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Whitney Houston's fans say, it was first in 1987 when she held a concert in Lexington. Four years later she would sing there again. But it was Houston's performance on and off stage that was so memorable.

The night before she was supposed to perform a man alleged Houston punched him during a fight in a Lexington hotel lounge. But that, like the drug addiction Houston would later battle, were parts of her life Kentucky fans didn't want to dwell on and instead raved about her success.

"She was the Britney Spears of her time; she was the popular singer," said Kevin Staed, who has lived in Lexington his whole life.

He remembered the one weekend in April, 21 years ago, when Houston landed in the same city.

"When you got down on the floor, I don't even know why they had seats because we didn't sit use them," said Staed.

Staed spent $25 for a ticket and stood with other fans on the floor at Rupp Arena.

"She was just smiling and happy and she was singing and you could tell it meant a lot to her just to be able to make everybody happy like that," said Staed.

Houston would go on to be the most award-winning female act ever. Her success, though, was sidelined by a drug addition and problems arose when she was in Kentucky, too.

A newspaper article detailed the criminal complaint two men filed that allege Houston punched one, then threatened to kill him, after they said she refused to sign an autograph for them in the lounge of what is now the Hilton Hotel.

"I think when it comes to something like this, as when anyone passes away, all you think of are the good things," said Jenny White.

The Owensboro native, and longtime fan, was still shocked that on Saturday, the music legend had died in her Beverly Hilton hotel room.

"Embarrassingly enough, I sat there and cried," said White, who thought back to 1991 when she, too, went to Houston's Lexington concert and sat in the second row.

"It was just the best concert, her voice is just effortless," said White.

It's a voice that lives on the hearts of fans in Kentucky and all around the world.

The assault and terroristic-threatening charges against Houston would later be dropped.

There's no word on how Houston died. Her autopsy has reportedly been completed but the results are pending toxicology results.