Whitney Houston's Model Career in Teenage Graces Magazine Covers [SLIDESHOW]

Whitney Houston, whose sudden death saddened the music world, originally began her career as a model.

18-year-old Houston marked the first black woman to pose for Seventeen Magazine in 1981. Giggling into icecream cone on the cover and smiling healthily on the beach on the pages, the soon-to-be R&B singer looks beautiful - and her tragic death is harder to imagine.

Houston died on February 11 at the age of 48. Her battles with drugs and alcohol marred the six-time Grammy winner as she went through a dramatic divorce from R&B singer Bobby Brown.

We've gathered photos of magazine covers and inner pages where young Whitney Houston sparkled smiles. Also take a look at her stunning style over the years.


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