Though most people are at least mildly aware of the tragic circumstances surrounding the death of beloved singer Whitney Houston, less are aware that her daughter ended up sharing an eerily similar fate only a few years later. They both died of unnatural causes, and both of their deaths revolved around bathtubs. As well, they both shared in romances with figures that many around them felt were predatory. In fact, one of these figures was even civilly implicated in one of the deaths. Join Facts Verse as we attempt to uncover the tragic death of Whitney Houston and her daughter.
Whitney Houston was born on August 9 of 1963. As a child, she was fond of singing in church. This talent lead her to become a background vocalist during her high school years, resulting in her being signed to a record label at the age of just 19. She released her self-titled studio debut in 1985, which went on to peak at the top of the Billboard charts. Both the self-titled debut and it’s follow-up, Whitney, stand firmly amongst the greatest selling albums of all time. Over the course of her career, Houston continued to impress with her performances. She has been certified as the most awarded female recording artist of all time, with over 200 million records sold. To this day, she is the only artist to have seven consecutive singles reach the number one position on the Billboard Hot 100 charts.
In 1992, Houston solidified her status as an all-around superstar with her starring role in the film The Bodyguard. Serving as her acting debut, the soundtrack for the film also yielded what is arguably the singer’s biggest hit, “I Will Always Love You”. That song won a Grammy Award for Record of the Year and stands as the highest selling physical single released by any female recording artist in history. In addition to the success of the single, the soundtrack for the film remains the single greatest selling soundtrack ever released. Soon after transitioning from the music industry to Hollywood with The Bodyguard, Houston was going to transition into motherhood with her husband, Bobby Brown.
Whitney Houston had married fellow rhythm and blues singer Bobby Brown in 1992, and their daughter was born in March of 1993. She was named Bobbi Kristina Brown, after her father. Houston was seemingly happy to have become a mother. It was an aspiration that she had previously voiced, and it seemed now that she was preparing to live her idyllic life caring for her newborn. According to the singer, she had never “experienced anything greater”. However, due to her work responsibilities, Houston wasn’t allowed much leisure time with her daughter. Over time, this lead to the singer feeling somewhat guilty about not being there for her daughter. The realities of life as a touring artist put a damper on Houston’s homegrown dreams, and the singer soon began to become disenchanted with her domestic lifestyle.
In order to make up for her perceived absence, Houston brought her daughter to her musical performances as often as she could. As well, she could often be seen bringing her daughter up with her onto the stage. The relationship that Houston began sharing with her daughter mirrored the relationship that Houston herself had shared with her own mother. Houston’s mother had been a backup singer, working with artists such as Aretha Franklin and Elvis Presley. Houston has recalled her mother being absent for long periods of time.
Soon after the birth of her daughter, Houston jumped right back into both music and film, achieving greater Hollywood recognition with 1995’s Waiting to Exhale and 1996’s The Preacher’s Wife. Although the singer was keen on keeping up appearances while on the stage, Houston was using quite a bit of drugs during these years. This was a common pattern in Houston’s life, but her daughter was becoming old enough that she could now begin to notice when her mother wasn’t acting right.
Whitney Houston had always had a problem with substance abuse, and it didn’t go away when her daughter was born. Her husband, Bobby Brown, has recalled that her substance abuse issues only seemed to become exacerbated by the birth of their daughter. He has admitted to taking drugs with his wife while their daughter was around, memories that have caused him a great deal of remorse over the years. Fans were given an unprecedented view into the family’s personal in 2005, when the reality television series Being Bobby Brown started airing. This show followed Bobby Brown, Whitney Houston, and Bobbi Kristina as they navigated family life together. People soon began noticing that it seemed as if both Bobby and Whitney were often visibly intoxicated around their young daughter, much to the daughter’s alarm and embarrassment. Many began to fear that things weren’t going to end well for the family. If you’re enjoying this video so far, be sure to hit the like button to show your support! As well, subscribe to the channel if you’d like to be among the first to know when more Facts Verse videos are on their way!
