Brandy Says She Blamed Whitney Houston’s Circle for Her Death
This year marks the 10th anniversary of Whitney Houston’s death. In honor of such, there are several projects in the works, including two books and a new documentary. One of which explores how the media’s abuse of the pop icon contributed to her downfall. Brandy wrote the forward of the book and reveals that in the aftermath of Houston’s death, she blamed many for not properly caring for Houston.
Brandy says she blamed others for Whitney Houston’s death in forward of new book
The Moesha star penned the forward for Gerrick Kennedy’s new book Didn’t We Almost Have It All: In Defense of Whitney Houston. The book was released on Tuesday, Feb. 2, and it examines the dualities of Houston’s life — both inside and outside of the spotlight. In her notes, Brandy admits to blaming others for Houston’s tragic death. Houston publicly spoke of her battle with addiction and was discovered submerged in a bathtub of water on Feb. 11, 2012. Cocaine was listed as a contributing factor to her death.
“It’s natural for people to want to place blame. I placed a lot of blame on a lot of people too, when it came to Whitney,” Brandy writes. “We loved her so much and needed something or someone to attach blame to because it was so hard to accept that she was gone.”
Brandy also writes of the magnitude of pressure Houston was under due to her superstardom. “We don’t really have the right to speak on anything that she had to go through in her life,” she added. “No one knows what she was running from and no one knows what she was trying to overcome. No one knows the costs that came with being Whitney Houston. That level of fame, that level of expectation, that level of pressure.”
Whitney Houston was Brandy’s musical idol and close friend
Brandy grew up with Houston as her biggest inspiration. Her favorite Houston song is “The Greatest Love of All,” which she sang during her audition for Atlantic Records in the early 90s that helped her snag her first major deal.
She finally met Houston in 1995 during rehearsals at the Kid’s Choice Awards. Houston would later solidify their relationship further when she handpicked Brandy to play Cinderella in a TV film that Houston was producing. Brandy agreed to star in the film only if Houston played her fairy godmother. The film made history with Brandy as the first African-American version of the princess and shattered television records.
Brandy also recorded alongside Houston for the Waiting to Exhale soundtrack. Writer and producer Kenneth “Babyface” Evans revealed that Houston projected Brandy would be the next big thing in music.
How Brandy paid tribute to Whitney Houston after her death
Brandy released an album, Two Eleven, eight months after Houston’s death. The album’s title is a nod to Brandy’s birthday, as well as the date Houston died. It was one way Brandy honored her fallen idol.
Since Houston’s passing, Brandy has performed in several tribute performances, including the BET Awards the same year Houston died. She’s also incorporated a tribute medley into her own concerts for Houston.
