http://www.thedailybeast.com/newswee...ble-death.html
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All I can say is.....wow.
Incredibly sad, but none of it surprising or revelatory. It was pretty well known
I'm afraid I could only read the first 2 pages as my eyes filled with tears. All I could think of was all that beauty and talent wasted on drugs.Quote:
Originally Posted by smark21
I'm glad the pain and anguish is over for Whitney and now she is home with her Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, and her beloved father, Mr. John Houston.
"And the effect of righteousness will be peace, and the result of righteousness, quietness and trust forever in the house of God."
"And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."
"I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me."
Miss Whitney Houston has finally found that peace, is demon free, and is dwelling in the house of God.
I am praising Jesus Christ, the son of God, and thanking him for taking Whitney to his house of glory.
Amen
Roberta
In Newsweek Magazine
Whitney Houston's Private Hell and Inevitable Death
Apr 30, 2012 1:00 AM EDT
A drug-using family. Heartbreaking dysfunction. Why no one could save Whitney Houston from herself.
Comments [[54)
In her final flight back home, singer Whitney Houston should have been surrounded by those who truly loved and cared for her. A few aboard the private plane that carried her body had been there for Houston through thick and thin. Her manager and sister-in-law, Pat Houston, was with her on this last journey, as was her beloved cousin, singer Dionne Warwick.
Also along for the ride that Monday afternoon in February was Raffles van Exel, a self-described entertainment consultant who met Houston years before on her concert tour and somehow wriggled his way into her close-knit inner circle. Van Exel was a partner with Houston’s sister-in-law Pat in a new decorative-candle business, and the singer had been set to film a commercial for the line Feb. 11—the day she died. Van Exel never got his commercial, but he did manage to snap a picture of the singer in her casket and sell it to the National Enquirer for millions of dollars.
“Her family couldn’t even protect her in death,” says a close friend. “They had the person on the plane with her body that took her picture in the casket. That tells you a lot about the life she was living.” Such was the tragic and twisted reality of one of the greatest singers of all time.
Houston wrestled with demons, drugs, and heartbreaking betrayals that continued to haunt her even after her lifeless, bloated body was found face down in a bathtub at the Beverly Hilton on the eve of the Grammys. Autopsy results revealed just how much self-inflicted damage Houston had done in her 48 years. The scalding bath water had burned her face, and there were bruises on her forehead, chest, and upper lip and numerous scars on her body. Years of cocaine use had burned a hole through her septum, she had heart disease, and toxicology tests showed residue of marijuana, Xanax, Benadryl, and other medications in her system.
“In many ways I’m surprised she lasted as long as she did,” says a former assistant to the singer who didn’t want to be identified due to a confidentiality contract she’d signed. “She was on a downhill road for a long time, and her body just gave out. I know she was tired, very tired, from it all.”
Related
Bobbi Kristina Found Getting High After Whitney's Funeral?
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Along that downhill road, Houston’s drug use led her to forget the lyrics to her most famous songs, blow off concert dates at a moment’s notice, lose her fortune, ruin her voice, and even sometimes ignore the basic needs of her only daughter. “She planned her day around the drugs, and nothing else mattered,” says one of her closest friends, who requested anonymity because she herself often partied with Houston. “Drug sellers loved her, and everyone wanted to sell to her because she paid in cash. She would spend thousands of dollars a week buying drugs and stockpile it in the house so she wouldn’t run out. The house would be a mess, with trash and dirty clothes everywhere, but she didn’t want anyone to clean up, because she didn’t want people to see how bad everything was. She didn’t want a nanny for Bobbi Kristina for the same reason.”
Houston’s tragic end, say friends and associates, was the result of many factors and the fault of many people, with Houston herself at the top of the list. The once-fresh-faced teenager with the sculpted cheekbones and sinewy figure grew up in East Orange, N.J., where her family moved after living in Newark during the 1967 riots. Her parents did what they could to provide well for Whitney and her older brothers, Gary and Michael. But somewhere along the way, her brothers fell victim to drug use, and their little sister wasn’t far behind.
Photos: Whitney Through the Years
With Brown, she shed her good-girl image, Frazer Harrison / Getty Images
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delta36xray
1 Hour Ago
Whitney's mother is responsible in large part because Whitney lacked the psychological resources to self soothe herself without the use of drugs. This capacity for self soothing is a developmental milestone that is internalized from a mother who is nurturing enough to provide this "skill" This is apparent in the mother's inability to come to the aid of her child whose life was being ravaged by the druggy life-style. Whitney's youngster is now developmentally flawed because she was not cared for when she was in distress. I can imagine an infant crying for hours on end without anyone to help her reach some level of comfort and safety. A child needs the comfort of a mother's arms or anyone's arms to reach a level of psychic equilibrium; feeling loved and cared for.
