Whitney Houston on Merv Griffin and Cover of Seventeen Magazine

The tragic death of Whitney Houston on Saturday got me thinking about when I first became aware of her beauty and her talent. These two occurrences were four years apart. I first heard her beautiful voice on the Merv Griffin Show in 1985. I immediately recognized her from Seventeen magazine and thought, "Wow, that model can sing!" Many other young women who would go on to become stars were featured as Seventeen Cover Models over the years- Diane Lane, Angie Harmon, Milla Jovovich, Phoebe Cates, Cameron Diaz, Shannon Doherty, Jennifer Garner, among them, but none were blessed with Whitney's phenomenal voice.

Whitney Houston on Merv Griffin in 1985

Seventeen Magazine Covers through the Years