Whitney Houston‘s powerful rendition of Dolly Parton‘s “I Will Always Love You” was certified diamond by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).
The RIAA certifies both albums and singles diamond once they have sold and streamed 10 million equivalent units in the United States. Diamond status is the same thing as 10-times platinum.
The newest accomplishment marks the late icon’s fourth diamond certification. The Bodyguard soundtrack, which “I Will Always Love You” appears on, has gone 18-times platinum — almost two-times diamond. 1985’s Whitney Houston and 1987’s Whitney have also gone diamond. “I Will Always Love You,” however, marks her first diamond single.
Houston marks the third female artist to have both a diamond-status single and album, following both Mariah Carey and Taylor Swift, according to Forbes.
Houston recorded the cover of Parton’s 1974 song for her 1992 film debut, The Bodyguard, in which she plays a pop diva who falls in love with her hired protector, played by Kevin Costner. The song hit No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 on Nov. 28, 1992, where it spent 14 weeks at the top and moved 3.1 million copies to become the year’s top-selling single in just nine weeks, according to Nielsen Music.
At Houston’s funeral in 2012, “Always” played as her casket left the church.
Listen to “I Will Always Love You” below.