Whitney's mom does not sound depraved but does come off as indifferent as all her children seem to lack the capacity to find ways that neutralize the tensions and anxiety that we humans experience daily.
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Roberto
3 Hours Ago
“She planned her day around the drugs, and nothing else mattered.”
That's exactly what junkies do.
She chose her life, lived it, and in turn, died from it.
Slapchoplikes this.
I was not surprised by anything that I read in that piece.
I was surprised; I guess I shouldn't have been, but I thought the family was stronger than this and I didn't understand things were that bad ~ is the implication of the article that there are multiple addicts?
It wasn't a surprise that the picture was taken by a relative.
Sad article. I was hoping that they'd let her rest in peace, but I knew they wouldn't. What her poor mother must be going through.Quote:
Originally Posted by jobeterob
It wasn't a relative that took the picture. It was an associate of her sister-in-law. A month or so ago, ENTERTAINMENT TONIGHT reported that the Los Angeles police department was looking for this guy. Supposedly he cleaned up Whitney's room before the police arrived, but then couldn't be found. It was suspected that he might have gone overseas.
I wonder if it is true that he got "millions of dollars" from the Enquirer.
I also wasn't surprised by anything I read. I've known for years that Whitney was really a down to earth home girl and very street wise. The partying started before Bobby. Some have said that she was more of a negative influence on him than he on her.
Raffels Van Exel is a con artist. He was the one who has been suspected of taking the photo at the funeral home. There is a video he posted on Youtube on "How to Become Famous" or something like that. He basically elbows his way into celebrities' inner circles by being shady and having a big mouth. In the video, he shows how he was able to get into the Billboard Awards without a ticket and was even able to get onto the red carpet and became part of Joe Jackson's entourage by pretending to be his manager or something of that nature. This guy is absolutely despicable. I believe he even runs his own celebrity gossip website where he writes his own articles and puts rumours out there about himself in order to get his name in the press. I wouldn't be surprised if he made up the story about him clearing Whitney's hotel room after her death. Apparently the police investigated the claim and he was cleared. He did no such thing. Although I wouldn't be surprised if it was him who took the photo at the funeral home and sold it to the tabloids. He's a rat. There are photos of Whitney at Kelly Price's Pre-Grammy Party on the Thursday evening and as Whitney is leaving the club, Raffels Van Exel can be seen in the background as part of Whitney's entourage. I don't understand how he got involved with her. Just goes to show how many vampires are out there in the world of show biz.
Raffels Van Exel is a demonic little punk! It was he that took the picture of Whitney in repose, not one of her relatives.
He's gotten close to Michael Jackson also at one point. He is slime so beware.
Bobby Brown is not perfect but he has been wrongfully maligned throughout most of this tragic tale.
Whitney is like about 80% of musical stars I've enjoyed over my lifetime. She came out of a rough environment, the "hood" as it is popularly known now. I can understand that experience. The music business is a very tough business and it takes a certain toughness to survive it. Whitney was tough! But could sing and that is what attached millions of admirers from around the World.
This article was not surprising in content. It does get on the nerves as they are just exploiting a tragedy.
But didnt Cissy and her husband do well enough to keep the family somewhat on the straight & narrow? Didn't she make some decent wages off of Elvis and Aretha and the Sweet Inspirations? Whitney DID make it on to the cover of 17 or some such magazine at a very early age and she didn't look rough or talk rough,nor does Cissy. If anything, Cissy talks tired and beaten down.
I'm not sure that this article is part of the trash talking culture that is so prevalent; Newsweek tends to be a few notches above that does it not? Or has it declined in recent years?
I respectfully must disagree with you jobeterob. Cissy, or Saint Cissy as she's known in New York and New Jersey as. doesn't talk beaten down or tired. I saw a clip of her singing and talking in church a few weeks ago and Ms. Cissy Houston sounded full of God's love and filled with his blessings. The woman is obviously sad and brokenhearted but her Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ will help her get through this.Quote:
Originally Posted by jobeterob
Cissy Houston sad? Yes. Tired and beaten down? Never.
Yours, with every good wish.
Roberta
Cissy Houston, is nearly 80 years old and has lived a BIG life! It is only naturally that sounds more laid back today. I don't equate income with anything here. From all accounts Mrs. Houston was an excellent mother to all of her children. This article is really not changing anything one way or another .Quote:
Originally Posted by jobeterob
It is always more impressive for a woman in dire circumstances to raise a well balanced, achievement oriented, law abiding family than a very wealthy woman with unlimited resources that raises a bunch of pretty mediocre kids that just haven't openly broken law.......