R.I.P Whitney Houston – Her Life in Pictures

Whitney Houston, who ruled as pop music's queen until her majestic voice and regal image were ravaged by drug use, erratic behavior and a tumultuous marriage to singer Bobby Brown, died on Saturday. She was aged 48. Here, a back at the life of the star singer who was pronounced dead in her room of the Beverly Hilton in Los Angeles, California.

Child: Houston, pictured in 1965, was the daughter of gospel singer Cissy Houston, the cousin of 1960s pop diva Dionne Warwick and the goddaughter of Aretha Franklin

Young star: Whitney Houston belts out a song during her segment of a benefit concert at Boston Garden in Boston, Massachusetts, in May 1986

Smiles: Whitney Houston seen at a news conference in New York in July 1988. From the middle 1980s to the late 1990s, she was one of the world's best-selling artists

Film: In 1992, she became a star in the acting world with 'The Bodyguard'. The story of a singer (Houston) guarded by a former Secret Service agent was a success

Prizes: Whitney Houston shows off the seven awards she won in February 1993 at the American Music Awards. At her peak, she was the golden girl of music

Fun: Whitney Houston and Bobby Brown with their daughter Bobbi at Bobby's 25th birthday at Tavern On The Green in New York City in February 1984

Famous friend: South African President Nelson Mandela and Whitney Houston smile for photographers in Johannesburg

Couple: Actress and singer Whitney Houston and her husband Bobby Brown pose for photographers in New York City in October 1997. They divorced in 2007

Passion: Houston performs during the Billboard Awards at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Nevada, in December 1998. She sold more than 55 million records in the U.S.

Relatives: In this January 1998 photo, singer Houston, left, celebrates her win at the American Music Awards with her mother, Cissy, and brother, Gary, in Los Angeles

Pointing out: Houston performs before winning the Best Female R&B Vocal Performance at the 42nd annual Grammy Awards, in this photo taken in February 2000

Performance: Houston on stage at the MTV Video Music Awards in New York in September 2000. She wowed audiences with effortless, powerful, and peerless vocals

Flamboyant hair: Houston performs during a concert for ABC television's 'Good Morning America' show, in New York in December 2002

Looking to the sky: Houston emerges from the waters of the River Jordan near the Sea of Galilee during a Holy Land pilgrimage, in May 2003

Family: Houston, centre, poses with her former husband, singer Bobby Brown, right, and their daughter Bobbi, left, at Disneyland in Anaheim, California, in August 2004

Clapping: Houston gestures at the Clive Davis pre-Grammy party in Beverly Hills, California, in this photo taken in February 2008. Houston died aged 48 on Saturday

Personality: Houston looks on while appearing on the German TV game show 'Wetten Dass' (Bet it...?) in Freiburg, in this photo taken in October 2009

Special star: Houston bows after performing 'I Didn't Know My Own Strength' at the 2009 American Music Awards in Los Angeles, California, in November 2009

Public appreciation: Houston performs at the Pre-Grammy Gala & Salute to Industry Icons in this file photo taken in Beverly Hills in February 2011

Sad ending: Houston looked worse for wear as she left Tru Hollywood nightclub this week, just a few days before she was found dead in a hotel room on Saturday