Whitney Houston was known for her powerful and emotive voice, making her one of the best-selling music artists of all time. She achieved worldwide fame with hits such as “I Will Always Love You,” “Greatest Love of All,” and “How Will I Know.”

Whitney bagged 25 Grammy nominations and 6 wins due to her vocal prowess and influence in the music industry. The “Greatest Love Of All” singer recognized her gift, saying, “God gave me a voice to sing with, and when you have that, what other gimmick is there?”

Sadly, on February 12, 2012, Whitney, who was only 48, died at a Beverly Hills hotel. She was found dead in a bathtub. The Los Angeles County coroner’s office said the official cause of death was accidental drowning.

Whitney had long battled drug addiction. Authorities found cocaine, Benadryl, Xanax, and marijuana in her system. They listed these drugs, including heart disease and cocaine use, as contributing factors to the singer’s death.

The level of cocaine in her body was not high, but it contributed to her death due to her chronic use of the drug. Authorities also found water in her lungs, indicating that she was alive when she was submerged in water.

Whitney died a day before the Grammy Awards, shocking the music community around the world with her sudden death. The singer had a decorated music career that earned her multiple accolades throughout her life.

She was also an actress who had bagged a Primetime Emmy for Outstanding Individual Performance in a Variety or Music Program. Some of the movies she starred in are “The Bodyguard,” “Waiting to Exhale,” and “The Preacher’s Wife.”

Upon her death, the multitalented singer left behind her daughter, Bobbi Kristina Brown, whom she shared with her ex-husband Bobby Brown. Bobbi died aged 22 on July 26, 2015, while in hospice care.

Whitney’s daughter died from a combination of drowning and drug intoxication. Bobbi Kristina Brown’s death was somehow similar to her mom’s, one of the greatest beauties of pop.

Whitney was unrecognizable by the time of her death. The beauty’s body had been ravaged by illness and decades of drinking and drug abuse. The singer’s former sister-in-law, Tina Brown, once shared a picture of Whitney’s bathroom after the two had engaged in a night of drug binge.

Tina confessed that she and Whitney agreed to share the picture as a cry for help by showing the world the pain they were going through. The photo showcased a low and destructive time in Tina and Whitney’s lives.

A collection of such terrible moments contributed to Whitney’s deteriorating health. As her autopsy indicated, the once fresh-faced singer was a shell of a former self when she was found dead over ten years ago.

The autopsy indicated that Whitney was found dead by her assistant in about 13 inches of scalding hot water. The water was 33°C six hours after she died. Insiders said the water could have been 66°C when she died. Large stretches of skin had been burned off her back, and the hot water had caused skin slippage on her legs.

Some of Whitney’s scars were recent, others from years of neglect. She had scars from breast implants and contours of dual breast prosthetics. Other scars, abrasions, and bruises were found on her arms, legs, shoulders, and head.

Whitney was assumed to have had cosmetic surgery due to the marks on her stomach and upper thigh. A needle mark was spotted on her inner left elbow. A wig seamlessly integrated into her natural hair exuding luster. Despite her full, black, and wavy hair showing no signs of balding, her eyebrows were thin.

The singer’s teeth were in terrible condition. Marathon’s crack cocaine binges had taken a toll on them, resulting in the loss of 11 front teeth. Tina had previously revealed that Whitney lost her teeth by knocking them off when on drug binges.

To conceal severe dental problems, the singer used a maxillary dental prosthesis valued at $6000 according to Tina. Whitney Houston’s dentist regularly sent her replacements via FedEx whenever she misplaced them.

Whitney’s personal struggles almost overshadowed her bright career. The singer holds the Guinness World Record as the most-awarded female artist of all time. Her iconic songs won her several awards, including her first career Grammy for Best Pop Vocal Performance in 1986.

In 1993 she won Album Of The Year for the soundtrack for “The Bodyguard.” In 2001, Whitney made history as the inaugural recipient of the BET (Black Entertainment Television) Lifetime Achievement Award.

This award honors veteran artists or groups for their significant contributions to the music industry. Following Houston, notable winners have included James Brown in 2003, Diana Ross in 2007, and Prince in 2010.

Therefore, in as much as her history with drug abuse affected her career, it didn’t manage to dim it, as today Whitney is mostly remembered for her soaring vocals and legendary music as her impact in the entertainment industry remains significant.