Quote Of The Day By Whitney Houston: '... My Life Became ...'

Whitney Houston is remembered as one of the greatest vocalists in pop history, whose powerful, expressive voice could make any song — especially ballads — soar. Born in Newark, New Jersey, on August 9, 1963, she was part of a musical family that included her mother, Cissy, who was a member of the group the Sweet Inspirations, and her cousin, the acclaimed soul vocalist Dionne Warwick. But with her incredible range and ability, Houston's talent soon made her stand out, and by the late 1980s she was a bona fide star.

Houston's commercial success remains unrivaled. She holds the record for being the only artist to have seven consecutive No. 1 hits on the Billboard Hot 100, while her monster 1992 cover of Dolly Parton's "I Will Always Love You," which featured on the soundtrack to her movie "The Bodyguard," counts among the best-selling records of all time. Her talents were held in such high regard that she came to be known simply as "The Voice," a nickname that reveals how her talent was considered so singular by her millions of fans, and she became the most awarded female recording artist in history. 

Sadly, Houston died in early 2012 at the age of 48, and in her later years, she faced significant personal challenges and the demands of a life spent in the media — an aspect of her life reflected in her quote of the day.

"When I became 'Whitney Houston' and all this other stuff that happened, my life became the world's. My privacy. My business. Who I was with. Who I married. And I was, like, that's not fair."

Today's quote of the day comes from an interview Whitney Houston gave to Oprah Winfrey in 2009, to mark the release of her studio album "I Look to You." By then, Houston was one of the biggest pop stars in the world, but while she was an established musical icon, it was also becoming clear that she was experiencing a tumultuous private life.

Houston's interview with Oprah provided the singer with a chance to offer her own account of both her private and public lives. And as the quote makes clear, it became increasingly difficult for her to keep these two sides of her existence separate.

Whitney Houston was set for stardom since she was a little girl. As well as having preternatural vocal talents, her musical family background meant that she was well placed to enter the industry through her family's contacts, as well as to learn from her relatives' experiences of a life spent on stage and in the public eye.

But as she told Oprah Winfrey, managing life in the spotlight isn't that easy. Being a top-selling performer is itself a strain, but press intrusion and the need to manage your public persona also add extra weight to your everyday life, potentially exacerbating personal problems. Houston's tragic story is, sadly, far from unique, especially among women artists, with the Grammy-winning British singer Amy Winehouse dying the previous year amid a deluge of tabloid coverage of her romantic life and other well-reported personal issues. And Houston is right: it isn't fair, and as the current generation of stars continues to wither under the public eye, it seems the media has failed to learn any lessons from such losses.

"A lot of things surprised me — that the tabloids would think people are more interested in my life than my music, that all they seem to want to know is what's going on in my bedroom — or any of my rooms."

"It's so weird watching [the media] talk about 'The Bodyguard.' I mean, I'm lying in bed, holding my stomach, watching my baby move around, and they're talking about 'the Bodyguard phenomenon.' I just feel far removed from it, like it's deja vu."

"To me, my dad was just perfect in the way he treated us and the way he treated Mom. When you get older you realize that you're never going to find a man like your father. If you come close to it, you are lucky. I'll never find anyone to love me like my daddy loves me."

"I always knew I could sing, but the acting came as a total surprise. The only person who said 'The Bodyguard' would get that response was Kevin Costner."

"I don't make a lot of new friends. People you met after you became successful, you have to check them out so carefully. My friends are people I've known a long time."