A new Barbie doll has been released to honor the late singer Whitney Houston.
Mattel unveiled the figure to commemorate what would have been the Grammy Award-winning artist's 63rd birthday on August 9. The doll is inspired by Houston's appearance in her 1987 music video for the hit song "I Wanna Dance With Somebody." It features a purple tank dress, colorful drop earrings, and sparkling eye makeup.
The doll was created in collaboration with Pat Houston, Whitney Houston's sister-in-law and president of the Whitney E. Houston Legacy Foundation. She stated that the doll's release was "making one of Whitney's dreams come true." Mattel added that the doll celebrates Houston's "record-breaking career, legacy and timeless music."
![The £45 doll is inspired by her look in her 1987 video for I Wanna Dance With Somebody]( "The doll is inspired by Whitney Houston's look in her 1987 "I Wanna Dance With Somebody" video.")
Houston, born in Newark, New Jersey, died in 2012 at the age of 48. She was found unconscious in a bathtub at the Beverly Hilton hotel in Beverly Hills. The singer achieved four UK number-one hits during her career. Her personal life was marked by difficulties, including struggles with drug use. In 2015, her daughter Bobbi Kristina Brown, whose father is singer Bobby Brown, died at 22 after being found unresponsive in a bathtub in Georgia.