“I feel that if Robyn was accepted into Whitney’s life (when they were younger), Whitney would still be alive today.”
|||Bobby Brown’s latest coments about Whitney Houston are seemingly confirmation of long-standing rumours about her sexuality.
Just after the singer’s death in 2012, reports claiming she had a “secret” relationship with Robyn Crawford - a woman she met in New Jersey during her teen years - began to surface.
The singer told US Weekly: “We were married for 14 years. There were some things we talked about that were personal to us.”
In his new memoir, Every Little Step, Brown says he was aware of Houston’s bisexuality, but that she was not willing to be open about it with the public.
He added in the interview that Houston was still “attracted” to him, but was romantically involved with Crawford - a reality of which Houston’s mother Cissy did not approve.
“I really feel that if Robyn was accepted into Whitney’s life, Whitney would still be alive today.”
Earlier reports by the Daily Mail claimed that the late Houston was a closet lesbian who binged on drugs and alcohol to soothe the pain caused by living a lie.
The rumour about Crawford - who had served as Houston’s assistant at one point in her career - had been circulating for 30 years, but after the singer’s death, British gay rights activist Peter Tatchell revealed to the media that her marriage to Brown was a smokescreen.
“It’s important to tell the truth about this aspect of her life,” said Tatchell.
“Whitney was happiest and at her peak in the 1980s when she was with her female partner. 'They were so loved up and joyful together. Perhaps her inability to accept and express her same-sex love contributed to her substance abuse and decline.
“She was pressured into the Bobby Brown marriage. It was a disaster. Her life started going downhill soon afterwards.”
Brown also hinted at as much in his previous autobiography, saying their marriage was a cover-up for her relationships with other women.
“I think we got married for all the wrong reasons. Now, I realize Whitney had a different agenda than I did when we got married.
“I believe her agenda was to clean up her image, while mine was to be loved and have children. The media was accusing her of having a bisexual relationship with her assistant, Robin [sic] Crawford. Since she was the American Sweetheart and all, that didn’t go too well with her image.
“In Whitney’s situation, the only solution was to get married and have kids. That would kill all speculation, whether it was true or not.”
Both Whitney’s sister-in-law and her former bodyguard have previously confirmed that the rumours were true.
Whitney’s former bodyguard claims that he once saw Crawford slap the singer because she was flirting with other men. He also revealed that Crawford was furious when Whitney announced that she was going to marry Brown.
Whitney responded to the rumours herself in 2000, saying: “I am a mother, not a lesbian. I am not gay”.
Whitney and Crawford had known each other since the star was 16-years-old. Crawford dropped out of college to work for her. Hours after the singer’s death, Crawford composed a Valentine’s Day-themed tribute to her, which was published in US magazine.
“I first met Whitney when I was 16 and knew right away she was special. Whitney was modelling and had peachy-coloured skin and didn’t look like anyone I’d ever met in New Jersey,” wrote Crawford.
“I can’t believe that I’m never going to hug her or hear her laughter again.”
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