WHITNEY HOUSTON, known as one of the defining pop-soul voices of the 1980s and 1990s, was pronounced dead at the Beverly Hilton Hotel at 3.55pm local time on Saturday at the age of 48.
While the pop star will be remembered for her ferociously powerful voice, her trove of six Grammy awards and appearances in hit movies, the “Queen of Pop” will also leave behind a legacy of helping others.
Houston originally showed her socially conscious side as a teen model, before rocketing to stardom.
Back then she refused to work for agencies that did business with South Africa because of the nation’s regime of apartheid.
She later brought the issue to the attention of the Western world when she performed at Nelson Mandela’s 70th Birthday Concert in London, an event that pressured the South African government to ease their restrictions and eventually release their future president.
Following the concert, Houston founded the Whitney Houston Foundation for Children to care for the homeless and children suffering from cancer and AIDS which later brought the pop star one of her many humanitarian awards along with her involvement with the United Negro College Fund.
Houston also supported a number of charities including Caudwell Children, Celebrity Fight Night Foundation, Children’s Defense Fund and the Red Cross.
She has been recognised for her charity work by the VH1 Honors in 1995, The First Annual Triumphant SPIRIT Awards by Essence Magazine in 1997, and the Trumpet Awards in 1998.
A musical tribute is being performed by actor and singer Jennifer Hudson at the Grammy Awards, who has long looked up to the late star.
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