Whitney Houston exhibit to open in LA

Los Angeles - An exhibit in honour of late pop icon Whitney Houston will open in Los Angeles next month, half a year after her lifeless body was discovered in a hotel bathtub.

The exhibit, titled "Whitney!" and organised in conjunction with the singer's family, will open at the Grammy Museum on 15 August.

"Whitney! will provide an in-depth look at all aspects of Houston's creative life," the museum, located in downtown Los Angeles, said in a statement.

Items to be displayed include rare photos and footage of the Grammy-winning star, stage costumes, albums and career scrapbooks from her early career, as well as concert posters, tour books and fan memorabilia.

Short films

The museum has also asked artists and musicians who worked with Houston or were influenced by her to share their thoughts on the pop diva. These will be shown in the form of short films.

Houston was found dead on 11 February in a luxury Beverly Hills hotel bathtub on the eve of the music industry's annual Grammy Awards show. Coroners concluded she died by accidental drowning, with cocaine use and heart disease as contributing factors. She was 48.

Houston sold more than 170 million records during a near three-decade career, but in later years fought a long and public battle against substance abuse while trying to keep her performing talent alive.

In 1992, she starred alongside Kevin Costner in the movie The Bodyguard for which she sang I will always love you.

The exhibit is due to run through February 2013.