All this week, I felt a deep sadness over the death of Whitney Houston - one of my all time favourite singers.
It started early Sunday morning, when my husband mentioned that the singer had died. At that moment I immediately logged online to watch for more stories, which were sketchy early in the morning.Whitney Houston was an icon for our generation and we grew up loving her. I used to sing "I Will Always Love You" when I was a teenager all the time as I was enchanted with her voice and the manner in which she sang. Back then, Michael Jackson, Whitney Houston, Tina Turner, Prince and Bruce Springsteen were extremely popular, and in India, these singers were the ones that audiences loved with a passion. Music shows and radio programs constantly played their songs.For many years I had stopped watching the Grammy Awards as I was tired of seeing the type of songs that hit the top of the charts, but this week I tuned into the program.And I thought that besides Adele's performance, which was outstanding, Jennifer Hudson singing Whitney's "I Will Always Love You" was the highlight of the evening.I did not know how much it impacted everyone but was glad that many people felt the same because the next day radio stations were talking about Hudson's performance as one of the best honouring Whitney.Over a period of time, like many other fans, I too had forgotten about Whitney Houston and so when she appeared on Oprah, just very recently, talking about her struggles with drugs and her relationship with her ex-husband, I found it incredibly sad - sad because she suddenly became very real to me - a person instead of a pop-music diva. When she said she was drug free I did not know if I believed her, because I am told that drug addicts never completely are their addiction and it's a struggle every day. And one of the blogs sharing accolades from other musicians paid her on her death, also mentioned that it would be great for the music industry, which talks of protecting its colleagues, to do something really powerful by addressing the issue of drugs within this industry.Viewers watching the Grammy Awards heard that millions of dollars have been set up for helping struggling artists, and that's all great and dandy but how about a funding resources that helps celebrities deal with their demons.Maybe then it will not be mere lip service to the likes of Whitney Houston and Michael Jackson but truly serve the music community where it matters.