Whitney Houston ... RIP

Whitney will be missed.

I was enjoying a Girls Night Out when a guy came over and asked if we were Whitney Houston fans. Of course we were, we all agreed. We were expecting some sort of pick-up line next when he told us that it had just been announced that Whitney had passed. She was 48 years old.

I was shocked but not surprised. Whitney's struggles with addiction have been well documented. Although the cause of her death has not be determined, it isn't illogical to assume that her battles with drugs may have finally taken their toll.

A victim of reality-TV, it's sad that she'll be remembered just as much for her infamous reality show and her inadvertent catch phrase, "Crack is whack!" as she will be for her amazing voice, beauty and string of hits. Like Michael Jackson, I have memories that coincide with Whitney Houston classics. Heck, I had just moved to Phoenix when Waiting to Exhale came out.

Over the past few years, we held our collective breath and hoped she could make a comeback, but her voice just wasn't the same. It is fitting that she passed on the eve of the Grammy Awards, on her way to a party thrown by her mentor Clive Davis. Whitney was nominated for 26 Grammys and won six. She also could boast of 22 American Music Awards, 30 Billboard Awards, six People's Choice Awards, 16 NAACP Image Awards and 7 Soul Train Awards.

With just over 24 hours to prepare, tonight's Grammy Awards will feature a tribute to Whitney doing what she did best - singing.

Rest in peace, Whitney.