I saw Whitney Houston's sunshine through the rain (Count on Me - Waiting to Exhale)

When someone I really care about dies, I mourn them for days. Its been 9 days since Whitney Houston died. I did not grieve her loss in the same way Michael Jackson because his death was more estranged and emotional. Both had mystery surrounding their death but the fact that Michael Jackson had an anesthetic drug in his home made it more obvious the cause. Plus Jackson was set for a comeback tour and he was climbing the vine of fame again. Whitney was mildly in and out of the spotlight the last few years and I didn't even really know she released an album in 2010. I was much more familiar with Jackson's career. I listened to Whitney a lot when I lived in Virginia in the mid-1980s. She was on the radio a lot and I was also in a fresh love that brought those romantic ballads like "Saving all my love for you" to light. I thought she had exponential talent, coupled with rare beauty. She also had a persona of innocence and grace that was in contrast to Madonna, Cyndi Lauper and other pop female artists at the time. I thought her voice was transcendental. I've watched a lot of her videos the last few days and even before she did drugs, she was a super emotional person. She bowed many times and skipped over the stage in South Africa in 1994 offering praise to the South African people.(shortly after giving birth to Bobbi Kristina.) She expressed a true bond with the South Africans and their struggle. Her songs weren't just lofty ballads...as her career matured, many hits off the "The Preacher's Wife" CD rocked the spiritual house, the "Waiting to Exhale" CD was filled with memorable performances with Ce Ce Winans, Brandy, TLC, Mary J. Blige and others. I think even though her career tapered off with her focus on motherhood and marriage, it is easy to look back on her early days as an Artist and know that her life was powerful, complete and beautiful. I will be doing a radio show in less than a week on BlogTalk Radio www.blogtalkradio.com/ernestradionetwork . It will be on Sunday night at 7 p.m. PST. Here's to you Whitney, beautiful woman gone too soon.