Natalie Maria Cole (February 6, 1950 – December 31, 2015) was an American singer, songwriter, and actress. Cole was the daughter of American singer and jazz pianist Nat King Cole. She rose to success in the mid-1970s as an R&B singer with the hits "This Will Be", "Inseparable" (1975), and "Our Love" (1977). She returned as a pop singer on the 1987 album Everlasting and her cover of Bruce Springsteen's "Pink Cadillac". In the 1990s, she sang traditional pop by her father, resulting in her biggest success, Unforgettable... with Love, which sold over seven million copies and won her seven Grammy Awards. She sold over 30 million records worldwide.[
Whitney Elizabeth Houston (August 9, 1963 – February 11, 2012) was an American singer and actress. She was certified as the most awarded female artist of all time by Guinness World Records and is one of the best-selling recording artists of all time, with sales of over 200 million records 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). She is regarded as one of the greatest artists of all time. Her crossover appeal on the popular music charts as well as her prominence on MTV influenced several African-American female artists.
Numerous artists have acknowledged Houston as an influence, including Celine Dion,[340] Mariah Carey,[118] Toni Braxton,[341] Lady Gaga,[342] Christina Aguilera,[343] LeAnn Rimes,[344] Jessica Simpson,[345] Nelly Furtado,[346] Kelly Clarkson,[347] Britney Spears,[348] Ciara,[349] Pink,[348] Aneeka,[350] Ashanti,[351] Hayley Williams, Robin Thicke,[352] Jennifer Hudson,[353] Stacie Orrico,[354] Amerie,[355] Destiny's Child,[348][356] and Ariana Grande.