The news of all time great singer Whitney Houston shocked the world today when pronounced day in the early hours of today. Born August 9, 1963, the pop icon/idol was the most awarded female act of all time with her list of awards include 2 Emmy Awards, 6 Grammy Awards, 30 Billboard Music Awards, 22 American Music Awards, among a total of 415 career awards (as of 2010). Whitney Houston also carried the distinction of being one of the world’s best-selling music artists, having sold over 170 million albums and singles worldwide.

Whitney Houston inspired a generation of younger singers, from Christina Aguilera to Mariah Carey, who when she first came out sounded so much like Houston that many thought it was Houston. As the the daughter of gospel singer Cissy Houston, the cousin of 1960s pop diva Dionne Warwick and the goddaughter of Aretha Franklin, Whitney was as influenced by music as she was influential to it.

So many artist such as Rihanna, Katy Perry, Justin Bieber and Christina Aguilera tweet their greif on the death of the icon who was an inspiration to the young artists. Jennifer Hudson will be payin h=tribute to the icon at the 2012 grammy awards later on tonight. she will indeed be highly missed and will continue to live in the hearts of people all over the world.