Whitney Houston dead

By HLNtv.com Staff

updated 3:30 PM EST, Thu February 16, 2012

NEED TO KNOW

The pop legend has died at the age of 48
Acted in 'The Bodyguard' with Kevin Costner

Whitney Houston, the Grammy award-winning pop singer, has passed away at the age of 48, according to her publicist Kristen Foster.

Houston was pronounced dead at 3:55 p.m. PT Saturday at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills, California, a police spokesman said, adding that there were "no obvious signs of criminal intent" and that the cause of her death is still being investigated.

See: Celeb reactions to the tragic news of Whitney's death

In a statement to HLN, the Houston family said, "We are devastated by the loss of our beloved Whitney. This is an unimaginable tragedy and we will miss her terribly. We appreciate the outpouring of love and support from her fans and friends."

Houston sold more than 170 million albums, singles and videos over the course of her career, according to her official website.

She had a string of seven straight number one hits on the Billboard pop chart in the 1980s, including "Saving All My Love for You" and "The Greatest Love of All."

The music legend was also an actress, best known for her star turn with Kevin Costner in 1992's "The Bodyguard." The soundtrack to that film is one of the top-10 biggest selling albums of all time.

Houston recently filmed "Sparkle," a remake of the 1976 hit that's loosely based on the story of The Supremes. It was her first movie role since 1996's "The Preacher's Wife." The film -- co-starring Mike Epps and Cee-Lo Green -- is due out August 10, according to Sony pictures.

She married R&B singer Bobby Brown in 1992 and gave birth to a daughter, Bobbi Kristina Houston Brown -- her only child -- nearly a year later. The two had a tumultuous relationship, some of which was documented on the reality show "Being Bobby Brown" on the Bravo network. The pair divorced in 2007, and Whitney was awarded custody of their daughter.

The daughter of singer Cissy Houston, Whitney was born on August 9, 1963, in Newark, New Jersey. At age 20, she was spotted by famed music producer Clive Davis in a New York City nightclub, according to her website. Davis is said to have signed her on the spot.

What did Whitney and her music mean to you? Leave your tribute in a CNN iReport or let us know in the comments below.

Programming Note: All this week, tune in to HLN’s Nancy Grace at 8 p.m. ET, live from Hollywood, for up-to-the-minute details surrounding Whitney Houston's death, followed by Dr. Drew at 9 p.m. ET with more on the singer's battles with addiction. HLN will begin live coverage at 9 a.m. ET Saturday for funeral events in New Jersey on “Farewell to Whitney Houston.”

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