“Kevin Costner Remembers Whitney Houston on His Birthday: ‘We Lost Such a Light'”
Kevin Costner feels fortunate to be celebrating another year of life as he marked his 70th birthday on January 18th. To honor the special occasion, the actor and filmmaker shared a heartfelt post on Instagram, featuring a photo from the set of The Bodyguard with his dear friend Whitney Houston. The picture shows a younger Costner, Houston, and Ellin LaVar, Houston’s hairstylist for the film, all smiling together. Costner has his arm around Houston, and they appear happy and carefree, with him dressed in a black jacket, white polo, and jeans, and Houston in an all-black ensemble.
In the caption, Costner reflected on the significance of the photo: “This photo reminds me of how lucky I am to be getting another birthday,” he wrote. “We lost such a light when we lost Whitney.”
Originally shared by Houston’s estate-managed Instagram account, the post included a birthday message for Costner, along with a behind-the-scenes glimpse from the 1992 movie. The caption read: “Happy birthday to Kevin Costner! A behind-the-scenes photo from The Bodyguard with Kevin, Whitney, and Ellin LaVar, Whitney’s hairstylist for the film.”
Released in 1992, The Bodyguard became a major box-office success and propelled Houston’s version of “I Will Always Love You” into global stardom. The film and song were pivotal in elevating Houston to one of the most iconic voices of all time and cemented a lasting friendship between her and Costner. This bond endured over the years, and Costner even spoke at Houston’s funeral.
Looking back on Houston’s legacy, Costner recalled in 2022, “I don’t think we’ll ever forget when that little song came out, and she just blew up. She sang the first part of it a cappella, and musically, the world was never the same.”
Reflecting on The Bodyguard, he added, “We have a moment of her in that movie we’ll never ever forget. When movies are working at their best, that’s what can happen.”
