Whitney Houston’s Friend Robyn Crawford Writes Open Letter

Rucuss staffFebruary 14, 2012

One of Whitney Houston’s closest friends Robyn Crawford wrote a touching letter about the late pop legend for Esquire magazine.

For those of you who may not know or remember who Crawford is, she was once Houston’s personal assistant. Their close friendship sparked rumors that they were lesbian lovers. But Houston always denied a romantic relationship with Crawford.

“You know what? I am so tired of this,” Houston told Rolling Stone magazine in 1993. “I’m really sick of it. People want to know if there is a relationship: Our relationship is that we’re friends. We’ve been friends since we were kids. She now is my employee. I’m her employer. And we’re still best of friends. That’s what it is. You mean to tell me that if I have a woman friend, I have to have a lesbian relationship with her? That’s bulls—.”

In an open letter to Esquire, Crawford details her lifelong friendship with Houston:

She chose the life she lived, and she chose it from the beginning. She knew  the life better than anyone. Her mother was Cissy Houston, and she had been on  the road with Dionne Warwick. She got her chops singing in church, and her  mother said to her, “You know, you can always sing for free. You can always sing  in church. You don’t have to choose the professional life.” But she chose  because she’d been chosen. Some people sing just because. She was never like  that. She had to put on her gear. She knew it was going to be a job and that’s  how she treated it. Once she committed to something, she finished it. Not long  after I met her, she said, “Stick with me, and I’ll take you around the world.”  She always knew where she was headed.

And we went around the world. I was her assistant and then her executive  assistant and then her creative director. I was her point person for the  day-to-day. I traveled all around the world first-class and anyone who ever  worked for her will tell you her checks never bounced. You knew she was going to  take care of you. She wasn’t going to be in a five-star hotel while you were in  a two. I flew the Concorde the way some people ride the bus. She shared the  fruits, and she changed a lot of lives. The record company, the band members,  her family, her friends, me — she fed everybody. Deep down inside that’s what made her tired.

It’s so strange that she died when she did. February was her month. Her first  album was released on Valentine’s Day, right around the time of the Grammys,  right around the time of Clive Davis’s party. It was an orchestrated thing. She  was Clive’s girl, his great discovery. And she died right before Valentine’s  Day, right before the Grammys, right before Clive’s party. Of course, she was  going. I don’t know if she was singing, I don’t know what kind of pressure she was putting on herself. But she was going, that’s for damned sure.

People thought they had to protect her. She hated that. And that’s what  people don’t understand: She was always the one doing the driving. Someone just  called and told me that the family kept Whitney from seeing her. Nobody kept  Whitney from doing anything. She did what she wanted to do. When people left her  or were told to leave, they could never believe that Whitney would never call  them — but she never did. She was working hard to keep herself together, and I  think she felt that if she admitted any feeling of sadness or weakness she would  crumble. One time, back when we were young, we were out, we were partying, and I  said, “Listen, I have to go. I’m tired. I can’t make it.” And she looked at me  with her eyes wide and said, “I’ve got to make it.”

And that was Whitney. She could not pick up the phone, and that meant it was  too painful. I have never spoken about her until now. And she knew I wouldn’t.  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 can’t 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.

I’m trying not to think of the end. I’m trying not to listen to all the  reports. All these people talking about drugs — well, a lot of people take  drugs, and they’re still around. Whitney isn’t, because you never know the way  the wind blows. I just hope that she wasn’t in pain and that she hadn’t lost  hope. She gave so much to so many people; I hope that she felt loved in return.  She was the action, for such a long time. She’s out of the action now. I  hope she can finally rest.

Read the entire open letter here.

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