Now singer Jessie J, 26, has opened up about how the superstar inspired her, and why she continues to do so.
Explaining why she included Whitney's 'I Have Nothing' in her recent setlist, Jessie said: "10 years ago this year is the anniversary of the day that I auditioned for the girl band that got me my record deal, that got me the record deal where I am now.
"I Have Nothing was my auction song, and Whitney Houston, she's my musical inspiration."
Jessie revealed that Whitney gave her the confidence to be who herself in the music industry. She said: "She gave so much confidence, for being loud and having a big mouth, for all the things I can relate to.
"It felt like it was OK to be like that. The way she danced, she was a bit uncomfortable, and I'm not a dancer but I'll give it my best. She wasn't perfect in performances but she just drew you in and I was like, 'That's how I want to be'."
On the night Whitney passed away in 2012, Jessie was asked to perform at a party Clive Davis was having. She couldn't believe it when her daughter Bobbi Kristina, 21, said Whitney wanted to meet her.
"For the whole day I thought, 'I'm going to meet my idol,'" Jessie said. "I remember getting ready and I remember finding out that she'd passed away. So I went from the night that I was supposed to be performing and to meet her, I ended up almost singing at her funeral."