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Whitney Houston will be posthumously inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame.

The legendary singer and LGBTQ icon is among six musicians who made the cut this year – joining her are The Notorious BIG, Depeche Mode, The Doobie Brothers, Nine Inch Nails and T-Rex.

Artists are eligible to enter the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame 25 years after the release of their first album. Whitney’s first record, the self-titled Whitney Houston, was released in 1985.

Despite her tragic death in 2012, Whitney remains one of the biggest-selling female artists of all time, and through her career amassed an impressive 22 American Music Awards, 16 Billboard Music Awards, and six Grammy Awards.

Beyond sales and accolades, many modern artists credit her as an inspiration for their own music careers.

Last year, Whitney’s longtime friend and personal assistant Robyn Crawford broke decades of silence over their relationship when she confirmed that they were once lovers.

“We were intimate on many levels, and all I can say is that it was very deep and we were very connected. Our friendship was a deep friendship. In the early part of that friendship, it was physical,” she said.

According to Robyn, the physical side of the relationship ended in 1982 when Whitney signed a recording deal with Clive Davis on Arista. 

“The music business was a world we were learning and we didn’t want anything to interfere with where she was going,” she continued. “I just felt that I wouldn’t be losing much. I still loved her the same and she loved me, and that was good enough.”

The 35th annual Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame induction ceremony will take place Saturday 2 May in Cleveland, Ohio, and will be broadcast live for the first time at 8pm on HBO in the United States.