Trailer for Whitney Houston's final film debuts

NEW YORK — The trailer for Whitney Houston's final film, "Sparkle" debuted on Monday, offering a brief look at the last project made by the late singer and actress that she had hoped would help spur a career comeback.

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Houston, who died suddenly in Los Angeles in February at the age of 48 of accidental drowning due to the effects of cocaine use and heart disease, appears sporadically in the trailer that was shown on Monday's "Today" show.

In the film she plays the mother of three daughters in a successful singing group dealing with the fallout of fame and drugs.

"Sparkle," a $17 million remake of a 1976 film with the same name, stars former "American Idol" winner Jordin Sparks and is due to be released in the United States on August 17.

It was Houston's first acting role in more than 15 years after a small part in the television movie, "Cinderella" (1997) and a co-starring effort in "The Preacher's Wife" (1996) opposite Denzel Washington.

Those films followed "Waiting to Exhale" in 1995 that came three years after Houston made her successful big screen acting debut opposite Kevin Costner in "The Bodyguard," playing a pop star dealing with fame.

Houston spent years battling drug addictions and was found submerged in a bathtub in a Beverly Hills hotel room. Those close to the singer, including mentor Clive Davis, have said Houston had promised them she was getting back into shape.