VIDEOSBeauty, Talent & Addiction: Whitney Houston's Final Days Re-Examined In REELZ Doc
Legendary singer Whitney Houston, one of the greatest voices of her generation, was discovered dead in her bathtub at age 48 on February 11, 2012. Eight years later, her final moments are being looked at in a new light on Autopsy… The Last Hours of Whitney Houston Re-Examined, airing Thursday, February 10, on REELZ.
Featuring interviews with Narada Michael Walden, Houston's record producer, and Gary Catona, Houston's voice coach, forensic pathologist Dr. Michael Hunter re-opens the case and re-examines her autopsy to uncover new evidence.
Looking at Houston's autopsy, Hunter says, "It shows that she was actually in pretty good shape" at the time of her death, adding that for a Hollywood star, she was "remarkably natural." So what went wrong the night of Houston's untimely passing?
The new doc takes viewers back to the height of Houston's career. While under record producer Clive Davis' wing in the 1980s, "Houston's unique talent made her the biggest female recording star on the planet," according to The Last Hours of Whitney Houston Re-Examined. The vocalist shot to superstardom with iconic songs, including "I Will Always Love You" and "I Wanna Dance With Somebody." She became a trailblazing female African-American icon and global superstar.
"No one's ever seen it before," record producer Walden explains. "That height, so beautiful and so much control and effortlessness in her singing ability." While the world had seen beauty and talent before, "put it together in that kind of package," he adds, "very rare."
Her extraordinary voice took her from a gospel choir to stages across the world, selling over 200 million records. There had been no other star like Houston. Despite her ongoing struggle with drug and alcohol abuse, friends and fans hoped that the icon was finally turning her life around and would make a comeback at the 2012 Grammy Awards.
However, on February 11, 2012, the "Saving All My Love for You" singer was found alone and unconscious in the bathtub of a Hollywood hotel room, with traces of cocaine in her system. She was pronounced dead at 3:55 p.m. PT.
Prior to Houston's final days, she appeared "disheveled" and "erratic," leading up to Davis' pre-Grammy Awards party at the Beverly Hills Hilton. The powerhouse actress and singer never made it to the party. Tune into Autopsy… The Last Hours of Whitney Houston Re-Examined on Thursday, February 10, at 9 ET / 5 PT to learn more about her final moments.
Watch REELZ on DIRECTV 238, Dish Network 299, Verizon FiOS 692, AT&T U-verse 1799 and in HD on cable systems and streaming services nationwide. Find REELZ on your local cable or satellite provider at www.reelz.com.
