Hip-Hop & Rnb Daily: Whitney Houston exhibit to open in Los Angeles

FILE – In this undated file image provided by Sony Pictures Entertainment, singer-actresses Jordin Sparks, left, and Whitney Houston are shown in a scene from the upcoming film “Sparkle.” The song, “Celebrate,” a duet with Jordin Sparks from Houston’s last movie debuted Monday on Ryan Seacrest’s website and will be available on iTunes June 5. The film opens in theaters on August 17. — AP Photo

LOS ANGELES: An exhibit in honor of late pop icon Whitney Houston will open in Los Angeles next month, half a year after her lifeless body was discovered in a hotel bathtub.

The exhibit, titled “Whitney!” and organized in conjunction with the singer’s family, will open at the GrammyMuseum on August 15.

“Whitney! will provide an in-depth look at all aspects of Houston’s creative life,” the museum, located in downtown Los Angeles, said in a statement.

Items to be displayed include rare photos and footage of the Grammy-winning star, stage costumes, albums and career scrapbooks from her early career, as well as concert posters, tour books and fan memorabilia.

The museum has also asked artists and musicians who worked with Houston or were influenced by her to share their thoughts on the pop diva. These will be shown in the form of short films.

Houston was found dead on February 11 in a luxury Beverly Hills hotel bathtub on the eve of the music industry’s annual Grammy Awards show. Coroners concluded she died by accidental drowning, with cocaine use and heart disease as contributing factors. She was 48.

Houston sold more than 170 million records during a near three-decade career, but in later years fought a long and public battle against substance abuse while trying to keep her performing talent alive.

In 1992, she starred alongside Kevin Costner in the movie “The Bodyguard”for which she sang “I will always love you.”The exhibit is due to run through February 2013.