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Essence Editor-in-Chief Constance C.R. White on the Passing of Music Legend Whitney Houston

NEW YORK, Feb. 12, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- We are shocked and saddened by the news of Whitney Houston's passing. She was one of our treasures.

Whitney Houston was the voice of her generation. Possessed with an instrument that she honed and polished, she lifted us up, touched us in intimate ways and reached across barriers of race, class and cultures.

As a Black woman and a beauty in entertainment, she was a groundbreaker. Her roles in The Bodyguard, Waiting to Exhale, as an actor, executive producer, made us proud and put Black women where we have rarely been. We watched her soar, and were inspired by her talent and her courage.

We watched and felt with her as she became a mother and a wife and strove to balance it all. We felt her highs and her lows. With her exquisite songs, she has left a gift for us all for which we can never fully repay. Our thoughts and love are with her family.

For more please visit: http://www.essence.com/2012/02/12/whitney-houston-a-statement-from-essences-editor/

ABOUT ESSENCE COMMUNICATIONS INC.:

Essence Communications Inc. (ECI) is the number one media company dedicated to African-American women, with a multi-platform presence in publishing, live events, and online. The company's flagship publication, ESSENCE magazine, is the preeminent lifestyle magazine for African-American women; generating brand extensions such as the Essence Music Festival, ESSENCE Black Women in Hollywood and Black Women in Music, Window on Our Women and Smart Beauty consumer insights series, the Essence Book Club, Essence.com, and ventures in digital media (mobile, television and VOD). For 41 years, ESSENCE, which has a brand reach of over 8 million, has been the leading source of cutting-edge information and specific solutions relating to every area of African-American women's lives. Additional information about ECI and ESSENCE is available at www.essence.com.

SOURCE Essence Communications Inc.