American singer Whitney Houston became a household name by her early twenties. But where did she grow up?
Whitney Houston was born in Newark, New Jersey, USA. When she was 4 years old, the family moved to East Orange, New Jersey, which is where the young Houston spent most of her childhood.
Let’s explore the childhood of Whitney Houston in more detail, as well as what led up to her monumental success as an artist, and the tragic circumstances of her demise.
What was Whitney Houston’s childhood like?
Whitney Elizabeth Houston was born on August 9, 1963, in Newark, New Jersey. At the time, this was a middle-class neighborhood, afforded by her father John Russell Houston, Jr. and her mother, Emily Houston.
Whitney’s father was an army serviceman and an entertainment executive. Her mother was a gospel singer. Whitney had an elder brother—Michael—and an elder half-brother—Gary Garland.
Her mother was an aunt to singers Dionne Warwick and Dee Dee Warwick, making Whitney their cousin.
In 1967, Newark was the center of race riots in which 26 people were killed and hundreds were injured.
Whitney’s parents decided it was necessary to remove their young children from the epicenter of a violent race war and relocated to East Orange, another middle-class area.
Whitney was interested in singing from a young age. Her mother coached her vocally and brought her to recording studios as a child.
It was at a recording studio where she met Aretha Franklin and Franklin was made her honorary aunt.
Witney performed as a soloist in the gospel choir at the church she attended—New Hope Baptist Church—when she was 11 years old.
Her mother began an affair with the church minister, which led to the divorce of her parents.
A film that chronicles the life of the popstar—Whitney—alleges that the young Houston was molested as a child and that her cousin and renowned singer, Dee Dee Warwick, was the abuser.
As a teenager, Whitney would perform alongside her mother in nightclubs. In 1977, when she was 14, she was a backup singer for Michael Zager Band on the single “Life’s a Party.”
The following year, she sang backup vocals for Chaka Khan and Lou Rawls.
During her teenage years, she met Robyn Crawford, who went on to become her friend, roommate and executive assistant. Whitney described her as the “sister she never had.”
It was rumoured that the pair were lovers, although Whitney denied this. However, after the star’s death, Crawford stated that they had in fact been lovers in the beginning of their relationship, but that Whitney had put a stop to it, for fear of people’s reactions.
Popular for her “girl-next-door” looks, Whitney became the first woman-of-color to be featured on the cover of Seventeen magazine. She also appeared in other magazines and on a Canada Dry TV commercial.
In 1983, a representative from Arista Records saw Whitney performing with her mother in a New York City nightclub. She was later offered a worldwide recording contract.
Whitney’s debut album—Whitney Houston—was released in February 1985 and sold 25 million copies worldwide.
The superstar went on to achieve worldwide success and is one of the best-selling artists of all time.
Listen to the single “You Give Good Love,” from Whitney’s debut album:
The Death of a Legend and Her Only Child
In the days leading up to Whitney’s death, the star was reported to appear “disheveled” and “erratic,” which can be attributed to her known drug use.
On February 11, 2012, Whitney was found submerged in the bathtub of her hotel room. She was unconscious and paramedics were unable to revive her. She was found to have several drugs in her system: cocaine, Benadryl, Xanax, cannabis and Flexeril.
Her death was listed as an “accident.” She was 48 years old.
On January 31, 2015, Whitney’s daughter—Bobbi Brown—was found face down in a bathtub. She was put into a medically induced coma after she was found to have suffered significant brain damage.
She died on July 26, 2015, aged 22 years old.