Whitney Houston Is The Most Googled Death Of 2012: Plus Other Stars Who Made The Top Ten List Posthumous

Houston passed away on Feb. 11. The night before she passed away, however, she sang "Yes, Jesus Loves Me," alongside singer Kelly Price, which include the lyrics: "Jesus loves me! He will stay/Close beside me all the way/He's prepared a home for me/And some day His face I'll see." 

She was a positive African-American beauty and talent. In 1983, Arista Records' Clive Davis was taken to a New York nightclub to see Houston perform and he signed her on the spot. He immediately became her mentor, spending two years supervising the production of her debut album, Whitney Houston, which was released in 1985.  

Her music at this point was a combination of pop and R&B, as she muted the gospel influence in her music. The album included three No. 1 singles: "Saving All My Love for You," "How Will I Know" and "The Greatest Love of All," and sold more than 12 million copies in the United States and more abroad, setting the record as the biggest-selling debut album by a solo artist.

From the middle 1980s to the late 1990s, she was one of the world's best-selling artists. She impressed audiences with powerful vocals and an amazing range which was rooted in the Black Church but made palatable to audiences who were used to pop music. 

British television host and producer Simon Cowell told CNN, "She was undoubtedly one of the greatest superstars of all time. One of the greatest voices, you know, in our lifetime we're likely to ever hear." 

Other notable celebrities who have passed away and were the most searched this year on Google include Neil Armstrong, Etta James, and Michael Clarke Duncan. Read the rest of the list here.