Late American recording artist, actress, producer, and model Whitney Houston had an estimated net worth of $20 million (before death). She was inarguably one of the of the biggest female pop stars of all time. Her accomplishments as a hitmaker was extraordinary. Just to scratch the surface, she became the first artist ever to have seven consecutive singles hit number one, and her 1993 Dolly Parton cover "I Will Always Love You" became nothing less than the biggest hit single in rock history. Like many of the original soul singers, Houston was trained in gospel before moving into secular music; over time, she developed a virtuosic singing style given over to swooping, flashy melodic embellishments. In 2009, the Guinness World Records cited her as the most-awarded female act of all time.

During her career, Whitney sold over 170 million albums and won two Emmy awards, 6 Grammies, 30 Billboard Music Awards and 22 AMA’s. Her net worth had declined dramatically in the last years of her life. In 2001 she signed a $100 million recording contract with Arista and at the peak of her career she was able to earn up to $30 million a year touring.

On February 11, 2012, Houston was found dead in a suite at the Beverly Hilton Hotel, in Beverly Hills, California, submerged in the bathtub. She incurred nearly $20 million from Sony before she passed away.