From the middle 1980s to the late 1990s, she was one of the world's best-selling artists wowing audiences with her powerful and effortless voice.
The showbiz world was rocked today with the tragic news that one of music's biggest legends Whitney Houston had died.
We look back at the life and times of the Grammy and Emmy-Award winning artist whose life was tragically cut short at the age of 48.
Whitney was born to a middle class family in Newark, New Jersey.
She was the third and youngest child of Army serviceman and entertainment executive John Russell Houston, Jr., who passed away in 2003, and gospel singer Cissy Houston.
It was clear that natural talent in music ran through her family.