From the moment I first heard That Voice, I was in total awe. What a gift. The sheer quality and power – simply stunning. Her voice was like no other; pure and strong yet edged with a sweetness that literally made your heart ache.

Whitney’s songs were a part of my youth – I cannot tell you how many times my friends and I shook our collective booty’s whilst singing our lungs out to “I Wanna Dance With Somebody’ or ‘I’m Every Woman’. She was the soundtrack to every great party. Everyone knew the words and we all sang them out LOUD. Good times, good times.

In recent years addiction had taken its toll on her legendary talents. Her last concert tour in Australia had been dogged with news of walkouts by disappointed fans. The powerhouse voice of the past was sadly that – in the past. Ultimately, it appears that she was unable to beat the demons that had haunted her. Alone in a posh hotel room at 48 years old is hardly the fitting time or place for her life to end, yet it’s an all too-familiar story these days. You have to feel for her daughter right now.

So rest easy, Whitney. And thanks for the memories. Your legacy is your music, and thanks to technology, will live on forever. I truly hope your spirit finds the peace it was looking for. RIP.