Bobby Brown Speaks About Using Cocaine

In watching a video of R&B crooner, Bobby Brown, discussing his wife, Whitney Houston and her interview with talk show host, Oprah Winfrey, I am once again reminded of the speech impediment they both have now and can't help but think it is due to drug use.

When both singers speak, there is now a slight lisp and slurred speech, their faces are somewhat twisted and their tongues dip downward in a lethargic manner. One would think they had some bad drugs that led to a damaging stroke, seizure or nerve issue. What happened to them, as they were not like this before.

Singers, Take Care Of Your Voices

Whitney Houston on Good Morning America

Recently, I wrote about the depletion of singer Mariah Carey's voice and asked why Whitney Houston, who did a significant amount of illicit drugs, still sings better than Carey does, in spite of her narcotics usage.

Over the last week, Houston did a series of performances to support her new CD and the wear and tear on her voice, from years of drug abuse showed.

Actually, it was evident on the record and a song she released last year, as Houston now sounds like she is in a silo of some sort. It is due to poor production on the new album and years of drug abuse. However, her vocals were still strong and she can still sing.

Whitney Houston in the 80s

British pop singer, George Michael, one of the biggest voices of the 1980's, had a similar problem, where it was reported, doctors informed him, the cocaine use was burning his vocal cords to a crisp.

A still from George Michael's "Careless Whisper" video

Michael, who had found success as a soulful pop singer and songwriter, penning such megahits as "Careless Whisper" and "Faith" did not take the news well.

Celine Dion

Other singers, such as Celine Dion, had vocal trouble as well. The Canadian singer, enjoyed a massive string of hits, but something went wrong on stage one day and her voice disappeared. Scary. Her physician instructed her not to speak for two weeks and her voice came back.

I just realized something, all of the above mentioned singers are Sony artists (Carey spent most of her career on Sony).

Mariah Carey in the early 1990s

For years, since her voice began going south, Carey has obsessively filled hotel rooms with humidifiers, which is clearly a bid at saving her voice.

Mariah Carey trying to relive her old look from the beginning of her career

On the track "Like That" Carey brags about smoking marijuana stating, "Purple taking me higher" which was slang for getting high on weed. Drug use is not of help to her struggling voice.

Vocal changes sometimes happen, due to aging and at times, freak occurrences, but there's no need to speed it along with drug use.

In short, singers need to take care of their voices and not take it for granted. What you put into your body does have an effect. That goes for narcotics and cigarette smoking.

Cocaine Contributed To Billy Mays' Death

Video: Autopsy: Cocaine Contributed to Mays' Death - The Associated Press

Hollywood pitch man, Billy Mays, who died last month, had a death wish. Not only did he suffer from untreated hypertension, which created heart problems, he was on a slew of anti-depressants and cocaine.

His family issued a statement on the report:

"We are extremely disappointed by the press release released by the Hillsborough County medical examiner's office. We believe it contains speculative conclusions that are frankly unnecessary and tend to obscure the conclusion that Billy suffered from chronic, untreated hypertension, which only demonstrates how important it is to regularly monitor one's health.

Given the hectic nature and pace of Billy's life, especially during the past 10 months of his exhaustive travel across the country, it was not surprising to hear that hypertension was the cause of his death. We were totally unaware of any non prescription drug usage and are actively considering an independent evaluation of the autopsy results."

Autopsy: Billy Mays' Death Linked to Cocaine

An autopsy shows that cocaine contributed to the heart disease that suddenly killed TV infomercial pitchman Billy Mays in June, according to officials.

Investigators previously determined that Mays, 50, had a heart attack in his sleep at his Florida home. His wife found him unresponsive in bed on June 28. Heart disease is still listed as the primary cause of death...

Toxicology tests also showed therapeutic amounts of painkillers hydrocodone, oxycodone and tramadol, as well as anti-anxiety drugs alprazolam and diazepam. Mays was scheduled to have a hip-replacement surgery the day after he was found dead...

http://www.seattlepi.com