The loss of an elder stateswoman of R&B
For a generation of singers too young to remember Aretha and Gladys in their prime, or even Patti and Chaka, Whitney Houston was the first major R&B diva that they can recall. That status gave her a unique position in their consciousness, one that was exclusive to her. With Mariah focused more on motherhood, there really isn’t anyone else to take her place.
