Whitney Houston was born on August 9, 1963, in Newark, New Jersey, into a musical family. She was the daughter of gospel star Cissy Houston, cousin of singer Dionne Warwick, and the goddaughter of Aretha Franklin. As a young child, she began singing in the choir of The New Hope Baptist Church in Newark, and, by the age of 15, she was singing backing vocals professionally, alongside her mother, on Chaka Khan’s 1978 hit, “I’m Every Woman.” She also worked briefly as a model and appeared on the cover of “Seventeen” magazine in 1981. Her vocal work attracted the attention of major record labels, including Arista with whom she signed in 1983 and where she stayed for the rest of her career Her debut album, 'Whitney Houston', which was released in 1985, became the biggest-selling album by a debut artist. The album itself sold 3 million copies in its first year in the US and went on to sell 25 million worldwide, winning her the first of her six Grammies. In 1987, she released a follow-up album, “Whitney,” which included the hits “I Wanna Dance with Somebody,” and “Where Do Broken Hearts Go.” Houston’s first film role was in The Bodyguard (1992) which was hugely successful at the box office, grossing more than $121 million in the U.S. and $410 million worldwide. The film’s soundtrack and her cover of the Dolly Parton song 'I Will Always Love You' topped the singles and albums charts for months and sold 44 million copies around the world. Houston married R&B singer Bobby Brown which whom she had her only child, Bobbi Kristina Brown in March 1993. It was about this time that her much documented drug use began. When asked about her drug use in an interview with Diane Sawyer, in 2002, Houston admitted to using alcohol, marijuana, cocaine, and pills. She also stated that her mother had urged her to seek help regarding her drug use. Houston’s drug abuse began to affect her reputation and press reports at the time said that she was becoming difficult to work with, and her voice began to fail her. In 2009, she released a comeback album “I Look To You” which sold well and was positively received. She was twice admitted to rehab and declared herself drug-free in 2010 but returned to rehab in May 2011. She was found dead in a Beverly Hills hotel room on 11 February 2012. The Los Angeles Coroner’s Office reported that Houston's death was caused by drowning and the "effects of atherosclerotic heart disease and cocaine use.”