Whitney Houston 2, 2003), and gospel singer Emily "Cissy" (Drinkard) Houston. Her elder brother Michael is a singer, and her elder half-brother is former basketball player Gary Garland. Her parents were both African American. Through her mother, Houston was a first cousin of singers Dionne Warwick and Dee Dee Warwick. Her godmother was Darlene Love and her honorary aunt was Aretha Franklin, whom she met at age 8 or 9 when her mother took her to a recording studio. Houston was raised a Baptist, but was also exposed to the Pentecostal church. After the 1967 Newark riots, the family moved to a
Celebrate (Whitney Houston and Jordin Sparks song) Celebrate (Whitney Houston and Jordin Sparks song) "Celebrate" is a duet by American recording artists Whitney Houston and Jordin Sparks. It was written and produced by R. Kelly for the soundtrack album "" to the 2012 musical drama film "Sparkle". RCA Records released "Celebrate" as the first official single from the soundtrack. It is the last song recorded by Whitney Houston before she died on February 11, 2012. It was officially released on June 5, 2012 for digital download on iTunes and Amazon. The song made its US radio premiere on "On Air with Ryan Seacrest" on May 21, 2012.