Bobbi Kristina Supported by Grandmom Cissy Houston During Funeral
Credit: Paul Zimmerman/Getty Images
The past week been an emotional rollercoaster for Bobbi Kristina, Whithey Houston's only daughter with ex-husband Bobby Brown.
On Friday, the 18-year-old surfaced for the first time since her mother was found dead in her Beverly Hills hotel room on Feb. 11. Ahead of the 1,500-guest event at the New Hope Baptist Church the following afternoon, the family held a private viewing at the Wingham Funeral Home in Newark, NJ.
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During the services, where speeches and performances were given by Kevin Costner, Alicia Keys, Clive Davis, Tyler Perry, Ray Watson and Stevie Wonder, Bobbi Kristina sat in the front row pew, close to her grandmother Cissy, while they both dabbed their eyes with tissues.
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Absent from her right side: her dad, who, although was granted a seat at the ceremony, abruptly left when he showed up with nine other people, demanding they all get front row seats.
On the day of her mother's death, Houston's grieving daughter was rushed to the hospital where she was treated for stress. But Brown, 43, ensures that his daughter is being strong.
VIDEO: Whitney Houston, 1963-2012
"My daughter Bobbi Kristina is doing much better," he told ABC News in a new statement late Tuesday. "We continue to provide love and support to Bobbi Kristina. She is dealing with the tragedy of her mother's death and would prefer to do it outside of the public eye. I ask again that our privacy be respected."
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85WHEW, that was a lot to read Marti Gammino, but it was RIGHT ON!!! I've been wanting to say all that but didn't want to write it. Just let me start by saying "I LOVED WHITNEY HOUSTON." I sang her songs at the top of my lungs, just like everyone else. There was no one else like her. Now as far as her child...........I'm going to be a little harsh here because she let her demons, that she could've stopped by getting into rehab, ruin her daughters childhood. Yes, she did go to rehab, but when she realized it hadn't worked, she needed to get back in there and stay and go as many times as it took to get well for her daughter. It's true now, her daughter has to take control of her life and not go down the same path, but no matter how much support she gets from friends or family, she is the ultimate decision maker here. She needs to decide that she's not going to take the same path as her mother. She was Whitneys caretaker. She was thrust into that role at a very young age and what she feels now, is that she failed to keep her mom alive. That's why she is having such a problem with her mothers passing. She feels like a complete failure. I myself, see that as child abuse, pure and simple. The day I learned I was pregnant with my first daughter, all of my usage of drugs stopped, that day and have never went back. I owed that to my unborn child, that I would do the best that I could to shield her from harm, to protect her and give her the best example of what a woman should be. Life is set by example, not by words. I do feel bad for her mother and her daughter, I just hope Bobbi Kristina is strong enough on her own to make the right decisions to become a healthy, happy child and rise above the example that her mother set for her. RIP Whitney Houston!!!
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i used to be like everyone else and blame bobby brown for whitney's slide into total and unmitigated addiction but i was wrong, she already had substance abuse problems before he came on the scene and she didnt want to let go it cost her dearly.. so sad such a amazing talent threw it all away because she couldnt get a handle on her demons but her soul is at peace now and who are any of us to judge her? ... i have learnt that when we grieve , we grieve for the living , for their loss , the dead are away from the cares and woes and burdens of the world it is those of us left behind who have to deal with the aftermath . so i pray for bobby kristina , pray she can find healing and find her way , she needs all the love and support the world can offer right now as she too is fighting her own inner demons and no child has to go thru all this .its not about money its about peace of mind.. i just pray for this child because i dont think whitney's mother can take any more tragedy in her life .. and seeing the way so many of her family members where crying , i doubt if any of them can handle another blow like this .. whitney houston rest in peace ... amen.
