I forgot how beautiful Whitney Houston’s voice was until I turned on the TV and watched her in Sparkle, her last acting role before her tragic death.
Even though this movie is a couple of years old, seeing Whitney Houston brought a smile to my face and a tear to my eye. She played an over-protective mother of aspiring singer-songwriter Sparkle (played by American Idol winner Jordin Sparks). Sparkle forms a trio with her sisters, Sister Williams (played by Carmen Ejogo) and Delores Williams (played by Tika Sumpter).
This movie was to have been Whitney Houston’s acting comeback, as she had not appeared in a movie since The Preacher’s Wife in 1996. Tragically, she died during post production, and there is a one line tribute at the end of the movie’s credits.
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Although Whitney Houston was not young by Hollywood standards, she was only 48 when she died. She had her ups and downs, and her trials and tribulations, but you cannot deny that she had an amazing singing voice, especially when she belted out “I Will Always Love You”. If you want to hear her amazing voice, just watch The Bodyguard or Sparkle.
Her death, which came just days before the 2012 Grammy Awards, was another tragic case of drug abuse by a celebrity. The official coroner’s report showed that she had accidentally drowned in the bathtub of her hotel guest room, with heart disease and cocaine use listed as contributing factors. (Source: Los Angeles Times, 4/5/2012)
Like many other celebrities who died due to accidental overdoses, Whitney Houston had several other drugs in her system: Benadryl, Xanax, marijuana, and Flexeril.
Other tragic celebrity deaths include: Phillip Seymour Hoffman, Heath Ledger, Cory Monteith, River Phoenix, Chris Farley, Amy Winehouse, Kurt Cobain, Michael Jackson, Anna Nicole Smith, and Brad Renfro… just to name a few.
And those near misses like Robert Downey Jr., Oprah Winfrey, Eminem, Slash, Samuel L. Jackson, Britney Spears, Lindsay Lohan, Kelly Osborne, Nicole Ritchie, Drew Barrymore, Robin Williams, Russell Brand, and Angelina Jolie… again, just to name a few.
Many other celebrities and musicians cite fatigue, depression, dehydration, and/or stress as reasons to enter rehab. My heart goes out to those celebrities and musicians who die at such a young age, never really reaching their full potential or fully realizing their dreams. Selfishness and insecurities must plaque celebrities, pushing some of them to the point of no return. Do young celebrities not take note of their peers who are struggling with drug addiction? Do they not see what is going on around them, or are they just so oblivious to their surroundings that they have blinders on?
Some people don’t think they have a problem, but then they end up nearly dying of an overdose and still they struggle to admit that they have a problem. And it’s not just celebrities. There are people everywhere who are plaque with the demons of addiction.
I guess my frustration and sadness comes from watching TV and/or movies with deceased actors or actresses, knowing how tragically they died. Most of them suffered in silence, and most of them died alone and probably afraid.
There are TV shows that deal with the tragic loss of a cast member who died from a drug overdose, For example, Glee did a wonderful job honoring Cory and his character, Finn Hudson, but they didn’t actually come out and address how his character died. However, the cast did film a PSA warning about the “serious disease” that addiction is. (Source: Fox News)
If you suspect a friend or family member of substance abuse (whether it be drugs, alcohol, or both), or if you are going though substance addiction and want help, please talk to someone. Help is available.
Check out these websites for assistance: www.drugabuse.gov, www.samhsa.gov, www.nih.gov, or www.naadac.org.
Have a great day!