Her's was a skyrocket of a life, a tale of beauty, soaring talent, and the risks of stardom. Whitney Houston was born to sing: Her mom, Cissy Houston, is a noted gospel singer; Dionne Warwick was her cousin, soul great Aretha Franklin her aunt. And she was beautiful: Before she ever had a big radio hit, a teenage Whitney was booking modeling gigs in major magazines. Legendary talent guru Clive Davis heard her sing in a club and signed her at 19; her...