Over time, Whitney Houston and Bobby Brown painted themselves to the public as a couple with their fair share of issues. Between domestic disputes, rumored infidelities, and the aforementioned substance abuse problems, the two seemed to have a good deal of trouble keeping themselves out of the tabloids. Although the two seemed to lean into this attention with Being Bobby Brown, it wasn’t too surprising in 2007 when the couple ended up calling it quits on their marriage. The two were divorced, a process that resulted in Houston gaining custody of Bobbi Kristina. The two then moved to a house in Atlanta, Georgia, where Houston attempted to kick the substance abuse habits that had marred her family relationships previously. However, life seemed to have other ideas. With Brown gone, a shadowy figure stepped in to become the new man of the house for Houston and her daughter. This man was Nick Gordon.
Gordon was deemed an unofficial godson for Houston, and promptly moved in with the singer and her 14-year-old daughter. Many began speculating about the strange domestic situation. Houston could often be seen making public appearances intoxicated, being shepherded around by her young daughter. Apparently, Gordon was the one who was getting them drugs, making the relationship especially dubious. Gordon himself was a teenager at the time, having been born in 1990. This made him only a few years Bobbi Kristina’s senior. Still, Gordon’s presence seemed to have a negative effect on the young girl. Family members have suggested that Gordon was the one who introduced Bobbi Kristina to drugs, with few people ever seeing her intoxicated before she met the young man. In late 2011, she could be seen working with her mother in the studio on a few tracks, trying to come into prominence as a musician herself. This dream of working with her mother was going to be cut short only a few months later, in February of 2012.
On February 11 of 2012, Whitney Houston was found dead in the bathroom of the Beverly Hilton hotel. She was lying unresponsive in the bathtub, then pronounced dead at the scene. At the time of her death, the singer was only 48 years old. A later report from the city of Los Angeles suggested that the cause of death had been accidental drowning. However, it was included that both heart disease and the use of cocaine had contributed. Bobbi Kristina was devastated, and had to be hospitalized from the shock. After some time had passed, Bobbi Kristina opened up to the public about how her mother’s death had affected her in the 2012 Lifetime series The Houstons: On Our Own. That series ran for 14 episodes. Over the course of the series’ run, Bobbi Kristina announced that she had become engaged to Nick Gordon. Given that Gordon had once been considered by the public to be Bobbi Kristina’s god sibling, many fans were understandably taken aback. As well, there were also those who still felt that the young man was simply a bad influence on Bobbi Kristina. Soon, those people were going to be proven right.
The engagement between Bobbi Kristina and Nick Gordon was announced in October of 2012, and Bobbi Kristina claims that the two were married in early 2014. However, the latter claim has since been disputed by one of Gordon’s lawyers. Besides retroactive allegations of physical and mental abuse that may have occurred in the relationship based on witness testimonies, not much is known about this time in Bobbi Kristina’s life. What is known, though, is how it all came to an end.
Only a few weeks prior to the three year anniversary of her mother’s untimely death, Bobbi Kristina was found face down in a bathtub of her own. Astonishingly, the young woman was still alive. However, she was placed into an induced coma by doctors that she remained in until her death several months later. On July 26 of 2015, Bobbi Kristina Brown was pronounced dead at the age of 22. An autopsy that was preformed showed that Bobbi Kristina’s body contained alcohol, prescription drugs, morphine, and cocaine. The cause of death was determined to be “immersion associated with drug intoxication”, a cause of death that was almost identical to the one that had been given to her mother.
Bobbi Kristina’s family, including her father, Bobby Brown, aggressively blamed Nick Gordon for her death. Although no criminal convictions followed, Gordon was forced to pay $36 million by default in a civil lawsuit after failing to appear. In 2020, Nick Gordon passed away of a drug overdose. He was 30 years old. Later that year, Whitney Houston was posthumously inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
It’s easy to remember Whitney Houston more for the tragedy that befell her than the numerous hits that she recorded. Comment down below to share your favorite pick from her vast selection of hits, or if you think her daughter deserved a better shot at finding her own voice. As always, like this video to show your support, and subscribe and hit the notification bell to be among the first to know when more Facts Verse videos are on their way!
