Whitney Houston Dead at 48

Grammy winning singer and actress Whitney Houston has died at the age of 48.  Her publicist, Kristen Foster, confirmed Houston died today but the cause and location were unknown.  Whitney got her start in music singing in the chuch and her early professional gigs included singing backup for Chaka Khan and Jermaine Jackson.  She was signed by record mogul Clive Davis and released her debut album Whitney Houston in 1985.  The album was the number one album of the year on the 1986 Billboard year-end chart, making her the first female artist to earn that distinction.  Her troubles with drug abuse were well documented and took their toll on her exceptional voice.  Houston staged her come back with her 2009 release I Look To You, but was unable to keep her touring commitments due to health issues.  Her most recent project was as executive producer of the remake of the film Sparkles.  She and co-star Jennifer Hudson had been filming since late last year with plans to release the film in 2012.