We have woken up this morning to the sad news that Whitney Houston has died.
“Houston has a problem” to paraphrase a great quote, and has had for years. Her drug abuse has been well documented and early reports today indicate that her death is connected to an overdose. Though not yet confirmed.
Whilst I am sad for her family, it is her daughter I feel for most.
Yes Whitney was an amazing talent but it is safe to say that her performances in the last five years have been somewhat shambolic. How can we forget her X Factor appearance in October 2009. She could barely string a sentence together when interviewed by Dermot afterwards.
Back in 2002 she denied using crack but she did admit to using other drugs. Ten years ago! And actually if she was admitting it then it had probably started a few years before that.
How can this be allowed to happen? I know that addicts have to “want to be clean” and to seek help (please don’t lecture me on addiction, I know about addictive behaviour) but surely somebody in her entourage could have done more to help. Couldn’t they? Over ten years of seeing this beautiful woman destroy herself.
She comes from an adoring family, a dynasty of singers. She has a teenage daughter, she has managers and advisers and not one of them managed to get through to her? I am not saying they didn’t try. But could they have done more?
Where does that leave them all now? Beating themselves up, thinking they should / could have done more? Certainly.
Her daughter, not yet 20 tortured by the idea that she was not enough, maybe? Not worth living for? Her mother couldn’t get clean to see her grow up into a gorgeous young woman and maybe go on to have children of her own.
That’s the tragedy of all this.
It is desperately sad that at the age of 48 a woman who seemingly has it all has died alone in a hotel room.
So I am sorry, I have no sympathy for Whitney. If she had wanted to get clean, she could, I am sure. There are some amazing treatment programmes that she could have signed up to, money certainly wasn’t an issue, and she could have got off those drugs.
She could have lived longer. She chose not to.
My sympathies are with her daughter, Bobbi, who is waking up to this today and reading some news articles that blame her dad for her mum’s demise.
And that is the real tragedy.
RIP Whitney
At last sense. Not going to say any more other than thank you for writing this. Xx
Another ‘well said’ comment …it is a tragedy that Whitney has died so young and so lost.. and a tragedy that no one got through to her and helped her to straighten her life out. But yes, the biggest tragedy is the effect this is going to have on her daughter, and that is why my heart goes out to her. A very brave blog post – thank you for saying what has to be said xx
To a large extent I agree with you. These people are involved in show business and they (OK possibly debatably) chose to be but their children don’t. Their children then seem to be thrust into the limelight after the death of their high profile parent (Steve Irwin’s daughter Bindi and Michael Jackson’s children) and it seems to me the cycle then starts all over again.
Whitney clearly had troubles and it seems incredible that no one got her the help she so badly needed. But then the people around these stars often have vested interests and don’t want to risk upsetting their star and losing their meal ticket.
I do also think no matter what help people tried to get her she clearly wasn’t able to take it and to find the strength to do it. That’s a tragedy for her and for people who loved her talent. But for her daughter it could be the thing that defines her life. I hope not and I hope there are people behind the scenes that have loved her and parented her and will continue to do so.
Spot on!
I agree!! I get fed up with all the bleeding hearts and outpouring of woe…no one did this to her…she did it…they just stood and watched!! I hope Bobbi has better friends than her Mom did.
Well said all very sad and very true
I wonder if everyone who laments her passing actually took the time to tell her how great she was when she was alive. Perhaps then, she would have valued herself more. Certainly, her passing, proves that all the fame, money and talent in the world, does not necessarily bring happiness. So sad.