Whitney Houston estate confirms hologram tour and new album 7 years after her tragic death

...

[griojw id=”KZ4lzby7″ playerid=”GqX43ZoG”]
 

It looks like Whitney Houston fans are in for some new music from the late star 7 years after her tragic death.

According to the New York Times, Houston’s estate has confirmed plans to launch a hologram tour of the late singer and will release an album of unreleased music from the beloved singer who died in 2012.

“Everything is about timing for me,” Pat Houston, the performer’s sister-in-law and former manager, said in an interview. “It’s been quite emotional for the past seven years. But now it’s about being strategic.”

“Last week, the estate signed a deal with Primary Wave Music Publishing, a boutique music and marketing company in New York, to rebuild Whitney Houston’s business. As part of the agreement, Primary Wave will acquire 50 percent of the estate’s assets, which include the singer’s royalties from music and film, merchandising, and the right to exploit her name and likeness. The deal values the estate at $14 million, according to two people familiar with the arrangement,” reports NYT.

While the notion of hearing new music from one of the greatest voices of all time is appealing, something feels a little icky about the proposed tour. Who stands to benefit from the proceeds? With Houston’s only daughter, Bobbi Kristina Brown, already deceased, it seems like Pat Houston may have the most to gain and that’s problematic for several reasons.

If you didn’t see Whitney, the mind-blowing biopic that chronicled some of the darker moments of Whitney Houston’s life, you may not know that Pat Houston came off as anything but sympathetic. Rumors have swirled for years that she and Whitney didn’t always see eye to eye, and plenty of people feel like the executor of Houston’s estate shouldn’t be trusted.

One shocking revelation from the film comes when we learn that Whitney and her brother were allegedly sexually assaulted by their cousin, DeeDee Warwick. According to Pat Houston, she’s the one who had to break the news to DeeDee’s sister, Dionne Warwick.  

“It was one of the hardest things that I ever had to do. I was a bit selfish at the beginning because I was angry I was the one who had to tell her. It was tough to do but it had to be done. No one wants to hear that this happened. It’s a bit overbearing but it had to be done because Dionne is such an honorable woman,” she told TheGrio.

“Family members can’t be held responsible for things that other folks do. It was a tough place to be in but I had to dig up the courage to do it because I did not want her to be surprised.”

Dionne Warwick has vehemently denied the accusations against her late sister.

“Before she passed, there was so much negativity around the name; it wasn’t about the music anymore,” Pat Houston told NYT. “People had forgotten how great she was. They let all the personal things about her life outweigh why they fell in love with her in the first place.”

Primary Wave’s founder, Larry Mestel, says the tour is an attempt to restore Houston’s reputation. “Whitney was America’s sweetheart, and the idea now is to remind people that that is what her legacy is,” he said.

EXCLUSIVE: Pat Houston on ‘Whitney’ doc and telling Dionne Warwick her sister was abusive

Isn’t there something a little morbid about watching a hologram of a dead person dancing across the stage? Is this really the best way to honor Whitney Houston and keep her legacy alive? Only time will tell but for now, we’re on the fence about this news.

Thoughts?

Have you subscribed to theGrio’s new podcast “Dear Culture”? Download our newest episodes now!

TheGrio is now on Apple TV, Amazon Fire, and Roku. Download theGrio today!

Mentioned in this article:

More About: