Late last night, a friend posted on facebook that AP reported Whitney Houston died. Frantic to find some solid proof that this was real and not another death hoax like the ones that circled around recently about Charlie Sheen, Cher, Eddie Murphy, and Reba McEntire, I found a single, poorly written article by an AP music writer that talked briefly about her decade-spanning career, but ended with the statement: "But by the end of her career, drug use took its toll as her record sales plummeted and her voice became raspy and hoarse."
Within the span of ten minutes, the story had been copy/pasted across the web; even on reputable sites such as Time and Newsday. Reuters posted an even more concise story. In it's entirety, the Reuters story read: "(Reuters) - Grammy Award-winning singer and actress Whitney Houston has died at age 48, media reports said on Saturday." That's it.
After that first ten minutes, another more extensive and respectable story began surfacing. This is the one that can be found more regularly online, and it talks about her rise as a pop queen, her acting career, her marriage to Bobby Brown, and her battle with drug addiction. It's a more fitting tribute to such an eduring vocal legacy.
What I've been disgusted by are all the online haters. I'm sure you've seen them. Making comments on facebook and twitter and blogs about her drug addiction. The same thing happened when Amy Winehouse passed away late last year. Nobody wanted to remember her amazing voice, just her struggles with addiction.
It seems like people are more judgemental though when these problems happen to women. When Kurt Cobain died, there was (and still is) a slew of rumors about how his death happened. Did Courtney Love do it? Likely, no. He was a depressed, sad, individual who suffered from a serious drug addiction. But do people focus on that? No. Nirvana is still touted as one of the most influential bands of all time; Kurt Cobain is regarded by some as a demi-god.
We've had many artists, comedians, and actors who were taken from us prematurely due to their various addictions. Jean-Michel Basquiat died of a heroin overdose, do we focus on that or his art? John Belushi, Lenny Bruce, Chris Farley - all were comedians who are still highly regarded to this day, all died of drug overdose. Jim Morrison, Dee Dee Ramone, Sid Vicious, Layne Staley - all famous, influential musicians who died of a drug overdose, still considered greats in the music industry.
In times like this, when the populace is in mourning over a celebrity that many of us have never met, but who made an impact on our every day lives due to their legacy, shouldn't we be a bit more respectful? Perhaps it's just because the news is so new, people grieve in their own ways. But when men die because of accidents related to their various addictions and are still praised for their careers, shouldn't women receive that same honor.
I don't know a single person who hasn't had their own struggles. Celebrities are under a daily microscope, every bad thing they have ever done is broadcast to the world. How would you like it? I certainly wouldn't.
Even though the cause of her death is still unknown, it's very likely that it had to do with her drug addiction. I just hope that someday soon, people will be able to remember her for the good that she left us, and not for her faults. When Amy Winehouse died, people said she deserved it; that she "got what was coming to her". My hope is that the same things aren't said about Whitney.
Whitney Houston was a woman who had an amazing talent, and blessed the world with it. She provided the soundtrack to my life growing up as a pre-teen and teenager in the 90's, and her work will be greatly missed. She was a powerhouse on stage and on screen, a beautiful, strong woman.
The world won't be the same without her.
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