8. Whitney Houston
“And I will always love you…” Another trendsetter on the list, Whitney Houston is the most awarded female artist of all time known for her killer vocals in hits like “I Wanna Dance with Somebody,” “I Will Always Love You” and “Greatest Love of All.” With over 200 million albums sold worldwide and seven consecutive Billboard Hot 100 hits, Houston is one of the highest selling musicians in history making her talent a true legacy.
On a downward spiral thanks in part to her relationship with ex-husband Bobby Brown (stay tuned for more later on the list!), by the new millennium Houston had lost much of her sparkle as she appeared thin and strung out at many public events. While Houston first claimed it was stress from work and her lifestyle, by 2002 she admitted that she had been using a number of drugs including cocaine. Continuing to deny ever using crack cocaine, Houston never managed to get clean. On February 11, 2012, she was found dead in a bathtub at the Beverly Hilton Hotel as a result of heart disease and cocaine use.
7. Pamela Anderson
With a beer t-shirt, Jumbo Tron and a Canadian Football League game to thank for the launch of her modeling career, Pamela Anderson was only 23 years old when she first appeared in Playboy.
Spending over 22 years gracing the magazine’s covers and feature stories, Anderson went on to star in Baywatch only to make even bigger headlines after very public relationships with notorious bad boys like Motley Crue drummer Tommy Lee, singer Kid Rock and poker player Rick Salomon.
While fans were long accustomed to Anderson’s ever-growing bust size, her appearance took a different turn in the early 2000s leaving many to assume she was using drugs. Admitting in 2014 that she had been addicted to cocaine and alcohol, Anderson said she often did it to numb the tragic memories of her childhood. Finally entering rehab to get clean, Anderson’s sobriety seems to be going well after dumping many of her old friends and relationships that only enabled her wild habits.
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