Whitney Houston proclaimed her dominance of the music industry in 1992 with the release of her biggest hit, ‘I Will Always Love You’. Smashing numerous records across the globe, the song held the #1 spot on the Billboard Hot 100 for a then record 14 weeks and also topped the charts in 15 other countries.
The Dolly Parton cover also gave Houston her 3rd Grammy Award for ‘Best Female Pop Vocal Performance’ and helped to cement position her as one of the leading vocalists of our time. By utilising lung-busting belts and thrilling vocal runs, the diva separated herself from her peers, as depicted in the above rendition at Arista’s 25th anniversary special in 2000.
Unfortunately, this was one of few times in the last decade that Houston’s voice shined in such a way. After years of drug abuse and cigarettes, even the opening note of the song has become too much for her to handle.
On the bright side, Houston has returned to rehab and is currently working to salvage what is left of her vocal cords. She might not be able to return to her former glory but at least she can try. Until then, we will always have YouTube.