Based on Whitney's own words, it's been Bobbi - K's choice to not be around her dad. While he is playing the victim, there are no cancelled/postponed tour dates. He didn't even walk over to her when he was at the funeral. I do pray that their relationship can be salvaged. Frankly, as a step - mother, he should've attended alone or with only the 2 oldest that truly new Ms Houston. Did it occur to him that he was asked to move so others with invites for the alloted number of people that showed up could all sit together. Bad choices were made - but at least he showed up. BOBBI - KRISTINA, I pray that you realize this is a time when you may only see 1 set of "Footprints" but you are not alone. Your mother will always be with you. There is an entire community of your mother's fans that will continue to pray for you and Ms Cissy Houston beyond tomorrow. Remember how blessed you are to have had the love of your mother. Like the Rev said, "Death never wins bc with GOD love transcends death."
The term father is something that needs to be earned, Our heavenly father in heaven would not want us to judge so we shouldn't judge. We will all be judged for our deeds some day, we will all have to answer for our discressions. But was he there for his daughter the day after her mother died? No he was still on tour., did he cancel any of his concerts to be with his daughter in her time of need. If you are given three reserved seats why would you bring nine people? Lets just consider this poor judgement on his part. HE should have been there for his daughter Bobbie, they could have had their own family time later in the week, if he can find time for her instead of his concert tour. Father I think not. Do you reply to a wedding stating 3 and bring 9 and expect to get seated at the same table? Selfish behavior, who was he thinking about, surely not his daughter or he would have been there long before the day of the funeral. I pray that God will give him the wisdome to reach out to his daughter in her time of need without thinking of himself. My sympathy to the whole Houston family. The homesending of Whitney was done with class and dignity. There is a beautiful singing angel sitting with the Lord. Bobbie Christina stay close to your Grandma, Her heart is breaking at the loss of her daughter. Learn from your mom's heartaches and stay close to your Grandma and turn to God he will give you the answers you will seek.
Debora Tumlinson: You are so wrong on so many points. First of all, since she is 18 how, Bobbi-K was all of 13 when Whitney and Bobby B divorced and her problems with drug and alcohol abuse started after Bobby B left the home and Whitney alone was raising her. Or rather, Bobbi-K was raising Whitney. Whitney bought the townhouse in Atlanta for Bobbi-K who was reported to have lived ithere basically by herself for a number of years. While it does bother me to speak ill of the dead, what kind of mother does that? As for the funeral, you are wrong again. Yes, the invitation was for a specified number of seats - I heard both 2 and 3 - and yes, Bobby Brown di d show up with a larger group of people. The probelm was Bobby and his ENTIRE party were seated and expected to just stay where they were . What ended up happening was that Bobby's entire party was asked to move 3 times - no one else was asked at all but Bobby's group was asked to moved 3 times. If you watched any part of the live stream of the service, although the church was packed, there were a some empty seats so why ask Bobby Brown or anyone else for tha tmatter, to move at all to start with? And lastly, regarding Bobby Brown being denied access to Bobbi-Kris (and it's spelled "Kristina" not "Christina" and always has been) you could not be more wrong. He is her father and whatever the issues were with Whitney, she is his child and the rest of the family had no right whatsoever to keep him away from her. If they were truly concerned it woudl've been a small matter to be there when Bobby B and Bobbi-K visited but to not allow him to sit with his daughter during that service was nothing but wrong - completely and totally wrong. You know, it may be a bitter pill to swallow but Whitney was into substance abuse trouble when she met Bobby B. He was into differnt things than she was and they as we all saw they turned out to be toxic for each other but this was by no means the devil leading an angel down the primrose path. Whiteny made plenty of wrong turns all on her own, denied her addiction, and was reportedly back to using despite having gone to rehab in June 2011. Not onlly that, but her teenage daughter was on the fast track to developing the same problems she had. It's ironic that people want to blame Bobby Brown for everything yet he's the one who got clean and has stayed that way. I am not and have never been an addict but I am the family member of somebody who beat an addction to crack and I can tell you with absolute certainty that when somebody has that type and that level of addiciotn to that deadly of a substance, the worst thing in the world you can do is be kind and either allow the addict to blame everything and everone else or you start blaming everything and everyone else. Unfortunately the Houstons are and having been doing just that. I feel for the entire family but, oddly enough, I actually have more empathy for Cissy Houston. IAs much as he might be wishing he could have helped Whitney and even if Bobby still truly loves her, as a former addict himself, he'll be able to come to the conclusion that only Whitney could help Whitney and with her choosing to go back into denila of a problem, she was signing her own death warrant. And as devasted Bobbi-K has been over the loss of her mother, it is the natural order of things for children to bury their parents. But the hardest thing in the world is for a mother to lose a child.
