We interrupt your weekend to bring you some sad news. "The Voice" is gone. Superstar Whitney Houston died this afternoon in Los Angeles inside room 434 at the Beverly Hilton hotel. She was 48. Details surrounding her death are still not known, but we're sure as the days go by, a detailed picture of what happened will be revealed. With more than 170 million albums sold, she's one of the world's top selling artists. She was the daughter of gospel singer Cissy Houston, the cousin of Dionne Warwick and the goddaughter of Aretha Franklin. She first started singing in the church as a child. In her teens, she sang backup for Chaka Khan, Jermaine Jackson and others, in addition to modeling. It was around that time when music mogul Clive Davis first heard Houston perform. In 1992 she married Bobby Brown; they had one child, Bobbi Kristina (who has her battles with drugs, together. Whitney was rumored to be suffering from emphysema (a deadly lung disease) and doctors warned her she will die "an horrible death" if she doesn't stop smoking. As an aside, the National Enquirer reported this week that the legendary singer -- who's battled alcohol and drug addiction for years and recently checked into rehab for a third time after several failed attempts by her family and friends to get her help -- collapsed while leaving a doctor's office in Beverly Hills on Feb. 2. We didn't find that report all that interesting, but in the light of her death, it certainly shed some light on what has been happening with her over the last few weeks. The report also claimed she was on the brink of bankruptcy. In the final days of her life, she was seen partying with ex-boyfriend(?) Ray J, who himself is rumored to be regularly "coked up." May she rest in peace. (Sidebar: On Friday we posted the video of what will now go down in the history books as her final recorded performance.)These are photos of the Whitney being escorted out of Tru Hollywood nightclub Thursday night. She appears to have blood dripping down her leg and scratches on her wrist. (There are reports she got into a "fight" with X factor contestant, 42-year-old Stacy Francis over Ray J. The folks over at RadarOnline say Ray J and Stacy were having a conversation when Whitney flew into a jealous rage. “She ran over to them and began screaming, ‘This is my man! I’m a cougar! B*tch, get away from my man,’” a source said. WHAT?!!!!! Ray J calmed down Whitney by telling her Stacy was just a friend.)
