Whitney Houston (born on August 9, 1963 in Newark, New Jersey, death announced February 11, 2012 in Los Angeles, California) was a Grammy and Emmy Award winning American R&B/pop singer, actress, former fashion model, record and movie producer. Whitney Houston is one of pop music's best-selling music artists of all-time, with more than 200 million combined albums, singles, and videos sold worldwide. She was known for her soulful dramatic mezzo-soprano voice, vocal power, range and melismatic skill. She was labeled the "Queen of Songs" by Arsenio Hall, who described her as "the first lady of song". She was also known to millions as "The Voice", a nickname given to her by Oprah Winfrey.