Whitney Houston’s ex-husband, Bobby Brown, opened up about their late daughter Bobbi Kristina Brown and expressed that she is ‘always present’ – eight years after her tragic passing at age 22.
The 54-year-old musician was married to the I Will Always Love You songstress from 1992 until their divorce in 2007. In March 1993, their only child, daughter Bobbi, was born.
On January 31, 2015, Bobbi was found unresponsive face down in a bathtub at her Georgia home with various drugs in her system – similar to her own mother’s fate. She was placed in a medically induced coma and passed months later on July 26.
While attending the A World of Good Gala on Friday in Los Angeles, the star and his wife, Alicia Etheredge, were honored with the Movement Maker Award for their work with the Bobbi Kristina Serenity House Foundation.
He told People at the event that his late daughter is ‘always present’ and was seen wearing a special pendant that contained a photo of himself with Bobbi. ‘She’s always going to be present.’
‘Always present’: Whitney Houston’s ex-husband, Bobby Brown, opened up about their late daughter Bobbi Kristina Brown and expressed that she is ‘always present’ – eight years after her tragic passing at age 22; seen on Friday in L.A.
Tragic death: On January 31, 2015, Bobbi was found unresponsive facedown in a bathtub at her Georgia home with various drugs in her system – similar to her own mother’s fate; Whitney and Bobbi Kristina seen in 2011
The Bobbi Kristina Serenity House was founded in 2015 by Bobby Brown himself and is ‘a non-profit Domestic Violence Safe Haven formed and fueled by the love of a father whose daughter was a victim of domestic violence,’ per the official website.
During his speech at the ceremony, he stated, ‘I am grateful for In A Perfect World. Thank you so much for this honor. We started this from the bottom of my heart, just being lonely and sad.’
Brown added, ‘[I’m grateful] that I could do something to help them out, to be there for them, to give them a safe haven in their time of need. Like I said, I’m very grateful for this. I thank you so much.’
Bobbi Kristina was the only child between Whitney Houston and Bobby Brown. The iconic singer notably passed away when her body was discovered in a bathtub at the Beverly Hilton Hotel shortly before the 2012 Grammy Awards.
The star was pronounced dead at the scene and the causes of death were cited as accidental drowning, heart disease and cocaine use.
Three years later, Bobbi Kristina was found unresponsive in a bathtub inside her Georgia home – with numerous drugs in her system, including marijuana and morphine.
She was placed on life support and a medically induced coma until her father made the decision to turn off life support after he had been informed her brain function had ‘significantly diminished.’ She was just 22-years-old.
The Fulton County Medical Examiner’s report for Bobbi Kristina revealed that her death was caused by ‘immersion of face in water complicating mixed drug intoxication.’
With him: He told People at the event that his late daughter is ‘always present’ and was seen wearing a special pendant that contained a photo of himself with Bobbi; Houston, Bobby and their daughter seen in 2004
Losing a child: During an interview with Robin Roberts on 20/20, Bobby emotionally recalled, ‘The hardest thing I had to do in my life was to tell my daughter to let go’
In the past: The musician was married to the I Will Always Love You songstress from 1992 until their divorce in 2007; seen in 1999
Her passing in July was ruled to be from lobar pneumonia and lack of oxygen, resulting in brain damage.
At the time of her death, Bobby released a statement, per CBS News, that read, ‘Krissy was and is an angel. I am completely numb at this time. My family must find a way to live with her in spirit and honor her memory. Our loss is unimaginable.’
‘We thank everyone for the prayers for Krissy and our family as we mourn my baby girl.’
During an interview with Robin Roberts on ABC’s 20/20, Bobby emotionally recalled, ‘The hardest thing I had to do in my life was to tell my daughter to let go,’ and tearfully added, ‘My baby’s gone.’
He continued, ‘I don’t wish that on my worst enemy. That is the worst pain in the world.’
After losing Houston and also their daughter, he later revealed that he had turned to alcohol which nearly killed him, and admitted he also suffered two consecutive heart attacks during that time.
While appearing on the new A&E series Biography: Bobby Brown, the music artist stated, ‘Losing my daughter hurt me to my core.’
‘Children are not supposed to go before their parents and I lost my baby girl. I started drinking a lot,’ he continued.
Painful: While appearing on the new A&E series Biography: Bobby Brown, the music artist stated, ‘Losing my daughter hurt me to my core’; seen in 1993 with Whitney and Bobbi Kristina
Another tragic loss: But in November 2020, his son, Bobby Jr., – whom he shared with ex Kim Ward -passed away due to an overdose of Fentanyl and his body was found at his home
‘My drinking had gotten to a point where my bodily functions were starting to quit on my body. I had two heart attacks. I had two stents in my heart.’ However, he soon stepped onto a road to recovery.
But in November 2020, his son, Bobby Jr., – whom he shared with ex Kim Ward -passed away due to an overdose of Fentanyl and his body was found at his home.
Paramedics had pronounced him dead at the scene – just days before his 28th birthday.
Bobby explained, ‘I chose to check in and get help for it again. I went to detox and got myself together. I am not normal. I’m an alcoholic. It is an everyday fight for sobriety. I am in prayer and therapy.’
‘That makes it easier to build my self confidence back and change the narrative of how my life should turn out.’
Following Bobbi Kristina’s death, her ex Nick Gordon was placed in the spotlight after some accused him of playing a role in her death.
During the 20/20 interview, Bobby pushed blame to family friend, Nick, in both Houston and Bobbi’s deaths – although he did not directly state his name. ‘It’s not a mystery to me. I know exactly what happened to my daughter.’
‘The same thing that happened to my daughter is what happened to Whitney. There’s only one person that was around both occasions, only one person who says they were there to protect them and he didn’t.’
Struggles: After losing Houston and also their daughter, he later revealed that he had turned to alcohol which nearly killed him, and admitted he also suffered two consecutive heart attacks during that time; seen in 2007
After her death: Following Bobbi Kristina’s death, her ex Nick Gordon was placed in the spotlight after some accused him of playing a role in her death; Bobbi and Nick seen in 2012
Gordon – who had discovered Bobbi Kristina in the bathtub – defended himself while talking to Daily Mail Online in 2016. ‘I blame myself for not getting to Krissy quick enough that day.’
He recalled finding Bobbi and stated, ‘It was so traumatizing. I dropped to my knees and kept giving her chest compressions and blowing into her mouth.’ After she coughed up water, he added, ‘I thought she was going to come round but that never happened.’
Nick was later involved in a wrongful death suit filed by the estate of Bobbi Kristina – which he was found responsible for after failing to show up for a court appearance.
However, on New Year’s Day, it was revealed that Gordon had passed away at the age of 30 due to a ‘drug overdose.’
