I came across a quote when I was working on my dissertation proposal (where I queried why and how 900 plus souls died in Jonestown) that I could never wrap my head around. It went something like this: The purest form of healing is death. I understand it now. I understand it because I am a little older and wiser. More importantly, though, I understand it because Whitney Houston is no longer with us. I cannot even bring myself to say that she is dead, even though I know it is true because I just watched her HomeGoing service.
How can Whitney Houston be dead? Because we live in the 21st century and have access to almost everything a “celebrity” does, we have seen video of Whitney having fun and laughing and smiling and being her bold and beautiful self just 24 hours before she died. It is so surreal. What we do not know is what happened in the final minutes of her life. And while the toxicology report will eventually reveal that final puzzle piece, it will still not be as important as the sad truth that she is gone from among us.
It was obvious from the moment Whitney stepped onto the music scene that she was special. She had a big voice and a big personality. However, she never pretended to be anything other than what she was-a girl from New Jersey. The industry at some point did not think this was enough and repackaged her. It created an image that made her more mainstream, but in hindsight, at some point the image apparently took her further away from who she thought she was. She could wear sophisticated gowns and appear at A-list functions, but at heart she apparently just wanted to be Nippy from the neighborhood. She tried to remind us over and over in subtle and not so subtle ways that she was really just like us except God had given her an incredible and amazing instrument. The rebellion to reclaim herself took a dangerous turn and her subsequent struggles were played out before the world-once again thanks to 21st century technology. In trying to reclaim the part of her that made her ‘just Nippy’ she did not honor The Voice. And just as the Lord giveth, he also takes away.
The good news was that Whitney Houston grew up in the church and came from a praying family. And many of her fans were praying people. The further down the rabbit hole we fans thought she might be going, the more we prayed. And prayed. And because God hears the prayers of the righteous, she came to herself, just like the prodigal son in the Bible parable.
The Voice was slowly coming back, and we thought she had time. She had nothing to prove to anyone. She had already sold 200 million albums, received 6 Grammy Awards, and won 22 American Music Awards. She was the only artist with at least one Grammy, one Emmy, one MTV Video Music Award, one MTV Movie Award, one People’s Choice Award, and one Billboard Music Award. And she was so good as a singer that she was called simply The Voice. She could take the songs of other artists-songs that had languished in a pile of average sales-and make them number one on the charts. So we were willing to wait until she came all the way back. We thought she had time. After all, she was just 48 years old. Her fans only wanted her to be well-in mind, spirit, and body. We all fight demons and she was fighting hers.
But of course our time is not God’s time. And His ways are not our ways. He decided to heal her by calling her home. And God being God, he decided to call her home the day before one of the biggest award show for singers was to take place. An award show that she had once ruled. One minute she was Nippy. And the next minute she was dead. It is almost too much to comprehend.
We all thought she was winning the battle right up until February 11, 2012. On that day the Lord decided to give her the perfect peace that she needed. And she joined the ranks of so many other artists that have died in the last three and a half years-Vesta Williams, Heavy D, Etta James, Nick Ashford, David Peaston, Phoebe Snow, Clarence Clemons, Gladys Horton (lead singer for the Marvelettes), Gil Scott-Heron, Johnny Otis, Jessy Dixon, Lena Horne, Teddy Pendergrass, Michael Jackson, and Koko Taylor. And Don Cornelius is producing the show. Whitney Houston once again can hit those high notes. And her struggle to ‘just be Nippy’ is over.
