Whitney Houston dead at 48 (confirmed)

[CapnHook]

Posted: 2/11/12 at 8:14pm

My Facebook is exploding with reports that Whitney Houston died today. Is this another fake report?

Edited to add that CNN and the Huffington Post have confirmed the news with her publicist. No details on cause of death.

Updated On: 2/11/12 at 08:14 PM

[Dollypop]

Posted: 2/11/12 at 8:47pm

I found no less that 37 posting about this on Facebook. Then I had to do a Google search to find out who this woman was. I think I heard one of her songs at one point. She never did Broadway, though. Right?

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 2/11/12 at 8:49pm

Seriously? You think that's amusing?

[Dollypop]

Posted: 2/11/12 at 8:51pm

I'm not joking, Jordan. I'd heard the name but had no idea who this woman was. Google pointed out a few things to me.

I'm sorry to learn of her passing.

[TheatreDiva90016]

Posted: 2/11/12 at 8:57pm

LIfe must suck when you live under a rock.

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 2/11/12 at 9:09pm

Or when you think you're funny.

[StageManager2]

Posted: 2/11/12 at 9:18pm

Dollypop, you knew who Reichen Lehmkuhl and Levi Johnston were (even thought you were corresponding with Johnston on Twitter at one point), but you didn't know who Whitney Houston was?!

[best12bars]

Posted: 2/11/12 at 9:19pm

She sold 150 million records in her lifetime. That's one or two more than Carol Channing, DP.

I wasn't a huge fan of her singing, with a few exceptions, but I always though her voice was a rare gift of an instrument. I'm sorry she lost her struggle. And I'm actually surprised that I'm so shocked by this. Maybe because I've seen her entire life and incredible career all within my own, from start to finish. That's rather sobering.

RIP, Whitney. Sing with the angels now.

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 2/11/12 at 9:21pm

He knows who she is. He just opened another box of wine and thought he'd try and be witty.

[StageManager2]

Posted: 2/11/12 at 9:23pm

It was rhetorical, Jordan. I find it hard to believe he didn't know, either.

[thetinymagic2]

Posted: 2/11/12 at 9:24pm

BWW just posted this vid, first TV appearance w/Merv. Wow..I remember this! One of the great TV debuts.

https://www.broadwayworld.com/videoplay.php?colid=342054

[PalJoey]

Posted: 2/11/12 at 9:32pm

Here she is singing "All the Man That I Need," preceded by two Billie Holiday songs: "Lover Man" and "My Man":

http://youtu.be/r8DMDW_ZkrY

So, Dollypop, you can hear her sing a song from Funny Girl, at least the movie version.

And, for the record, your comments above are nothing short of obnoxious. Lord knows, whenever one of your idols dies, we have to listen to you act as if you are that person's chief mourner. The very least you could do is show a little respect at the death of a performer other people admire.

Also for the record, her name is on the short list of Great Voices of Our Time, whether you care or not. If you don't know it, look her up on YouTube or buy her greatest hits. But don't come on these threads and make fun of other people's grief.

[best12bars]

Posted: 2/11/12 at 9:44pm

God help him when Loretta Swit dies.

[EricMontreal22]

Posted: 2/11/12 at 9:55pm

And of course All The Man has some very lose Broadway connections--it's by Gore/Pitchford of Carrie fame. It's a bit of a guilty pleasure for me--I love the key modulations and Whitney sings it best (it's a cover but the original non hit versiona by Sister Sledge and disco diva Linda Clifford aren't much to write home about). Where Do Broken Hearts Go is probably Farnk Wildhorn's first hit too... :P

Anyway, at her best I think Whitney had the best voice in the industry after Donna Summer (and like Summer she was constantly given crap over being "too white" which I honestly think led to some of Houston's "rebellion" in the 90s). RIP.

[FindingNamo]

Posted: 2/11/12 at 10:06pm

I've long-planned to be the first here when Carol dies.

Potential thread titles:

"Caskets are a girl's best friend"

"Goodbye, Dolly."

"Before the cortege passes by"

And more!

[miss pennywise]

Posted: 2/11/12 at 10:19pm

Oh, Namo, you're so corny!

[FindingNamo]

Posted: 2/11/12 at 10:23pm

Good one!

[Jane2]

Posted: 2/11/12 at 10:24pm

Excellent, Namo

[Kad]

Posted: 2/11/12 at 10:37pm

No "Coroners prefer blondes"?

[Dollypop]

Posted: 2/11/12 at 10:46pm

Let me ask you guys if you're familiar with Adelina Patti, Renata Scotto, Barry Tuckwell, Van Cliburn, John Corigliano or Jan Peerce. If you do know the names, can you think of what pieces of music they are associated with? My background is classical music and even when popular music is being played, I honestly don't "hear" it. There have been times when our choir director has us sing a somewhat revised version of a pop tune and says, "Oh, this is something you all know". I look at the music she's handed us and I honestly DON'T know it.

I DO like the music of the forties and fifties and am probably more familiar with the singing of Kaye Starr, Dinah Shore, Doris Day, Johnny Raye and Johnny Mathis. Somewhere in the 60's I lost my interest in the pop world. I guess that's when my love for classical music grew.

BTW: I didn't say anything disparaging about MS. Houston. I just said I didn't know who she was.

[Kad]

Posted: 2/11/12 at 10:49pm

We live in an age where, even if you aren't fluent in a celebrity's body of work, you should be at least be aware of who they are and what they did, simply through pop cultural osmosis.

Whitney Houston is a MAJOR cultural figure who has been referenced in every possible medium with some regularity.

[PalJoey]

Posted: 2/11/12 at 10:51pm

Just shut up, for chrissake. For once in your life, have the common decency to just keep your silly, prattling mouth shut and let people be sad without having to be annoyed by you.

[Dollypop]

Posted: 2/11/12 at 10:51pm

As I said, I knew the name "Whitney Houston" and I knew she was a singer but other than that: zilch.

[doodlenyc]

Posted: 2/11/12 at 10:53pm

Then why th eff bother commenting?! Jackass!

[doodlenyc]

Posted: 2/11/12 at 11:03pm

Frick getting hyjacked...Whitney was found by her bodyguard.