After nearly a year and a half since the tragic death of the legendary singer Whitney Houston on Feb. 11 2012, today would have been the day that the star turned 50 years old, Entertainment Weekly reports.
In 2009, the Guinness Book of World Records cited Houston as the most awarded female of all time, according to the Oxford University Press. She was one of the world's best-selling musicians, with two Emmy Awards, six Grammy Awards, 30 Billboard Music Awards, and 22 American Music Awards under her belt, to name a few. Her influence on the world of music and pop culture is undeniable, as her mezzo-soprano range, signature melisma and chart-topping singles inspired and paved the way for artists like Janet Jackson, Alicia Keys, Beyonce and Anita Baker, among many others.
In honor of Aug. 9, the day on which Houston was born in 1963, Sirius XM radio is hosting a day-long special of two decades of Houston's music on their Heart & Soul channel, featuring special remembrances from family and friends, including Cissy Houston, Clive Davis, Chaka Khan, and R. Kelly.
On Feb. 11 2012, Houston was found unconscious in her suite at the Beverly Hills Hotel, submerged in a bathtub, and was later pronounced dead, the Los Angeles Coroner's office labeling it a cause of "effects of atherosclerotic heart disease and cocaine use," CNN reported at the time.
The loss of the singer came just days after she she and Brandy, Monica and Clive Davis attended a rehearsal for Clive Davis' pre-Grammy Awards party at the Beverly Hills Hotel, a party that Houston had been expected to attend. The party went on as scheduled, but ended up becoming a tribute to the singer.
"By now you have all learned of the unspeakably tragic news of our beloved Whitney's passing," Clive Davis said at the start of the evening that day, as the Los Angeles Times reported in February 2012. "I don't have to mask my emotion in front of a room full of so many dear friends. I am personally devastated by the loss of someone who has meant so much to me for so many years. Whitney was so full of life. She was so looking forward to tonight even though she wasn't scheduled to perform. Whitney was a beautiful person and a talent beyond compare. She graced this stage with her regal presence and gave so many memorable performances here over the years. Simply put, Whitney would have wanted the music to go on and her family asked that we carry on."
Click here for Entertainment Weekly's special photo collection of Whitney Houston's most iconic career moments.
