But the acclaim, fame and wealth that have made Whitney Houston a household name have been laced with biting criticism, lies, insults and rumors. One week the tabloids raise questions about her sexual preferences; the next week they say she is pregnant by Eddie Murphy, while the third week they report she is marrying star quarterback Randall Cunningham.
Black disc jockeys have chided her for "not having soul" and being "too White," while other critics say she is "too distant" and "impersonal." She was booed at the Soul Train Music Awards, and Keenen Ivory Wayans' In Living Color spoofed "Whitney Houston's Rhythmless Nation."
It's enough to drive a good Christian girl to drink, drugs or at least to cursing. But not Whitney. Though it hurts her deeply, she handles it all with aplomb. During a candid, wide-ranging interview in her 26th floor, north Miami Beach condo overlooking the Atlantic, she talks - and laughs - about success and the pain of fame.