Whitney Elizabeth Houston (August 9, 1963 – February 11, 2012) was an American singer and actress. Commonly referred to as "The Voice" in reference to her exceptional vocal talent, she was cited as the most awarded female artist of all time by Guinness World Records and remains one of the best-selling music artists of all time with 200 million records sold worldwide. Houston released seven studio albums and two soundtrack albums, all of which have been certified diamond, multi-platinum, platinum, or gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).