Remembering Whitney Houston

I would like to take the time to share a remembrance of the woman known as “Nippy.” When I heard the heartbreaking news of Whitney Houston’s death; I was shocked, as I’m sure most of you were! This was one of those events that you will always be able to recall where you were for the rest of your life. In the mists of this tragedy, I wondered if you have thought about the reason we live. The process of life dictates that we are born to die. In my groundbreaking novel “Just a Season” I referred to this earthly period of existence as the “Dash” that will be placed on our final marker; placed between the beginning and end dates of our season.

Now, the more important point here is that each of us will face this quandary and will have a dash. We are only here for only a short period of time, which is only “Just a Season.” Therefore, what we should strive to accomplish is to make sure that while here you increase the equity within your dash. I’ll quote the great Richard Pryor who said, “This is the ultimate test!”

As we saw the footage concerning Whitney’s passing, I remember asking myself is this the price of fame? Kathleen Parker wrote an article that week where she said, “It is painful to watch. You can see her struggling to cooperate, but the love they (meaning the fans) wanted wasn’t there. You can only give what you have. Beneath the halfhearted smile, Houston looked empty in the end, exhausted and drained by the insistence of her audience. Maybe self-medication played a role, but the scene was a metaphor for what surely has been at least part of her internal struggle: the curse of fame.”

I tend to agree with her as she went on to say “the incredible voice that came to Earth with Whitney Houston ceased to be her own once Clive Davis put her on an album cover, which is not to pity the wildly successful sound. Who doesn’t want to be discovered, to live the big life, to have a shot at something extraordinary? But the cost is costly, especially for the phenomenally gifted.

We’ve seen this time and time again. There was Michael Jackson, Hendrix, Pryor, Cornelius, and so many more who in all their splendor and glory lived a life cursed by fame. The famous or the greats leave us far too soon to transition to the afterlife. If you pick up a newspaper and read the obituary, you will see the faces of those who’ve gone on. But in the case of stars, rich or famous people we act as if it is not supposed to happen to them. I will remind you; none of us knows the minute or the hour.

The interesting thing is that most of us can’t imagine what that level of fame is like or why anyone would want it? Frankly, the answer to that would be just about everyone. The popularity of reality shows and the extent to which some are willing to go in exchange for even fleeting recognition is something bordering on pathological.

Not long ago her only daughter, Bobbi Christina, joined you in heavenly rest. She was a young woman cursed by Whitney’s fame whose season was troubled and short but now lays beside her dear mother in her earthly resting place. In life, there are many sad stories, and this is one of the saddest. God Bless you both!!!

When you look at Whitney’s life, her fame was of a higher order, based not only on her extraordinary talent; it was more about the relationship with her fans. When she sang and pointed to the audience, it was easy to feel as if she was talking to you. When she wished us joy and happiness, it was easy to believe because when she wished us, love, we felt it. The love was a mutual connection and her beauty almost seemed less important.

There is sufficient history of the talented who met similar ends that fame is a huge risk. Fans may pay the bills, but they also siphon the spirit of the adored. You’ve heard that it is lonely at the top. What this means, if you are somebody, you belong to everybody. Now that her season has come and gone; she belongs to the ages now. Whitney, I forgive you, love you, and glad you were born. Rest in Peace for all eternity. And that’s my Thought Provoking Perspectives…

“Just a Season”

AMAZON