This weekend, music lost one of it’s last true icons, Whitney Houston. In spite of her highly publicised struggles with addiction, her death really did come as a shock; not many people saw it coming.  There are  still a lot of rumours surrounding the circumstances of her death, and it personally hurts me because her death was SO undignified. It wasn’t at all worthy of her massive talent and contribution to the music industry.I guess we’ll have to accept that not ALL people are up to the task of fighting their demons. Sometimes vices end up being stronger than the person who owns them

Whitney’s voice was indescribable, and it was connected to so many of our childhood memories. She was an artist who made one respect talent, and re-inforce the belief that some people were born to sing. It’s rare to see an artist so authentic in our current musical landscape, where image and “commercial appeal” come first, and ability is regarded as an optional extra. Yes, I am aware that music evolves and tastes change, but I do find myself reminiscing about a time where “A Voice” was the foremost attribute that was celebrated in a singer.

Very few people lay awake at night sure in the knowledge that they did what they were put on this Earth to do. We can all agree that there was nothing else Whitney was born for, but to share her gift and bless us with her voice. Many artists are popular, break record sales, and have legions of loyal fans, but very few have earned the stripes to be called true icons. These type of people come once or twice in each generation; and their music is as powerful and relevant when it was first released to decades later when we listen to it.

One thing we as fans do not understand though, is the sheer weight and responsibility of being born with such a task. We expect these people to give of themselves all the time, and many times, we’ve seen that the pressure can be too much for humans to handle. Could this be the case with Whitney, Michael and other tragic heroes? We will never know because we’ve never walked in their shoes, all we can do is be grateful that for the time that they were able to, they blessed us with their incredible talent.

You were beyond amazing, Ms Houston, and we will always love you. Rest in Peace.

Below is the tribute that Jennifer Hudson performed at the 54 th Annual Grammy Awards, singing one of Whitney’s greatest hits, “I Will Always Love You”