Award-winning singer Whitney Houston dies at age 48

Singer and actress Whitney Houston, a winner of six Grammy Awards including record of the year for "I Will Always Love You" and album of the year for "The Bodyguard," has died at age 48, a spokeswoman for the singer said.

"Unfortunately it is true," said spokeswoman Jill Fritzo.

No other details were immediately available. Celebrity website TMZ.com said Houston was found dead at the Beverly Hilton in Los Angeles, but that could not be immediately confirmed.

Houston, inspired by soul singers in her New Jersey family, including mother Cissy Houston and cousins Dionne Warwick and the late Dee Dee Warwick, as well as her godmother Aretha Franklin, became one of the most celebrated female singers of all time, taking multiple Emmy, Grammy and Billboard Music awards.

Her popularity soared in the 1980s and 1990s with consecutive No. 1 hits including the smash single "I Will Always Love You," from the soundtrack of the feature film "The Bodyguard," in which she starred.

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Whitney Houston "I will always love you"

Whitney Houston's performance on the Merv Griffen show (April 29, 1985)