Whitney Houston Turned Down "The Cosby Show" and Became a Superstar

The world is mourning the passing of singer Whitney Houston, who died this past Saturday, February 11, 2012. Radio stations are playing medleys of her hit songs, and last night's Grammy Awards paid tribute to her with a moving performance by Jennifer Hudson. We're all aware of Whitney's amazing musical talent, but perhaps you didn't know that once upon a time, Whitney almost became a member of one of television's favorite families. According to director Jay Sandrich, Whitney auditioned for and won the role of "Sondra Huxtable" on The Cosby Show, but turned it down in order to pursue her dream of becoming a recording artist:

The Cosby Show went on the air in 1984 and Whitney Houston's self-titled debut album was released on February 21, 1985. The album spent fourteen weeks in Billboard's number one spot, and went 13 times Platinum, selling over 13 million copies in the U.S. and over 25 million copies worldwide.

Rest in peace, Whitney. Thank you for following your dream and for bringing so many wonderful melodies into our lives.