Houston, Whitney

1963 - Born on August 9th in Newark, New Jersey.

An American singer and actress whose first four albums amassed global sales in excess of 86 million copies.

1982 - At age 19 she signed with Arista Records, whose president, Clive Davis, groomed the gospel-based singer for crossover pop success.

1985 - Her debut album, Whitney Houston, yielded three number one singles: "Greatest Love of All," which became her signature; "Saving All My Love for You" ; and "How Will I Know".

1987 - Whitney delivered four more number ones.

1992 - She married singer Bobby Brown and made her motion-picture debut in The Bodyguard; the film featured her rendition of Dolly Parton's "I Will Always Love You", which stayed at number one for 14 weeks.

1995-1996 - She continued acting in films such as "Waiting to Exhale" and "The Preacher's Wife", and the soundtrack of each film generated hit singles for her.

1998 - Houston released "My Love Is Your Love", which did not sell as well as previous efforts but was praised by the critics.

2000 - She signed a new multi-album contract with Arista for $100 million.

2012 - Died February 11 in Beverly Hills, California.