Nathaniel Summers, Plainfield, N.J.
Sparkle, in which Houston played the mother of an aspiring Detroit singer in the 1960s, was released in August after the pop singer’s unexpected death last February at age 48, three months after filming ended on her final movie. She had starred in three other feature films: The Bodyguard with Kevin Costner, which featured Houston’s famous cover of I Will Always Love You; the romantic comedy-drama Waiting to Exhale; and The Preacher’s Wife, which spawned a soundtrack that became the best-selling gospel album of all time.
Contributing: Gayle Jo Carter, Nancy Mills, Brian Truitt