Debora Tumlinson: You are so wrong on so many points. First of all, since she is 18 how, Bobbi-K was all of 13 when Whitney and Bobby B divorced and her problems with drug and alcohol abuse started after Bobby B left the home and Whitney alone was raising her. Or rather, Bobbi-K was raising Whitney. Whitney bought the townhouse in Atlanta for Bobbi-K who was reported to have lived ithere basically by herself for a number of years. While it does bother me to speak ill of the dead, what kind of mother does that? As for the funeral, you are wrong again. Yes, the invitation was for a specified number of seats - I heard both 2 and 3 - and yes, Bobby Brown di d show up with a larger group of people. The probelm was Bobby and his ENTIRE party were seated and expected to just stay where they were . What ended up happening was that Bobby's entire party was asked to move 3 times - no one else was asked at all but Bobby's group was asked to moved 3 times. If you watched any part of the live stream of the service, although the church was packed, there were a some empty seats so why ask Bobby Brown or anyone else for tha tmatter, to move at all to start with? And lastly, regarding Bobby Brown being denied access to Bobbi-Kris (and it's spelled "Kristina" not "Christina" and always has been) you could not be more wrong. He is her father and whatever the issues were with Whitney, she is his child and the rest of the family had no right whatsoever to keep him away from her. If they were truly concerned it woudl've been a small matter to be there when Bobby B and Bobbi-K visited but to not allow him to sit with his daughter during that service was nothing but wrong - completely and totally wrong. You know, it may be a bitter pill to swallow but Whitney was into substance abuse trouble when she met Bobby B. He was into differnt things than she was and they as we all saw they turned out to be toxic for each other but this was by no means the devil leading an angel down the primrose path. Whiteny made plenty of wrong turns all on her own, denied her addiction, and was reportedly back to using despite having gone to rehab in June 2011. Not onlly that, but her teenage daughter was on the fast track to developing the same problems she had. It's ironic that people want to blame Bobby Brown for everything yet he's the one who got clean and has stayed that way. I am not and have never been an addict but I am the family member of somebody who beat an addction to crack and I can tell you with absolute certainty that when somebody has that type and that level of addiciotn to that deadly of a substance, the worst thing in the world you can do is be kind and either allow the addict to blame everything and everone else or you start blaming everything and everyone else. Unfortunately the Houstons are and having been doing just that. I feel for the entire family but, oddly enough, I actually have more empathy for Cissy Houston. IAs much as he might be wishing he could have helped Whitney and even if Bobby still truly loves her, as a former addict himself, he'll be able to come to the conclusion that only Whitney could help Whitney and with her choosing to go back into denila of a problem, she was signing her own death warrant. And as devasted Bobbi-K has been over the loss of her mother, it is the natural order of things for children to bury their parents. But the hardest thing in the world is for a mother to lose a child.
ppl need to GET OFF BOBBYS DICK , everybody keep saying it his fault ,how u figure ,they split in 2007 and it 2012 now. im not saying its her fault but it damn sure ant his
she will always be my favorite singer. "Greatest Love of All' describes my life.. May God bless her soul...
Bobby Brown is a clown. Was he there ti support his daughter or show out for the press? If he truly loved his daughter he would have sat wherever the heck he needed to in order to support her. Thank god she's 18 years old. Can only imagine how he'll use the child if money is involved.
Also people, there is family and then there is family. Some family should be around and other should not. People with certain habits and behavior should be kept away and others who are strong and supportive to helping someone stay sober and clean should be around more. Do you get my drift.
