Whitney Houston's once remarkable voice quality had declined over the years. This was attributed to her smoking habit as well as her rocky relationship with drugs. Her former coach, Gary Catona, reflected on the setbacks the singer encountered in her life. "It appeared to be so damaged that when I first began working with her, I was not sure what I could do," Catona told ABCNews. "She'd say, 'I know I've done things that have hurt me ... and I have to change it,'" he added.
The voice coach revealed that Houston was vulnerable and spoke about the immense pressure she was under. He added that she was acutely aware of the consequences of her bad habits. "She knew in her heart of hearts that this special gift that she had was being undermined by her own activities," Catona said.
In 2011, Clive Davis, Whitney Houston's mentor, spoke up publicly and said that the singer needed some time off. "Whitney has admitted that she had to conquer a drug addiction and that takes all of her energy, but she also has had a very difficult time giving up cigarettes," Davis said to radio station KOST 103.5 FM. "I know that she's committed to do it. [...] We're not going to make a record or an album until that golden voice, you know, is there and is fully capable of just knocking everybody out."
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