DEF LEPPARD Guitarist PHIL COLLEN On WHITNEY HOUSTON: 'She Was So Talented And Amazing'

February 15, 2012

DEF LEPPARD guitarist Phil Collen spoke to Ultimate Classic Rock about the recent death of pop superstar Whitney Houston.

"It's awful and it really hit me," Collen said. "I've known people and lost people who've been through the exact same thing. What really irritates me when someone special dies is the outpouring and everyone loves to show up for the funeral but they don't really want to help when the person needs it."

Collen added, "When Steve [Clark, DEF LEPPARD guitarist] died [in 1991 as the result of a lethal mix of prescription drugs and alcohol], that really pissed me off. There were people coming out of the woodwork and I was like, 'Whoa, where were you when he really needed you?' and in fact all they were doing at that time was actually encouraging him to be the way that he was that ended up killing him. So I have a very kind of weird attachment, even to Whitney, it's like, 'Wow, she came out of the same time as us.' It really sucks because she was so talented and amazing."

Collen also spoke about a few other music stars who've recently died under similar circumstances. "The Michael Jackson thing — it happens all the time," he said. "With Steve, it would be the same thing, in and out of rehab centers. Amy Winehouse, same deal. There's some people trying to help but I think there are a lot of enablers around there and they really need a lot of help. It's just tragic and what a great voice [Houston had], she was the blueprint of, certainly now, how people sing. You see 'The X Factor' and 'American Idol' and they're all doing Whitney Houston stuff because that's how you want to sound."

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