Whitney Houston

The Whitney documentary: The OMG revelations & the truth about her real life bodyguard

The directors faced years of legal wrangling to get the Whitney Houston documentary to the screen

15 June 2017

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You might think you know everything about superstar Whitney Houston but the new Nick Broomfield documentary Whitney: Can I Be Me challenges many of the myths around her career, marriage and tragic decline. Much like the Oscar-winning Amy Winehouse documentary by Asif Kapadia, it’s an intimate and poignant portrait of an amazing talent – who was seduced by celebrity and betrayed by those close to her. At times it’s uncomfortable watching, especially knowing how the story ends, but it’s also a fascinating insight into one of music's biggest stars. Here are some of the most explosive moments.

The bodyguard!

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Whitney didhave a bodyguard, and yes, Kevin Costner's character in the 1992 hit The Bodyguard is loosely based on him. The former Welsh police officer Dave Roberts is more interested in talking about how he tried to save the star from herself though. In 1995 Roberts wrote to Whitney's lawyers outlining her spiralling use of drugs and the indifference or encouragement of many people around her. He was duly sacked and never saw her again.

Their Ike and Tina Turner impression

There's plenty of revealing home video footage of Whitney and husband Bobby Brown goofing around but one of the strangest moments is when they pretend to be Ike and Tina Turner. He’s often portrayed as the villain in Whitney’s story – and he’s definitely no saint; cheated on Whitney during their marriage – but here it seems too simplistic to write him off as the husband who dragged her down. Both liked to party hard - her with drugs, him with booze - and in the early days they were infatuated with each other.

Her father begging for a pay out

Whitney's parents aren't exactly bathed in a glowing light here. At one point we see her father John demanding a payment of $100 million from his deathbed. He claimed the money was owed as he'd at one point managed her career. Her mother Cissy, is presented as controlling and overprotective of her daughter - part of a "deep and complex relationship" with her family where everyone worked for her or was dependant on her. No wonder directors Nick Broomfield and Rudi Dolezal faced years of legal wrangling to get the doco to the screen.

Whitney was bisexual

So says the star's stylist Ellin Lavar who claims that there was more to Whitney's friendship with her best pal Robyn Crawford. According to Lavar, "Robyn provided a safe place for her" - which obviously didn't go down well with Bobby who clearly despised her, and the fact that for some of the marriage Robyn lived with them both. Robyn herself doesn't appear in the film, but there are claims that if she'd been accepted as part of Whitney's circle things could have turned out differently.

A young Bobbi Kristina on stage with her mum

Without doubt the film's most touching moment comes when Whitney and five-year-old Bobbi Kristina perform together on stage in Germany. The sequence is tinged with sadness given that Bobbi in 2015 would, as her mother did, die of drug overdose. The documentary reveals a mother/daughter relationship strained by her mother's long absences on tour, along with the corrosive effects of being a star kid. But there's plenty of love on display too, from both parents who are struggling with their own problems and egos.

Her voice

It would be remiss not to mention Whitney’s singular talent, and the documentary includes plenty of stage performances that remind us why she was such a huge star. Night after night Whitney belted out songs regardless of her health. She was the ultimate showwoman - a lightbulb-shattering voice matched with a dazzling fashion sense. So while there's plenty here that shows her story as a cautionary tale, Whitney Houston: Can I Be Me is best viewed as a celebration of the simpler fact... nobody else could have been her.

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Whitney Houston1963-2012
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Whitney Houston was born into a musical New Jersey family. Her mother Cissy Houston was a singing superstar of the gospel scene, her cousin was Dionne Warwick and Whitney’s godmother was legendary soul singer Aretha Franklin. After singing backing vocals for Chaka Chan in the late 70s, alongside a successful modelling career, Whitney was signed to the Arista record label and her debut album Whitney Houston was released in 1985. It was a huge success. Rolling Stone magazine wrote of Houston, "one of the most exciting new voices in years". The album featured classic hits including; All At Once, Greatest Love of All and Saving All My Love For You – which became her first number one in the UK and the US. From this, a superstar was born...
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The 1986 Grammy Awards saw her win her first major award for Best Pop Vocal Performance with her song Saving All My Love For You.
After this she would win two Emmy Awards, five further Grammy Awards, 30 Billboard Music Awards and 22 American Music Awards.

Redferns
1987 saw the release of her second album Whitney, which featured major hits Didn’t We Almost Have it All, So Emotional, Where Do All The Broken Hearts Go. GLAMOUR's favourite school disco hit I Wanna Dance With Somebody was also featured on this album...
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It’s still a favourite on our decks...
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In 1990 I’m Your Baby Tonight was released, Whitney’s third album featuring the hit title track and My Name is Not Susan.
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Romance blossomed for Whitney when she met R&B star Bobby Brown. The couple married in 1992 and, a year later, Whitney gave birth to daughter Bobbi Kristina Houston Brown. Tragically Bobbi died in similar circumstances just a few years later.

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Bobby and Whitney’s marriage was high-profile and, while not always for the right reasons, there were happy times too. Here they are pictured on a heavily documented trip to Israel when Whitney Houston claimed: "I've never felt like this in any other country. I feel at home, I feel wonderful.”
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In 1992 Whitney was cast in the lead role of the movie The Bodyguard. Starring opposite Kevin Costner the movie was a major hit and ultimately ranks as one of the top 100 grossing films of all time. Houston sang the soundtrack single I Will Always Love You, a cover of Dolly Parton’s original version from 1974. It was beyond huge. Every girl in her teens owned the single; we slow danced to it, sang it in front of the mirror and cried to it when our hearts were broken.
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One of the most shocking stories to hit the entertainment press in later years were the rumours of Whitney’s drug addiction. Whitney’s USP was her clean-cut image. But sadly it looked as if the rumours were true, and the effect of drugs took a toll on her voice, looks and career after an interview on US TV show Good Morning America where she admitted to drug taking.
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A performance on UK talent show X Factor caused controversy, but the star was held in such high regard and her songs often interpreted on the show, so we all forgave her.

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Whitney Houston supported many charities and causes in her life including Nelson Mandela and the anti-apartheid movement, United Negro College Fund, The Whitney Houston Foundation For Children, Welcome Home Heroes and in the UK The Princes Trust.
At the pre-Grammy party on February 11 2012, Whitney did not show up. The party quickly turned into a tribute to the star on learning of her tragic death just hours before. Her long time friend and head of Arista records Clive Davis said: "By now you have all learned of the unspeakably tragic news of our beloved Whitney's passing. I don't have to mask my emotion in front of a room full of so many dear friends. I am personally devastated by the loss of someone who has meant so much to me for so many years. Whitney was so full of life. She was so looking forward to tonight even though she wasn't scheduled to perform. Whitney was a beautiful person and a talent beyond compare. She graced this stage with her regal presence and gave so many memorable performances here over the years. Simply put, Whitney would have wanted the music to go on and her family asked that we carry on.”
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She was without doubt one of the most successful (she sold over 200 million albums and singles) and much-loved female artists of all time. Here she is pictured with her daughter Bobbi just weeks before her death. Bobbi passed away on 26 July 2015.