Dionne Warwick has paid tribute to her late cousin, Witney Houston, and on the tenth anniversary of her death, missing her “terribly.” The 81-year-old singer, actress, television host said the Whitney was “preordained” and could sing with a “voice like no other.”
The I Will Always Love You hitmaker sadly perished on February 11th, 2012, aged 48, after her accidental drowning in a bath. Whilst discussing Whitney’s childhood on to US television show Entertainment Tonight (ET), Warwick said the late singer was “around me so much. She was just like the little girl I never had. She was a little devil. She really was. She got everyone in trouble. She would start something and everybody else would get blamed for it. She was a very special baby. She really was.”
Warwick revealed she would often take Whitney and her cousins on tour during the summers, giving them experience of her life on the road. When asked on how Whitney came to have such a heart-pulsating voice, she said “It came from a gospel-singing family. They all sang. So, it wasn't surprising that she would sing. The ultimate was the success that followed her voice. A voice like none other, which is the best part about it.”
“I do miss her terribly, I do, our conversations. She called me with the silliest questions, and I'd give her a silly answer. And that would be the end of that.”
US record producer, Clive Davis, also paid tribute to Whitney and her “spine-tingling voice” on the anniversary. “It's been 10 years since Whitney passed away and I am among millions who miss her more than ever.
“No new artist has since been introduced who has made us forget her soaring, spine-tingling voice and her heart-warming smile. With every passing day, it becomes ever clearer there will never be another Whitney Houston.”
Whitney Houston was known for her iconic hits, and cult classic appearances on screen, such as The Bodyguard alongside Kevin Costner. The singer had monumental success before her untimely passing, including 2 Emmy Awards, 6 Grammy Awards, 16 Billboard Music Awards, 22 American Music Awards, among a total of 415 career awards as of 2010.
