Tribute to Whitney Houston: look back at the little-known photos of her career

Ten years ago one of the most beautiful voices in music passed away. On February 11, 2012, Whitney Houston was found lifeless in the bathtub of her hotel room, where she was staying in Beverly Hills. While she was expected the next day at the Grammy Awards, her disappearance from an overdose had mourned the whole world.

Unique by her voice and her talent, Whitney Houston was immersed in music since her childhood surrounded by her family. In the 1980s, the African-American artist signed his first successes from his two eponymous opuses. Among his memorable hits, we note number 1 such as Saving All My Love for You, How Will I Know, I Wanna Dance with Somebody and So Emotional.

How not to forget her cult role in the cinema, in the 1990s, on the poster of Bodyguard where she sang the ballad I Will Always Love You to actor Kevin Costner. With hundreds of millions of albums sold worldwide, Whitney Houston has established herself as one of music’s biggest divas. A reputation that had its echo in France, especially during a passage that nevertheless left a bitter taste to the popstar…

Invited in 1986 by Michel Drucker on his Champs-Élysées show, Whitney Houston met Serge Gainsbourg on the set. Under the spell of the American star, the slightly dissipated singer had hit on him heavily before insulting him [I want to f**k her]. A scene that shocked the pop star who came on promotion, also embarrassing the famous live host.

“At the time, I was still too young and we were live, I couldn’t fire him”, explained Michel Drucker, returning to this slippage in TPMP in December 2021. “If I fired him, the show would stopped. There was still a duet behind: ‘Old Canailles with Eddy Mitchell'”. Especially since the atmosphere was more tense behind the scenes. “It was terrifying, she left in a state of rage. The American staff left, they slammed the door,” continues the septuagenarian. “We went to get flowers where we could at this time. I took a bouquet of flowers to Georges IV, his hotel”. But, Dany Saval’s husband failed to approach the star and apologize verbally.

However, it will take several years, during the World Music Awards in Monaco where Michel Drucker presented the ceremony with Claudia Schiffer. It was then that Whitney Houston, a guest at this event, met the familiar gaze of the host sitting next to him. “I’m sure I know you,” she told him, as he explained in another program on France 2. At the mention of the name of Serge Gainsbourg, the singer burst out laughing. “It was the worst nightmare of my career.”

Back in pictures on the little-known photos of Whitney Houston, at the start of her career, in our slideshow.