Nothing” were nominated for an Oscar for Best Original Song. The soundtrack also won the Grammy for Album of the Year. Her acting success did not stop there. She landed the role of Savannah in the screen adaptation of Terry McMillan’s best-selling novel “Waiting to Exhale.” Showing that she could succeed in both genres, this movie opened #1 in its opening weekend. Once again, Roger Ebert gave a positive review of the film. The soundtrack garnered Whitney another number-one hit song for “Exhale (Shoop Shoop).”
She recently ventured back into the acting arena with the film “Sparkle.” This film was a long labor of love for Houston. She and her production partner, Debra Martin Chase, secured the rights to a Sparkle remake during the mid 1990’s but due to occurrences outside of her control, it took quite some time to get the ball rolling. Filming finally began in 2011. In addition to having a role in the movie, she also served as the executive producer. Sparkle is set for release in August of 2012. Her sudden death on February 11, 2012 on the eve of the 54th annual Grammy Awards was a shock not just to the music community but the world at large. Whitney Houston’s voice was pure and a God-given talent. As she sang so poignantly on 1998’s “My Love is Your Love” If I should die this very day Don’t cry, cause on earth we wasn’t meant to stay... Cause your love is my love And my love is your love It would take an eternity to break us. The mark Whitney Houston has left on the music industry is incomparable. The name Whitney should make you think of a voice that is irreplaceable. In the words of Whitney Houston:
“Judge not for your flaws but for your triumphs.”
We will always love you Whitney. The IDEAL Magazine:: Spring 2012:: 19