Inside Whitney Houston's Secret Pain

Whitney Houston in 1990

Before she was a six-time Grammy winner, before she became a glamorous pop diva who influenced generations of power-voiced belters and shattered sales records in the music industry, Whitney Houston was a shy, slight girl known as "Nippy" to her family in Newark, N.J.

"She was everyone's dream daughter. She was sweet. She sang in church," photographer Bette Marshall, who shot Whitney as a teenager, tells WHO in this week's cover story, which chronicles the life of the troubled singer. Houston died at 48 on Feb. 11. "And you knew she’d be a superstar."

This week's WHO magazine, on sale now

But Houston's ascent to superstardom was often rocky, and she struggled with her public image as America's Singing Sweetheart.

"She was in pain from living almost a double life," says a record exec who worked with Houston for many years. "She wanted to be down with her community. That’s who she really was. But because of her career, she also had to portray this pure pop princess in gorgeous gowns, singing songs the white community adored."

Whitney Houston on the cover of WHO magazine in 1993

But Houston’s façade began to crumble as early as 1994 as the singer increasingly struggled to maintain her stardom amidst severe feelings of self-doubt and lingering insecurities. Surrounded by an entourage that indulged her every whim, “Everyone was afraid to say no to her,” an insider reveals.

But could the singer who was born to perform have been saved? “Whitney was the boss,” Houston’s friend and former executive assistant, Robyn Crawford, tells WHO of her unsuccessful attempts to get through to the troubled star.

“At the end of the day, Whitney did what she wanted. She was a grown woman and not a pawn on a chessboard.”


Pick up this week's WHO magazine for the full in-depth story behind Whitney's last days, her memorable career and her unforgettable talent. On sale now.


Australia’s E! channel will air a tribute, Whitney Houston: Last Days of a Legend on Fri., Feb. 17, at 11am and 9:30am AEST.