1984: New Jersey native Whitney Houston sings at a New York City nightclub.
Feb. 25, 1986: Houston in the press room at the 28th Annual Grammy Awards holding her first Grammy. She would go on to win five more throughout her career. She was nominated 26 times.
Dec. 20, 1987: Houston poses with her mother, gospel singer Cissy Houston, and her famous cousin, Dionne Warwick.
March 10, 1988: Elizabeth Taylor, Liza Minnelli, Michael Jackson and Houston at a United Negro College Fund event in New York City. Of the four in this photo, Minnelli is the only one still living.
Jan. 27 1991: Houston's vocal skills were never in doubt, but her performance of the National Anthem at Super Bowl XXV was legendary.
Sept. 11, 1998: Houston with fellow big-voiced diva Mariah Carey at the MTV Video Music Awards.
Oct. 11, 1998: Houston with husband Bobby Brown and daughter Bobbi Kristina in Beverly Hills, Calif. Her volatile relationship with the New Edition singer would make headlines.
Feb. 13, 1999: Always a diva, Houston performs in fur at VH1 Divas Live.
Sept. 7, 2001: Houston performs at a Michael Jackson tribute concert. Photos of her thin frame at this concert prompted concern about her health.
May 28, 2003: Houston and Brown on a visit to Jerusalem. Footage of the visit showed up on their reality show, Being Bobby Brown.
Sept. 12, 2006: Houston with her mentor, music mogul Clive Davis, who was widely credited with helping the singer pull her life together after battling addiction and other problems.
Sept. 1, 2009: Houston takes the stage with daughter Bobbi Kristina at ABC's Good Morning America.
Feb. 12, 2011: Almost exactly a year before her death, Houston appeared at the 2011 Pre-Grammy Gala and Salute to Industry Icons at the Beverly Hills Hilton in California, where she was reportedly found dead on Feb. 11, 2012.