Parents who didn’t use her religion as a whip to beat her spirit down and pretended she didn’t know her kids were drowning their pain in drugs.

I am a similar age and many of her songs became part of the soundtrack of my life and to me, she had it all - a staggering beauty, elegance, success, financial security and a peerless voice. A sadly all too frequent case of a person not allowed to be their true selves and the suppression of their true self causing severe problems along the line. A generous, loving book that has more insight on Houston's career--the ride, the fall--than any other single source that I've encountered. The saddest part is y’all; Whitney didn’t live to tell her own story but everyone else is YET HERE feeding us their side. If you read that book, you can figure how things were really going that time, Robyn went through a lot, and she is sharing a part of her life with It.Strangely enough, Crawford’s loving yet honest portrayal of her friend cured me of feeling sorry for Houston, which I’ve done for years. I loved the way Robyn's book did not demonize Whitney but instead showed why things happened the way they did. Then ask yourself why Whitney was unbothered by the prospect of Robyn dating men, but was absolutely livid at the prospect of her dating other women. Behind closed doors, Houston often said that she couldn't be herself, as she made plans to go through with her marriage to Brown.

For years, Houston and Crawford effectively functioned as a couple, living together, occasionally (and chastely) sharing a bed, and remaining emotionally close. A monthly update with a note from Jay, a roundup of recent reviews, previews of upcoming books, and more. If people were allowed to just be themselves then maybe there would be fewer tragic endings to lives like those of Whitney Houston and her daughter. Robyn Crawford has been this mysterious woman that we’ve all seen by Whitney’s side from the very beginning of Whitney’s music career.By using the Web site, you confirm that you have read, understood, and agreed to be bound by the Terms and Conditions.

At some points, especially in the later years, it feels like she was grasping at straws (mainly, secondhand stories from Silvia) to continue to tell Whitney’s life story in the years when they had drifted apart. Robyn really knew Whitney better than anyone and she humanised her throughout this book and made sure Whitney was present on every single page. Immediately following the wedding the couple became tabloid fodder with their very public fights and drama, and Houston's use of substance escalated. I didn’t know that she and her mother were so disjointed, I mean— parents are how WE GET THROUGH LIFE, forrealz!In some ways, I really wish that Eddie Murphy had acted better because I believe they would have been a solid match but colliding stars don’t create anything beautiful when you think about it spatially (so perhaps not). Whitney and Robyn's love was hidden and although people around them were happy to "allow" Robyn to be openly gay, they would not extend that "permission" to Whitney - oh no, the record company and her Mother would not permit it.

She also told Crawford that, “if they found out – because her career was taking off – they’d use it against us”.Houston was riding high on recent award wins, including three Grammys, eight American Music Awards and 11 Billboard Awards, and her song, I Will Always Love You, the title track from The Bodyguard, spending 14 weeks at number one. I think she finally decided so many years later to speak about her friendship with Whitney so the rest of the world could see the Whitney she knew.