The superstar singer and actress’s publicist, Kristin Foster, broke the news of Houston’s passing to the AP, but thus far, no cause of death has been revealed. In recent years, she struggled with drug abuse.

Whitney Houston sold over 200 million albums and singles worldwide. She earned 30 Billboard Awards, 22 American Music Awards and two Emmy Awards.

From The AP:

At her peak, Houston the golden girl of the music industry. From the middle 1980s to the late 1990s, she was one of the world’s best-selling artists. She wowed audiences with effortless, powerful, and peerless vocals that were rooted in the black church but made palatable to the masses with a pop sheen.

Her success carried her beyond music to movies, where she starred in hits like “The Bodyguard” and “Waiting to Exhale.”

She had the he perfect voice, and the perfect image: a gorgeous singer who had sex appeal but was never overtly sexual, who maintained perfect poise.

She influenced a generation of younger singers, from Christina Aguilera to Mariah Carey, who when she first came out sounded so much like Houston that many thought it was Houston.

But by the end of her career, Houston became a stunning cautionary tale of the toll of drug use. Her album sales plummeted and the hits stopped coming; her once serene image was shattered by a wild demeanor and bizarre public appearances. She confessed to abusing cocaine, marijuana and pills, and her once pristine voice became raspy and hoarse, unable to hit the high notes as she had during her prime.

“The biggest devil is me. I’m either my best friend or my worst enemy,” Houston told ABC’s Diane Sawyer in an infamous 2002 interview with then-husband Brown by her side.

It was a tragic fall for a superstar who was one of the top-selling artists in pop music history, with more than 55 million records sold in the United States alone.

She seemed to be born into greatness. She was the daughter of gospel singer Cissy Houston, the cousin of 1960s pop diva Dionne Warwick and the goddaughter of Aretha Franklin.

Houston 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.

Read more on the Huffington Post

On January 26, 2010, Arista Records/Legacy Recordings will release the 25th Anniversary Edition of ‘Whitney Houston’, the astonishing debut album that catapulted a virtually unknown young artist into the upper reaches of pop superstardom in 1985. The ‘Whitney Houston’ – 25th Anniversary Edition CD/DVD package includes the international chart-topping original Arista album – remastered in its entirety for the 25th anniversary – along with five bonus tracks including Whitney’s a cappella recording of “How Will I Know” plus a stunning live performance of “Greatest Love of All”.

As an added bonus for fans, the 25th Anniversary Edition of ‘Whitney Houston’ includes a features-packed new DVD. Three rare tv performances are included: “I Am Changing”, a song from the 1982 Broadway production of ‘Dreamgirls’, performed live at the Arista Records 10th Anniversary celebration in 1985; “You Give Good Love” performed live at the first annual Soul Train Awards Show in 1987; and Whitney’s breakout national TV debut singing “Home” (from ‘The Wiz’) on the Merv Griffin Show in 1983. All four classic music videos – “You Give Good Love”, “Saving All My Love For You”, “How Will I Know”, and “Greatest Love of All” – appear on the DVD. Exclusive and newly filmed interviews with Whitney Houston and Clive Davis round out the bonus DVD portion of the ‘Whitney Houston’ – 25th Anniversary Edition collection.

Originally released on Valentine’s Day 1985, ‘Whitney Houston’ entered The Billboard 200 at #166 the week of March 30. A year later, in April 1986, the album began its first seven-week run at #1, then spent three weeks at #2 before reclaiming the top slot for a jaw-dropping second seven-week stand. ‘Whitney Houston’ became a fixture on The Billboard 200 for 162 weeks, including a record-breaking 46 weeks in the Top 10 and 14 non-consecutive weeks at #1.

The strength, beauty and power of the record’s music — including four chart-topping singles (“You Give Good Love”, “Saving All My Love For You”, “How Will I Know”, “Greatest Love of All”) — have made ‘Whitney Houston’ one of the best-loved and most enduring albums in pop music history. The planet’s top-selling debut album ever released by a solo artist, ‘Whitney Houston’ has sold more than 25 million copies worldwide while earning RIAA-certified 13x Platinum status in the US (in recognition of domestic sales of more than 13 million pieces).

With ‘Whitney Houston’ earning the artist a Best Album Grammy nomination in 1986, Whitney took home her first Grammy that year in the ‘Best Pop Vocal’, Female Category for “Saving All My Love For You”. Her performance on the Grammys won her an Emmy for ‘Outstanding Individual Performance in a Variety of Music Program’. Whitney, who currently holds the record for most American Music Awards held by a solo artist (21), picked up her first seven AMAs, and an MTV Video Award, that same year.

‘Whitney Houston’ topped countless critic’s polls and year-end lists including Rolling Stone, who named it 1986′s “Album of the Year”. Billboard ranked ‘Whitney Houston’ as the #1 album of the year and Whitney Houston 1986′s #1 popular artist.

