iVillage

Gone But Not Forgotten: Celebrities We Lost in 2012

From Whitney Houston to Adam Yauch, see the stars who passed away this year -- but left their mark on the world (25 Photos)

iVillage Staff on Dec 30, 2012 at 11:19AM

chime in now

Single View
View All

1 of 25

Gone But Not Forgotten: Celebrities We Lost in 2012

Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic

Whitney Houston

This year, the world lost an incredible musical talent. Six-time Grammy winner Whitney Houston died at the age of 48. The singer's body was found at the Beverly Hilton Hotel on Feb. 11, the night of the pre-Grammy Clive Davis party. The official cause of death has been officially reported as accidental drowning, although the coroner's report states that the "effects of atherosclerotic heart disease and cocaine use" were also factors. While she spent many years in the news for her drug abuse and tumultuous marriage to Bobby Brown (whom she divorced in 2007), Houston was setting the stage for a comeback with her first movie role in fifteen years. She was set to share the big screen with former American Idol star Jordin Sparks in Sparkle, slated to premiere in August. The talented performer, who was recognized in the Guiness Book of World Records for being the most rewarded female act of all time, is survived by her daughter with Brown, Bobbi Kristina.