BREAKING: Whitney Houston Dead at 48

Whitney Houston, the remarkably gifted singer who slid into a world of drug use, erratic behavior and a troubled comeback attempt has died at the age of 48.

There is currently no word on the cause of death, although TMZ reports that the singer’s assistant found her unconscious in her hotel room bathtub. Houston was reportedly planning to attend Clive Davis’ annual pre-Grammy party Saturday at the Beverly Hilton hotel. The event went on, where Davis and guests expressed their sympathy. She will be honored at Sunday night’s Grammy Awards.

Houston, whose voice was widely recognized as one of the strongest of her generation, was one of the world’s best selling artists in the mid 1980s to the late 1990s. According to her website, she has sold more than 170 million albums. Her talent, combined with her stunning good looks and poise catapulted her into a successful movie career.

Eventually though, drug use, bizarre behavior and a troubled marriage to Bobby Brown would tarnish her image (they divorced in 2007), and her recent comeback attempt was less successful than many had hoped. While the sales of her album reached number two on the charts, her subsequent concert tour seemed to show that Houston had lost command of her voice.

What Houston will be most remembered for, however, will be the thoughtful, passionate approach she took to her music when the singer was at her prime. Her collection of songs from “The Bodyguard” continues to be one of the longest running number one albums of all time.

Houston had finished production on what will be her final movie, the upcoming film “Sparkle,” a remake loosely based on the story of The Supremes. (It premieres in August.) There had also been speculation that she would join the FOX singing competition “The X Factor” as a judge.

There’s little denying that whatever the cause of Houston’s death, the loss of a woman of such promise and talent at such a young age is indeed a tragedy. Both a reminder that life is indeed short, and that we all owe it to ourselves not to squander the gifts we have. May she rest in peace.

Here are some of Whitney Houston’s most popular music videos. For more entertainment news and updates, follow @BrianBalthazar on twitter.

One of Houston’s most unforgettable performances was from her film The Bodyguard. The song, I Will Always Love You, was written and previously performed by Dolly Parton, but Houston set a new standard for the tune… one that was often copied but never equaled.

The Greatest Love Of All was Houston’s second most successful chart topper.

I Have Nothing was another successful hit from the same film:

I Wanna Dance With Somebody was one of Houston’s early hits. It’s one of the few songs where Whitney danced in the video. (It was widely speculated that Houston was not much of a dancer, although she did some moves in the video for the song I’m Your Baby Tonight, which is also below,, from 1990.)

No one knew it at the time, but Houston’s 1991 performance of The Star Spangled Banner ended up setting the standard for sporting events, and is yet to be surpassed. Her rendition of the song became a charity single to raise funds for soldiers and families of those involved in the Persian Gulf War.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wupsPg5H6aE

One Moment In Time was a tribute to athletes in the 1998 Olympics, and was another Houston hit:

So Emotional was the third single from her second album Whitney, and was released on November 12, 1987.

I Believe In You And Me was first recorded and released by the R&B group The Four Tops in 1983. Houston re-recorded for her film The Preacher’s Wife in 1996

Not everyone knows that Houston’s hit Step By Step was actually originally written and originally recorded by singer Annie Lennox, After Houston recorded it, the song served as the second single from her 1996 soundtrack album, The Preacher’s Wife.

It’s Not Right But It’s Okay was from Houston’s fourth studio album My Love Is Your Love. Released in 1999, It was #1 on Billboard’s Hot Dance Music/Club Play chart.

I Wanna Run To You was also from Houston’s hit The Bodyguard.

How Will I Know was on of Houston’s early hits, off her first album.

Another early hit, I’m Saving All My Love For You was originally a minor hit for Marilyn McCoo and Billy Davis Jr. It was the second hit from her debut album.

Recorded in 1987, Do You Hear What I Hear never had an official music video. It has since become a Christmas Classic. Here is Houston performing the song on the Tonight Show with Jay Leno.

I Look To You was Houston’s most recent hit, from her comeback album of the same name. It was her seventh record album.