Whitney Houston and Bobbi Kristina Brown were like mother, like daughter — in good times and in bad.
The “I Will Always Love You” singer welcomed her only child in March 1993 with her then-husband, Bobby Brown. Bobbi Kristina was born into music royalty as not only the daughter of Whitney but also the granddaughter of Cissy Houston and the first cousin once removed of Dee Dee Warwick, Dionne Warwick and Leontyne Price.
Bobbi Kristina’s parents met at the Soul Train Music Awards in April 1989. They became friends soon after but did not start dating until nearly two years later. Bobby proposed to Whitney in the spring of 1991, and the couple tied the knot in July 1992.
In the beginning of their romance, Whitney and Bobby were head over heels for each other, so much so that he postponed the follow-up to his iconic 1988 album, Don’t Be Cruel, to be with her, Bobbi Kristina and his three kids from previous relationships: Landon Brown, La’Princia Brown and Bobby Brown Jr.
“I wanted to come out with an album a lot sooner,” the “My Prerogative” crooner said on Ebony/Jet Showcase in 1993. “I took my time and spent a lot of time with my children. I spent a lot of time falling in love with my wife, with my family and taking care of my business.”
But as the years went by, Whitney and Bobby’s personal struggles — which infamously included infidelity, domestic violence and drug abuse — began to drive a wedge between them. They separated in September 2006 and divorced the following April. After the case was finalized, the Bodyguard actress was awarded custody of Bobbi Kristina, while the New Edition member received visitation rights.
Bobbi Kristina had a close bond with her mother in the years that followed before they both met untimely deaths. In February 2012, Whitney died at the age of 48 after drowning in a bathtub ahead of the Grammy Awards. Heart disease and cocaine use were listed as contributing factors in her death.
The legendary performer’s daughter struggled to cope with her mom’s death and briefly spent time at a hospital because she was “overwhelmed,” according to their family. Then, in January 2015, Bobbi Kristina was found facedown in a tub at her Georgia home, eerily similar to the way that Whitney died. Emergency personnel transported Bobbi Kristina to a nearby hospital, where she remained in a coma until June 2015. She was then moved to hospice care before passing away in July 2016 at age 22.
Bobby — who married Alicia Etheredge in June 2012 and welcomed Cassius Brown, Bodhi Brown and Hendrix Brown with her — wrote via Instagram in July 2020 that Bobbi Kristina is “in my heart [and] on my mind every day.”
Scroll down to see a timeline of Bobbi Kristina’s life with her famous parents.
