My Tribute Post for Whitney Houston

A family meal: Miss Houston's daughter  Bobbi Kristina, 

left, and her ex-husband  Bobby Brown get into a car

 after an evening out at Crustacean restaurant in Beverly 

Hills on February 2. Right, the singer joins her family after

what will have been one of their last nights out together 

More recently Miss Houston had just completed a role in the musical Sparkle, in which she played the mother to Jordin Sparks, who has the role of a singer.

The film is set to be released in August and tells the story of three sisters who form a successful group learning to cope with the fallout of fame and drugs.

But for the most part, the star's life had spiralled downhill since her early hits. She suffered a long battle with drugs, including cocaine, as well as alcohol and spent various spells in rehab.

Recent appearances had become increasingly erratic and the years of substance abuse had clearly taken a toll.

She cancelled a string of concerts and talk shows as she struggled to cope. In a chat show with Oprah in 2003, the star admitted the scale of her addiction to smoking crack cocaine. 'It was every day, every,' she said. 'I didn't think about the singing part of it any more.'

Her powerful voice began to suffer because of her demons prompting record sales to nosedive and in 2007 she split from husband Bobby Brown after 15 years of marriage. Recent reports suggested that the soul star was on the brink of bankruptcy, with her pop fortune said to have dwindled away, much of it going to her drug dealers.

What she'll be remembered for: Looking radiant in a white one-shouldered dress, Houston gives an incomparable performance at the peak of her career when she was one of the world's most popular singers

Child: Houston, pictured in 1965 (left), was the daughter of gospel singer Cissy Houston, the cousin of 1960s pop diva Dionne Warwick and the goddaughter of Aretha Franklin. Right, pictured with Jermaine Jackson during rehearsals for a TV performance in 1984

Film: In 1992, she became a star in the acting world with 'The Bodyguard'. The story of a singer guarded by a former Secret Service agent was a success

Famous friend: South African President Nelson Mandela and Whitney Houston smile for photographers in Johannesburg

Award success: Houston collects one of the many accolades she received throughout her career. She was a frequent winner at the Grammys and Billboard awards

Relatives: In this January 1998 photo, singer Houston, left, celebrates her win at the American Music Awards with her mother, Cissy, and brother, Gary, in Los Angeles

Relationship: Houston performs with singer Bobby Brown, left. Their turbulent marriage was the subject of tabloid gossip for years

Family: Houston, centre, poses with her former husband, singer Bobby Brown, right, and their daughter Bobbi, left, at Disneyland in Anaheim, California, in August 2004

Miss Houston performs on stage during Michael in New York's Madison Square Garden 2001. Her emaciated appearance led to rumours she had died the next day. Right, a year later, again in New York, the singer was still struggling with a troubled relationship and cocaine abuse

The I Will Always Love You singer suffers a waldrobe malfunction on the X Factor in 2009 in what was supposed to be the start of her comeback tour. Many of the subsequent shows were later cancelled

Danni Minogue, left, Simon Cowell, Whitney Houston and Cheryl Cole, right, backstage on the X Factor. Whitney's performance raised concerns for her health with Cowell saying the warning signs were clear

Looking back: Whitney Houston's heyday in the Nineties was revisited at the Grammy awards Sunday night