Even if her music was a bit too commercial for my tastes, there was no denying the power of her voice in its prime, rooted in the gospel singing of the African-American church. The explanation for Houston's untimely demise offered by most of the media centred on the idea that as a young woman she had been unprepared for the pressures of in the music industry and as a result had turned to drink and drugs. I'm not so sure about that. As the daughter of a professional gospel singer, a cousin of Dionne Warwick and goddaughter of Aretha Franklin, she was pretty well placed to understand the music industry she entered as a nineteen year old. And it seems more likely to me that she drank heavily and took large amounts of drugs because she enjoyed it and had the wealth to do so.
It's a part of the secular canonisation that is required nowadays after someone as famous as this dies, especially prematurely. Their faults and failings have to be airbrushed away with excuses like "she was too immature to deal with the pressures of fame", but as you rightly point out, that's drivel.
ReplyDeleteYes, she had great talent, but her lifestyle led to an early grave. Those who mindlessly chase fame for its own sake should take note. But they won't be able to because her failings will be smoothed out of the coverage.