Whitney Houston dies aged 48

 American singer and actress Whitney Houston has died at the age of 48. The cause and the location of her death were unclear, her publicist Kristen Foster told the AP news agency. A family spokesman confirmed the news.
 Regarded as one of the most celebrated female acts of all time, Houston also enjoyed success acting in films such as The Bodyguard and Waiting to Exhale. But her later career was overshadowed by drug use and her turbulent marriage to singer Bobby Brown.
 Houston's background was steeped in soul and gospel music. Her mother was gospel singer Cissy Houston and she was cousin to singer Dionne Warwick, and goddaughter to Aretha Franklin. Having grown up in New Jersey, she began singing in church and then in the night clubs of New York, and was a model before being signed by Arista Records.
 At the height of her career in the 1980s and 90s she won many awards and enjoyed several number one singles and albums. In recent years drug use took its toll on the star and her voice - once acknowledged as one of the finest in pop music - was badly damaged.
(BBC News)


 Mariah and Whitney had a big hit in 1999 with When You Believe from the movie The Prince of Egypt. On March 21, 1999, this song won the Oscar for Best Original Song. After the recording, Mariah and Whitney remained friends.
 As soon as the news broke Mariah tweeted: "Heartbroken and in tears over the shocking death of my friend, the incomparable Ms. Whitney Houston. My heartfelt condolences to Whitney's family and to all her millions of fans throughout the world. She will never be forgotten as one of the greatest voices to ever grace the earth."