Few musicians have had the impact Whitney Houston enjoyed, she even became known as The Voice for her enormous talent. Tracks such as I Will Always Love You, I Wanna Dance with Somebody and I Have Nothing are still regularly played. Sadly, the musician died at the age of 48 in 2012. 10 years have passed since then, and the years following her death here also marred with family tragedy.
How did Whitney Houston die?
On February 11, 2012, Houston was found submerged in the bathtub of her suite at the Beverly Hilton Hotel, the day before the Grammy Awards. When medics arrived on the scene, she was still unconscious, though she tragically died shortly after.
Her death was the result of drowning and the “effects of atherosclerotic heart disease and cocaine use,” the official report read. She was believed to have used cocaine shortly before she died, while several other drugs were also reportedly found in her system.
In 2013, after the autopsy report was confirmed, HealthPop interviewed Dr Lawrence Kobilinsky, professor and chair of the department of sciences at John Jay College of Criminal Justice in New York City, who clarified the findings.
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He said: “They’re not saying it was atherosclerosis, they’re saying it’s the cocaine in combination. That could very well have rendered her unconscious, and she could’ve become submerged and drowned.”
The doctor added that cocaine was likely singled out as a cause of death because the other drugs were not in high enough levels for the toxicologist to deem as contributing factors. He added: “The toxicologist has probably calculated that there is a sufficient amount in her body that caused the overdose.”
Despite the findings being conclusive, Houston’s ex-husband Bobby Brown believed that she didn’t die from drug use.
What did Bobby Brown think caused Whitney Houston’s death?
After acknowledging the drugs in Houston’s system, Brown believed she was “broken-hearted” and that the cocaine wasn’t the reason for her death.
Speaking to Rolling Stone, he explained: “She was really working hard on herself to try to be a sober person and, um… she was a great woman.” The 53-year-old said that the drugs were just one factor that played a role in her death.
He added that her drug use was the “most misunderstood thing” about her, admitting that they loved each other until the end in a later interview. According to The Sun, an insider said: “One major revelation is him insisting the pair loved one another, despite their traumatic past, right until the end. Bobby admits that their lives were destroyed by addictions rather than loathing each other. Certainly, they both hoped that things would not turn out differently.”
Sadly, the family tragedy didn’t end with Houston’s death, as three years later the pair’s daughter died as well.
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What happened to Whitney Houston’s daughter Bobbi Kristina Brown?
Bobbi Kristina Brown was the daughter of Houston and Brown, she was just 14 years old when her parents divorced. Ultimately, the singer got custody of her.
When Houston died in 2012, Brown was named the sole beneficiary of her estate. Just three years later Bobbi died from pneumonia on July 26, 2015, after being in a coma for several months.
After controversially getting engaged to Nick Gordon, a man she previously considered her big brother, she found her face down in the bathtub of her Georgia home. There was no evidence of drug or alcohol use and she was still breathing when she arrived in hospital. Sadly, she died in hospice care at the age of 22.
Who did Bobby Brown blame for Whitney Houston’s death?
On January 1, 2020, Nick Gordon died of a heroin overdose, five years after the death of his ex-girlfriend Bobbi Kristina Brown. Bobby Brown shocked fans in April 2021 when he blamed him for her and Houston’s death.
Speaking for Jada Pinkett Smith, Adrienne Banfield-Norris and Willow Smith, the hosts of Red Table Talk, Brown finally opened up about his viewers on Gordon. He said: “He was the only one there with both situations with my ex-wife and with my daughter and they both died the exact same way. I think he was more so a provider of party favours to them.
He added: “I was in rehab at the time when he passed. I had planned on, once I left rehab, to approach the young man just to find out how my daughter was in her last days. But no, I never got a chance to find out from him or talk to him.”
