Whitney Houston was one of the greatest most earth shattering talents that the world has ever known. Her amazing voice and awe inspiring good looks made her appeal unchallengeable. In the mid 80’s Whitney rose to international prominence, and it appeared she was never looking back. Her illustrious career would span nearly two decades. It ended in with substance abuse rumors, failed marriage and her shocking and untimely death at the age of 48. Most of the common theories that surround Whitney’s descent into drugs and shocking behavior have to do with the way the public perceived the effect her husband Bobby Brown had on her. Still, if you believe the rumors that surrounded Whitney it was not her marriage to Mr. Brown that sent, Whitney into the depths of addiction, but perhaps the breakup from her possible lesbian love interest Robyn Crawford.
Crawford and Houston met when they were just 16 during the summer when they worked in East Orange, New Jersey, the two soon became inseparable. Crawford would later drop out of Monmouth College and begin to work for her friend. Robyn would be considered the Gayle King to Whitney’s Oprah in today’s world. It is uncertain whether their relationship was of a strict platonic nature. But it is obvious that the two had a very close and meaningful friendship. Crawford worked as Houston’s assistant for many years, an experience she shared about shortly after Whitney passed away. Crawford said that this would be the first time she had talked about her relationship with Houston, but she was only willing to discusses their professional relationship, not the personal ones. This poignant as-told-to obituary by Crawford seems to express the depth of a promise made and the intimacy they most certainly shared. She shared: “I have never spoken about her until now. And she knew I would not. She was a loyal friend, and she knew I was never going to be disloyal to her. I was never going to betray her. Now I cannot believe that I’m never going to hug her or hear her laughter again. I loved her laughter, and that’s what I miss most, that’s what I miss already
Whitney’s friendship with Robyn was not the only thing that fueled lesbian rumors. In the ’80s and ’90s, Kelly McGillis who is known most for playing Tom Cruise’s love interest in Top Gun. There were supposed sighting, and was rumored that Houston visited McGillis regularly in Chicago while McGillis was filming The Babe. At that time, McGillis was closeted but rumors flew through the Hollywood entertainment circles that she was a lesbian; Mcgillis came out of the closet in 2009. The circulating rumors about Houston and McGillis dated all way back to 1988. These rumors led a shocking piece of Hollywood trash. Supposedly Whitney Houston was at the center of a love triangle involving Jodie Foster and McGillis. When both McGillis and Foster acknowledged their own sexuality, it would breathe new life in the rumors about Whitney’s.
In 1992, she married Bobby in a lavish ceremony at her $11 million New Jersey estate. At the time, her career was stronger than ever. She had recently starred in her first blockbuster film; The Bodyguard and was a hit among her fans; she was on top of the worlds. His career, on the other hand, appeared to be spiraling. His band had disbanded, and his solo career had long ago cooled after brief success with his single “My Prerogative” hitting the No. one spot in 1988. It appeared that Whitney would now have a break from the constant speculation about her sexuality. Unfortunately, that was not the case. Crawford spoke with USA Today in 1992 and told them, “I think once she’s married she’ll feel a lot more complete. I think that’ll be a self phase where she’ll be doing something for her life.” But even in that story, which was supposedly about her finding her prince, Houston had to address the lesbian questions. “I’m not gay,” she told the paper.
After Whitney and Brown wed a new rumor displaced the old one the new rumors was that Houston had begun to use drugs. They were soon, unfortunately, proved true. It seemed that America’s shining star was in a free fall towards the bottom. People no longer seemed interested in her love life and instead became obsessed with her addictions and erratic behavior. But after she divorced Bobby in 2007, the questions about her sexuality began to reappear. In part, Brown himself was to blame.
In Mr. Browns authorized biography titled Bobby Brown: The Truth, the Whole Truth, and Nothing But. Brown stated that their marriage was “doomed from the very beginning. 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 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.”
Whitney’s true sexuality will likely never be known or maybe we already know the truth. Either way, the circumstances around her tragic bouts with addiction and the rumors that followed her throughout her life fuel the speculation that the unknowns of Whitney Houston intertwine with her untimely demise.
