People’s Commemorative Book on Whitney Houston

Hers 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 to Arista Records at age 19; her first album, Whitney Houston, spawned three No. 1 hits and made her a staple on MTV. Seven years later, The Bodyguard made her a movie star.

But at the height of an almost-unprecedented arc, something went wrong. Her marriage to singer Bobby Brown coincided with a slip from the pinnacle; soon Houston was missing shows, behaving erratically and, eventually, admitting to drug problems.

A comeback had started to gain traction—until, the night before the 2012 Grammy Awards, the 48-year-old star was found dead, of unspecified causes, in her Beverly Hills hotel room.

So, PEOPLE magazine, a celebrity weekly, announces the release of the commemorative book Remembering Whitney, 1963-2012, a tribute to the legendary singer and actress.

The 96-page commemorative soft cover book, which hits newsstands on Feb. 24 ($11.99/US), comes with photos and insights on the life and career of the award-winning singer.

The hardcover version of Remembering Whitney, 1963-2012, is available beginning May 10 ($19.95/US) wherever books are sold and can be ordered online at www.people.com/whitneybook.