Political prisoner Mumia Abu-Jamal on Whitney Houston (1963-2012)

This column was written on Feb. 11.

The death of songbird Whitney Houston hit like a thunderclap.

At the age of 48, she was found dead in a Beverly Hills hotel room; as of this writing, cause unknown.

Her voice was an instrument of which one can only marvel.

Apparently, many, many others felt likewise, for she sold an estimated 170 million records and videos.

She won virtually every award available. Grammys, it seemed, by the double.

But more important was her music: love songs, pop songs, ballads and show tunes that dazzled and delighted, like "I Will Always Love You," "I Wanna Dance With Somebody," "Savin' All My Love For You," "Run to You," "You Give Good Love" — and many, many more.

Her voice, her pace, her phrasing, her stage presence and her beauty were a package that virtually defined “Star.” Indeed, she was that rarest of creatures: Superstar.

Ironically,. the very media that savaged her for years, flipped into worship mode when she was gone and could no longer hear them.

Whitney Houston was a daughter, wife, mother and actress. Her songs will be heard, sung and loved for generations.