Investigators worked Sunday to piece together what killed Whitney Houston, whose body arrived at a Los Angeles morgue early Sunday, hours after the 48-year-old had been found dead Saturday afternoon in a hotel room at the Beverly Hilton Hotel, where she was preparing for a pre-Grammy gala. Officials did not say when an autopsy would occur, but any cause of death determination will likely be delayed while they await toxicology results.
Throughout Middle Georgia, people expressed their shock and sadness Sunday about music superstar Houston’s death through social media such as Facebook and Twitter.
On the home webpage for local hip-hop station WIBB, there was a series of links to stories related to reaction over Houston’s death.
Local music booking agent Al Tillman recalled a time when he invited Houston and her then-husband Bobby Brown to the Taboo Bistro club in Atlanta about four years ago to hear a band perform.
“They were just so humble and down-to-Earth,” Tillman said. “They were just normal people. ... (Her death) is shocking, but at the same time, it was always in the back of your mind about (her) drug issues.”
Tillman noted that Houston’s death comes about a week after the death of “Soul Train” creator Don Cornelius. Tillman said not many people remember that Houston and Brown met at the 1989 Soul Train music awards.
“She was bombing and people were booing, and Bobby came out and starts to rock the house,” Tillman said. “She had a crush on him because of that. They started dating after that and got married.”
“Big” George Threatt, the operations manager for the soul music radio station WKVX in Irwinton, didn’t know Houston very well but did book Brown in his early days with New Edition. Threatt, who was then with WIBB, brought New Edition to town to perform at the Olympia Skate Center.
“I met her before the drug thing,” Threatt said of Houston. “I always thought she was real talented. She had a great voice. And she knew she could sing. I asked her why she didn’t write any songs, and she said she could never write anything, but she could sing. I loved her last album -- that was awesome.”
In 1996, some 35 members of the Georgia Music Choir -- which was founded in Macon in 1983 -- performed in the choir scenes for Houston’s movie, “The Preacher’s Wife,” which also starred Denzel Washington, Gregory Hines and others. Two Middle Georgia members of that choir, Berta Williams of Macon and Rose Merry Jordan of Warner Robins, can be seen performing in one of the choir scenes in that movie.
Percussionist Steve Moretti of Macon said the music industry lost a true original.
“I would have loved to have the opportunity to play with her,” the two-time Grammy nominated drummer said Sunday.
“When she was at the top of her game, no one could touch her,” said Moretti who recently arrived back in Macon after playing with singer Kenny Loggins in California. “She had an untouchable voice and she made it look effortless especially with her ballads which are not easy to sing. She wasn’t one to use autotune in the studio or lip sync on stage. What she was able to do in the studio and then duplicate in a live performance was unheard of.
“It’s a tragedy to loose an icon who contributed so much and had so much more to offer,” Moretti said.
-- The Associated Press contributed to this report
