Oh no!! This.....this is definitely a shame.
I remember sitting on the computer one day, going through all her performances of I Will Always Love You, and just staring and listening in awe...... That video definitely didn't show that same singer. D:
And she's only in her mid-forties, yes? She should still be going strong....... I suppose it would be the drugs, then. Because she was known for over-singing, especially with this special song, but it wasn't in a way that would ruin her voice (not from what I've seen, anyhow). So yeah.... So sad.
Then again, is it just this concert she was off? Or has she been going down for a while now? I honestly haven't seen any very recent performances by Houston, so.. I hope she takes care of her health from on now, to help save that beautiful voice!
And yes, I think we all realise that Ayu certainly needs to rest her voice, but for different reasons than what Whitney does, of course. Whitney Houston's most likely problem is her health in general - not necessarily her actual voice - probably due to the drugs she's done, while Ayumi's problem is mostly her voice alone being extremely worn out. (Then again, we still don't know whether or not Ayu is doing other things to contribute, as well, such as drinking, smoking, etc.....and her ear is most likely causing some issues, of course)