Since Whitney Houston’s untimely death, media experts and fans have tried to make sense of the why “the voice” is gone forever. Some people have pointed the finger at her purported boyfriend Ray J, while others have placed the blame on Whitney’s ex-husband Bobby Brown, as well as members of the Houston family.
Yesterday the “My Prerogative” singer was charged with driving under the influence of alcohol and with a suspended license.
Police pulled Brown, 43-years-old, over Monday at noon after seeing him talking on his cell phone. When the officers approached him they smelled a strong odor of alcohol. Brown reportedly had a blood alcohol level of .12 and failed his sobriety test.
Both of Brown’s offenses are being classified as misdemeanors, each carrying a maximum penalty of six months in jail.
According to TMZ Houston’s mother believes Bobby Brown’s DUI arrest proves what she’s been telling people all along; he was a bad influence on her daughter.
Sources close to Cissy Houston told TMZ that she “always felt Bobby was a cancer who infected Whitney’s life with negative influences.”
Cissy allegedly felt “vindicated” when she found out Bobby was arrested for driving drunk on Monday afternoon , and believes the incident is exactly why she wants Bobby to “keep his distance” from his 19-year-old daughter Bobbi Kristina, who has gone through her fair share of public scrutiny since her mother’s death February 11.
Last week Bobby Brown’s sister, Leolah Brown, appeared on HLN’s Dr. Drew, where she discussed the coroner’s report for Whitney, and said that she blames Ray J for the singer’s demise.
Leolah also said that she believes Pat Houston, Whitney’s manager and sister-in-law, is to blame for Whitney’s downfall.
“He [Ray J] was buying them for Whitney and giving her drugs. I want to know why this boy was allowed to do that around Pat [Houston] and around Gary [Houston]. Around Pat mainly, because you were with her. You were with her all the time and for you to say you don’t know what happened to her — I’m really disturbed by that,” Leolah said.
During an emotional interview that Oprah Winfrey conducted with the Bobbi Kristina and the Houston family, Pat Houston revealed that Bobby Brown was not completely to blame for Whitney’s drug use.
“I can’t say that he introduced drugs to her — I don’t think that’s true,” Pat Houston said on Oprah’s Next Chapter. “Bobby and I had a good relationship and she [Whitney] would always tell me, ‘You’re always trying to protect him.’ I said, ‘No I’m protecting truth,’ and I said, ‘I can’t do it any other way. And you are wrong right now for what you’re saying and doing.’”
It’s been more than a month since the Grammy Award winner’s death, and her legacy is still plagued with negative media headlines. And by the looks of things, we probably will never be able to pinpoint who is to blame for Whitney’s bad habits.
Follow Chris Witherspoon on Twitter at @WitherspoonC
