chapter A Nightmare Year.

However, things got worse when Whitney Houston was kicked out of the Oscar ceremony rehearsal for being “high on drugs” and singing on her own instead of following the organizers’ requests. This was a shock to the famous singer.

“Nippy couldn’t control her life. So the stage was her escape from the pressure. Nippy might be out of form in a few shows, but the lack of form of a diva is still better than many artists. She loves singing. Her voice is her weapon to free Nippy. At this point, she can’t even keep herself in the sanctuary she cherishes. Nippy is scared, but she doesn’t think it’s because of the harmful effects of drug abuse,” Cissy Houston wrote in the book.

Self-treatment at home and staying away from everyone made Whitney Houston depressed. When her husband was released from prison, her whole world shrunk to the size of Bobby. Whenever her husband wasn’t around, she would wander around the big house lifelessly and often wander around late at night without knowing what to do.

Whitney Houston started losing weight even though she wasn’t overweight and looked very gaunt. Whitney Houston’s mother was shocked to see her daughter in such a terrible state, with her eyes dull and cloudy and behaving strangely. “I have never seen my daughter so bad in my life.” In the end, she was forced to take Whitney Houston to rehab even though she did not want to.

After going to rehab, Whitney Houston recovered and her glory returned. She was happy to be invited to act in a movie. The family reunited on Christmas 2011 and the singer made an appointment to meet her mother after the 2012 Grammy Awards. But Whitney Houston did not fulfill that promise.

“No, Nippy could not have died like that. That story was too absurd. I could not accept this truth. My spirit was paralyzed by shock. I threw myself on the chair, helpless before the pain. I heard a scream and a few seconds later realized that the scream came from me,” Cissy Houston recounted the moment she heard the news of Whitney Houston’s sudden death in the final chapter of Missing Whitney.

The life of a diva with a gifted voice and a brilliant career ended tragically at the age of 49, leaving behind incurable pain for her loved ones and endless anxiety for millions of viewers.