Whitney Houston's new No. 1s album, first-ever Barbie, Clive Davis and more: A Q&A with Pat Houston

NEW YORK (AP) — It was four decades ago next year that Whitney Houston released “I Wanna Dance with Somebody (Who Loves Me),” a timeless hit in a career made up of them. And it is just one of her 11 Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 singles, all of which have been compiled into a new album, “WH1TNEY,” released Friday.

The record is part of ongoing birthday celebrations for Houston, who would've turned 63 on Sunday.

There's also the fifth annual Whitney Houston Legacy of Love gala, taking place Saturday night, and a Whitney Houston Barbie — her first, ever, courtesy of parent company Mattel — releasing Sunday.

“It's a dream come true,” says Pat Houston, the executor of Whitney Houston’s estate and her sister-in-law.

In this interview, Pat Houston discusses the No. 1 hits collection, the new Barbie, if a “Michael”-style biopic is on the table and more. It has been edited for clarity and brevity.

HOUSTON: Whitney always believed that the ultimate collection represented the very best of her career. And you know, it brought together songs that defined generations. It broke records. It touched hearts around the world. And those kinds of hits were not just chart toppers, they were the soundtrack to millions of lives and a testament to a voice that will never be duplicated. So, you know, celebrating her No. 1s is really a no-brainer.

HOUSTON: It is her first ever Barbie. And let me tell you something, what made this journey special is because Whitney and I had conversations about Barbie more than 20 years ago. And to see this vision finally come to life decades later is both emotional and very much inspiring. You know, it served as a beautiful reminder that some dreams take time. And when they’re rooted in love and purpose, you can transcend generations and that’s what this Barbie is doing.

Visiting the showroom and working hand-in-hand with Mattel’s talented team, it was an honor to witness how much they care about the creativity and the commitment they had behind celebrating Whitney’s legacy to make this such a meaningful experience.

HOUSTON: You can’t mention Whitney Houston and not mention Clive Davis and you can't mention Clive without mentioning Whitney Houston. Every conversation that Clive Davis has in music, he ultimately speaks about Whitney Houston. He played a very, very important role in her life. And it went beyond the music. They truly loved one another. He was a part of her and still is a part of her legacy.

Whitney would tell you herself, “I had the talent and the craft, but this is someone that revered my career.” And he did until the day that he died. And I so appreciate that from Clive.

HOUSTON: There are some things that we’re working on. Until the i's are dotted and the t's are crossed, I never like to say.

HOUSTON: Whitney’s catalog is incredible and that voice is matchless. Of course there’s plenty of things that can be done, but you don’t want to do an overkill. You don’t wanna oversaturate the industry without having purpose. It has to have purpose in order for us to put something out there or deliver something to you.

But yes, different things come to the table all the time, but we’re cautious and careful.

HOUSTON: Never forgetting that voice and what she represented to the music industry. Forget about everything else, it’s what she brought to the industry. Whitney’s voice showcased passion. Her artistry is incredible.

And there are live shows that some people have never seen before. I would love to come up with or produce some of the shows and present some of those shows that have never been seen before, because it would blow you away to see that gifted talent. That's probably one of my ultimate goals, I guess. It's not just movies. But just releasing music and shows that people in other parts of the world have seen, but North America hasn't seen, if you can understand what I'm saying.

FILE - Pat Houston accepts the lifetime achievement award on behalf of Whitney Houston during the Recording Academy's Special Merit Awards in Los Angeles on Jan. 31, 2026. (Photo by Richard Shotwell/Invision/AP, File)

A Whitney Houston Barbie doll appears in New York on July 30, 2026. (Photo by Matt Licari/Invision/AP)

A Whitney Houston Barbie doll appears in New York on July 30, 2026. (Photo by Matt Licari/Invision/AP)

FILE - Whitney Houston performs at the pre-Grammy gala & salute to industry icons with Clive Davis honoring David Geffen in Beverly Hills, Calif., on Feb. 13, 2011. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill, File)

A large Utah wildfire kept emergency responders from safely reaching the remote site of a helicopter crash Saturday as other fires burned across several Western states, including one that closed part of Mount Rainier National Park.

The Friday morning crash of a Sikorsky Skycrane helicopter in the Fishlake National Forest ignited a new fire that spread to connect with the existing blaze that has now scorched nearly 174 square miles (nearly 451 square kilometers).

Officials battling the fire said they decided not to place additional lives at risk until the fire is more under control, so they have not been able to confirm the status of the two people aboard the helicopter. The National Interagency Fire Center said the pilot and crew member were fatally injured in the crash, but they didn't respond immediately to questions about the source of that information.

“The site is now inside the fire perimeter itself,” the fire incident management team said Saturday afternoon.

The National Transportation Safety Board will investigate the helicopter crash once their team can examine the wreckage. Officials urged the public not to speculate or spread rumors about the cause at this early stage. It will likely take the NTSB a year or more to determine that.

In Washington state, the National Park Service closed down access to the Sunrise and White River areas of Mount Rainier National Park after a new wildfire burned less than a third of a square mile (less than a square kilometer). Firefighters were working to gain control of that fire on Saturday.

The larger fires near Spokane have now burned more than 15.63 square miles (over 40 square kilometers), but firefighters constructed more than 75 miles (over 120 kilometers) of containment line to help control those flames.

Meanwhile in Oregon, hot and dry conditions helped an uncontrolled fire spread beyond 30 square miles (77.7 square kilometers).

Firefighters were still trying to identify the best places to set up containment lines around the Wrights Spring fire as they mourned the death of 47-year-old Jason Ensign, who was killed while operating a bulldozer for a timber company. The blaze grew rapidly Thursday and cut off Ensign’s escape route.

And north of the border in British Columbia, more than 20,000 people had to evacuate ahead of another fast-moving wildfire.

A Sikorsky Skycrane approaches to refill during efforts to fight the Widemouth 2 Fire east of Fillmore, Utah, on Tuesday, Aug. 4, 2026, before it crashed on Friday, Aug. 7. (Scott G Winterton/The Deseret News via AP)

A Sikorsky Skycrane rises after refilling during efforts to fight the Widemouth 2 Fire east of Fillmore, Utah, on Tuesday, Aug. 4, 2026, before it crashed on Friday, Aug. 7. (Scott G Winterton/The Deseret News via AP)

A Sikorsky Skycrane maneuvers into position to refill during efforts to fight the Widemouth 2 Fire east of Fillmore, Utah, on Tuesday, Aug. 4, 2026, before it crashed on Friday, Aug. 7. (Scott G Winterton/The Deseret News via AP)

This undated photo provided by the U.S. Forest Service on Friday, Aug. 7, 2026, shows the Widemouth 2 wildfire burning near Richfield, Utah. (U.S. Forest Service/Fishlake National Forest via AP)