“I cannot believe it has been 25 years since my first album!,” writes Whitney Houston in her exclusive letter to fans appearing in the packaging for the 25th anniversary release of her debut. “I could never have done this without the support, encouragement and unconditional love from my fans all over the world. I love you all!”

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‘Whitney Houston’ – 25th Anniversary Edition – Full Tracklisting

Disc 1 – CD
“You Give Good Love”
“Thinking About You”
“Someone For Me”
“Saving All My Love For You”
“Nobody Loves Me Like You Do”
“How Will I Know”
“All At Once”
“Take Good Care Of My Heart”
“Greatest Love of All”
“Hold Me” (Duet With Teddy Pendergrass)

Bonus Tracks
“Thinking About You” (Remix by Bruce Forest)
“Someone For Me” (Remix by Alan Coulthard)
“How Will I Know” (A cappella)
“How Will I Know” (Remix by Jellybean)
“Greatest Love of All” (Live)

Disc 2 – DVD
“Home” Whitney Houston’s premiere performance on the Merv Griffin Show
“I Am Changing” Live from the Arista Records 10th Anniversary celebration, 1985
“You Give Good Love” Live from the First Annual Soul Train Awards Show, 1987
“You Give Good Love” Music Video
“Saving All My Love” Music Video
“How Will I Know” Music Video
“Greatest Love Of All” Music Video
Interviews with Whitney Houston and Clive Davis

In addition to the Oprah appearance, videos for “I Look To You” and “Million Dollar Bill” premiered last week on Houston’s site (www.whitneyhouston.com) with sneak peeks promoted on several entertainment news programs including People.com, Entertainment Tonight, Access Hollywood and Extra.

Whitney currently has three singles ascending up the Urban Adult chart: “I Look To You” jumps from No. 4 to No. 2 and both “Million Dollar Bill,” and “I Didn’t Know My Own Strength,” the song Whitney performed on Oprah, are quickly breaking into the Top 20.

Released on Arista Records on August 31, I Look To You debuted at No. 1 on the aforementioned chart with 304,801 units sold, Houston’s biggest first week sales of her illustrious career. Houston’s No. 1 position also extended across the globe and claimed the top spots in Canada, Germany, Italy, and Switzerland.

Led by the dual release of the album title track and “Million Dollar Bill” at radio, coupled with presale promotional campaigns on Amazon.com, QVC and iTunes, and a heavily promoted appearance on Good Morning America, the chart-topping result marks the official return of “The Voice.”

And the critics agree! The New York Times boasts that Whitney “re-emerges with full diva qualifications,” USA Today said: “Strong, confident and ready, she clearly hadn’t forgotten how to sing imbuing the material with emotional power.” The Washington Post cites I Look To You “hits all the right marks” and the Associated Press states “the pop queen still has a dazzling voice that can leave you spellbound.”

The spell will continue next week when Whitney Houston launches the 24th season of The Oprah Winfrey Show with a two-day event, inclusive of what Oprah calls “the best interview I’ve ever done,” and an emotional performance of “I Didn’t Know My Own Strength” that had “grown men and women weeping in the aisles” according to Oprah’s recent Twitter post. “The Oprah Winfrey Show: Season Premiere: Oprah And Whitney Houston – The First Interview” airs Monday, September 14, 2009. “The Oprah Winfrey Show: Season Premiere Part II: Whitney Houston’s Show-Stopping Surprise” airs Tuesday, September 15, 2009 (check local listings).

“The Oprah Winfrey Show: Exclusive: Whitney Houston’s First Interview” airs Monday, September 14, 2009 (check local listings).

Since her 1985 self-titled debut, Whitney Houston has built an illustrious career that has generated over 170 million combined worldwide sales of albums, singles and videos. Cited by the Guinness Book of World Records as music’s “most awarded female artist of all time,” with an unsurpassed tally of 411 awards, inclusive of 6 Grammy Awards, 2 Emmy Awards, 23 American Music Awards and 16 Billboard Music Awards. Houston remains a singular force in music today.

“The Oprah Winfrey Show” has remained the number one talk show for 22 consecutive seasons, winning every sweep since its debut in 1986.** It is produced in Chicago by Harpo Productions, Inc. and syndicated to 214 domestic stations by CBS Television Distribution Group and to 143 countries by CBS Paramount International Television.

As a gift to her fans, a free download of the album’s title track, powered by Yahoo! Music, is available now at www.whitneyhouston.com until July 31st. “I Look To You,” a sweeping ballad with Whitney’s signature soaring vocals that fans have come to love, was written by R. Kelly.

I Look To You, Whitney’s 7th studio album, boasts a who’s who of A-List songwriters and producers.

The final track listing is as follows:
1. Million Dollar Bill

2. Nothin’ But Love

3. Call You Tonight

4. I Look To You

5. Like I Never Left (feat. Akon)

6. A Song For You

7. I Didn’t Know My Own Strength

8. Worth It

9. For The Lovers

10. I Got You

11. Salute