Ghanaian artistes pay tribute to Whitney Houston

Remembrances and tributes to the late Whitney Houston continue to pour in, almost four days after the death of the singer/actor; and these have not been limited to just US artistes.

The 48-year-old pop star was found dead Saturday in a bathtub in her suite at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills, Los Angeles, hours before she was supposed to appear at a pre-Grammy Awards party. Investigators say a small amount of prescription medication was found in the room.

Social network sites on the internet such as Twitter, Facebook, and Hi5 have been busy with more tributes to the late Whitney Houston. And while Houston's friends, family and close associates are struggling on TV and in private to make sense of what happened, Ghanaian celebrities have also joined in the chorus, sharing their thoughts and memories of the singer with Hitz FM.

Songstress Raquel had this to say: ‘‘There is no one (particular thing) I can point out about her because there are thousands of things (about her). For me, her personality as a woman … she is so humble and all her greatest hits … she is just one in a million. I remember from her movie The Bodyguard, Preachers Wife, The Famous Greatest Love of all and just soo many things I remember about her’’.

Another songstress, Irene Logan, says she grew up listening to Whitney Houston and she fell in love with her, following her career even when she took the nose dive in her career, describing her death as a shock and a sad moment.

Logan said ‘‘Whitney bard her soul through her music and some of us connected to that. She captivated all of us in so many different ways even at her lowest point … her story was a motivation for some of us and all I can say is thank you for everything she gave us’’

Hiplife musician Asem described Whitney as a talented musician he loved to listen to. He said Whitney’s voice is something that touched the hearts of many people. He said “Whitney’s death has been very devastating, she should have lived older and celebrated more in life”.

Asem linked the death of Whitney to the oft discussed issue of showbiz and stress. He said artistes are judged so much by their output and this puts so much stress on celebrities.

“Whitney was going through a lot and for me she was completely an amazing woman. I was in tears when I heard the news”, said Asem. Hi-life musician Rex Omar says Whitney’s death came to him as a shock but he expected it considering what she went through.

He said, in life, we make some choices and as much as we are all sorry for what happened to Whitney, I think she should have considered some choices and we cannot withhold the fact that she was on drugs and definitely everybody knows that when you pick that line, the end result is inevitable death.

“Apart from that I see Whitney as a ‘devil’ because there are songs that only Whitney could have performed … I respect her for that; but I also use this as a wakeup call for all artistes, especially the up-and-coming one, that the fast lane is very fast but you have to always look at the person who gave you the talent and make him your strong whole”, said Rex Omar, sounding very philosophical.

Houston had struggled with addiction issues, but it could be weeks before a cause of death is known.

Her body was flown to her home-city in New Jersey for funeral rites later this week.