Whitney Houston may be gone, but she is anything but forgotten. The singer had an illustrious career and is still widely regarded as one of the best performers of all time. Here, we present our list of ten facts you probably didn’t know about Whitney Houston.
Number Ten: Her Father Nicknamed Her “Nippy”
Houston’s father, John Houston, gave her the nickname of “Nippy” when she was just an infant. Whitney was apparently a fussy baby, so her father began calling her Nippy.
Number Nine: Whitney Houston Left Several Relatives Behind
When Houston died, she was survived by several important relatives. Her brother, Michael Houston, her step-sister, Alana Houston, and her two step-brothers, Gary Garland and John Russell Houston III, all survived past her death.
Number Eight: She Liked to Party
When Houston was just 15 years old, she was the vocalist on a track titled “Life’s a Party” by the Michael Zager Band. Little did she know that she would go on to be much more successful.
Number Seven: She Was a Background Singer for Chaka Khan
Houston sang background vocals for Khan’s song, “I’m Every Woman.” in 1978. She even went on to cover the song in 1993, and Chaka Khan appeared in the video.
Number Six: She Has an Amazing Record
Throughout her career, Houston achieved an impressive 11 number one hits. “I Will Always Love You” spent 14 weeks at number one on the Billboard Hot 100, and she is the only female artist who released seven consecutive number one hits. She did this between the years of 1985 and 1988.
Number Five: Her Last Songs Were Featured in Sparkle
The 2012 movie may not have garnered a lot of critical acclaim, but Houston’s last songs were featured in it. She also acted in the film, which is a remake, as well.
Number Four: Whitney Houston Used to Model
In the early 1980s, Houston began modeling, and she was one of the first African American women to be featured on the cover of Seventeen magazine.
Number Three: She Was Almost a Huxtable
Houston was offered a role as Sondra Huxtable on The Cosby Show, but she had to turn it down because she wanted to pursue her singing career. However, she didn’t even have a record deal at the time, so she must have known she was going to hit it big soon.
Number Two: Whitney Houston Was in Four Movies
Though most people look at Houston as a singer, she actually had some good acting chops as well. As mentioned above, she was in the movie Sparkle, but she was also in The Bodyguard (1992), Waiting to Exhale (1995), and The Preacher’s Wife (1996).
Number One: Her Death Is a Somber Reminder for Brandy and Kelly Rowland
Both Brandy and Kelly Rowland share a birthday with the day Houston died, on February 11. Brandy and Rowland also have connections to the star. Brandy co-starred with Houston in Cinderella, and Rowland has claimed the Houston was one of her biggest inspirations to begin singing.