The WHOLE POINT of this problem yesterday was, the family invited Bobby and gave him THREE SITS, and he excepted that, then SHOWED UP with NINE people. Da, what did he think they were going to do.. Throw others out for him. FAT, chance that was happening. He should of brough his Plus 2 and not have tried to push his way in and then try and change things, because he had no right changing anything or asking anything to be changed by the Houston family. They were and are done with him. Bobby-Christina is who they are focusing on now, not Bobby Brown.
Bobby had NO RIGHT being at that funeral people. He was Whitney;s EX-husband. That means over and done with. The only reason he should of been there was to be there for his daughter Bobbby-Christina, but his other children seemed to be more important than her, so he left. He was always leaving. That is just who he is.
I feel sympathy for Bobby-Christina and the Houston family. But Bobby Brown, never. The man was a monster to Whitney. Beat her, slapped her, Spit in her Face, that man is rotten. Yet, here all of you are patting him on his ******, blaming the victim and letting the abuser slide. It's Chris Brown all over again. Both these men are rotten, self-centered jerks, who only care about themselves and nobody else. Bobby Brown was not there are his daughter before or affter Whitney died. Hell, he was to busy screwed the woman he is married to now, and having a new baby with, to pay any attention to Bobby-Christina or see how much he was huring Whitney. HE DID NOT CARE THEN AND HE DOES NOT CARE NOW. It is all SHOW, to get in front of the CAMERA'S. He wants the publicity. That is all. If he really cared about Bobby-Christina, the hounds of hell could not of driven him out of the church yesterday. But, did he stay and swallow his proud and stay for his daugher, no he left, because his other children were supposedly upset. That is just an excuse, and Bobby has always and will always be full of those. He lives off of them. That is all he is. An EXCUSE of a man.
Just face it , the whole time Whitney carried her raggedy Bible around quoting scriptures she was also swigging booze and pills and who knows what else. Her child is as messed up as she was , why? because her mother cared more about the drugs than her kid.
Its amazing every one is on a pro bobby movement here,never mind that we lost a treasure,a truly gifted woman as I see her interviews,how truly beautiful and elegant she was and how on earth could the world lose someone like that?? She's the one who is being laid to rest today not Bobby brown who is doing well,photographed and smiling,yes theres even an article that Bobby is high energy and all smiles. Sure its not right to pass judgement on their failed marriage,however watching Whitney's in depth interview on Oprah,I am suprised Cissy allowed him through the door. He abused Whitney,cheated on her,spat on her,Bobby had to urge her mom to leave her dad. Yes he should be at the funeral with his daughter,but he brought 9 extra people with him. I dont understand how its poor bobby dont judge,meanwhile Whitney is the one being laid to rest,this is so reminiscent of everyone patting Prince Charles on the back after the death of Princess Di. tsk tsk.
What worries me is that the doctors will give sedatives and antidepressants to help Bobby K cope with her mothers death. Here comes another addiction. People need to realize that it is okay to be sad and allow themselves the time to heal without a quick fix.
Bobbie K is going to need all her family around her and that includes her father. No matter what shortcomings he has or had during his marriage to Whitney she's Bobbi's father. To lose her mother at such a young age is tragic. She will need everyone's strength to help her cope and learn to live without her mother. This will be the hardest thing she will ever have to do in her life.
I thank the family for allowing me to attend the homegoing of Ms. Houston. And if Bobbi K. has the love and compassion her mother shared with her she will know how to forgive and love as always.And for Bobbiy Brown he will always love his daughter no matter what.
I thank her family is right she do need treatment to get over this her mother would want this for Bobbi K.Brown.her baby girl I am a mother of two daughters and i am the same age as her mother i too was born in the same year as her mother i understand your family just want the best for you Bobbi if you dont do it for your self do it for the love that you have for your mother and the love your mother have for you because she will always love you even if you dont have love for your self.my Prayer are with you and your family. I love you Bobbi K. Brown. Me as being a Mother too.