Remembering Whitney by Cissy Houston – The Life and Death of Nippy Vs Whitney Houston

Remembering Whitney by Cissy Houston – The Life and Death of Nippy Vs Whitney Houston

Whitney Houston died on February 11, 2012 at age 48, of drug-related causes at the Beverly Hills Hilton during Grammy weekend celebrations. Her mother, Cissy, honors her daughter’s legacy in her new book, “Remembering Whitney: My Story of Love, Loss, and the Night the Music Stopped.”

Nicholas and Delia Mae Drinkard raised Cissy as the youngest of eight children in Newark, New Jersey, during the Depression era. Her upbringing in Newark made her more resilient, but she can’t say the same for her children.

“My childhood made me tough. But my kids, especially Nippy, never developed the same toughness. And that would cause even bigger problems later.”

Strong Christian faith combined with excellent singing voices inspired the brothers to create the Gospel-based Drinkard Singers. Their talent led them to sing with the legendary Mahalia Jackson at New York City’s Carnegie Hall in 1951.

John Houston admired Cissy; and his musical connections got an introduction. Unhappily married and pregnant, Cissy divorced after two years of marriage. She moved in with John, even though he was still married and headed for divorce. Two sons (Michael and Whitney) joined Gary (from Cissy’s first marriage) to form the Houston family.

Whitney earned his nickname, “Nippy,” in early childhood, based on a popular cartoon character at the time; and followed her to death.

Nippy often mimicked his mother’s singing career, playing dress-up in the basement and using props like microphones. At age 12, he declared his professional ambitions as a singer.

Cissy’s experience in the industry, which included forming the backup singing quartet, Sweet Inspirations, which sang with legendary artists, Aretha Franklin, Jimi Hendrix, and Elvis Presley, among others; helped guide her daughter.

Unfortunately, bad press often overshadows the good news, because Nippy earned his share of accolades, including establishing the Whitney Houston Foundation for Children.

Cissy shares pictures and stories about Nippy, including the near destruction of his vocal cords in early childhood after a perch lodged in his throat.

He also placed second in the Garden State Competition, a New Jersey teen singing contest, due to a time limit violation. Ironically, the winner sang “The Greatest Love of All,” which later became one of Nippy’s biggest hits.

Rumors persisted about the relationship between Nippy and her best friend and personal assistant, Robyn Crawford, whom she met in high school. Instinctively, Cissy didn’t like Robyn’s strong, assertive personality. He later found out that Robyn was gay, but says that has nothing to do with his disdain for her.

“I know there has been a lot of speculation over the years about the friendship between Robyn and Nippy and if it was more than that. I honestly don’t know what exactly happened between them, when they first met or later.”

Cissy credits Robyn with alerting her in the late 1980s that Nippy was using drugs, when no one else did it bravely.

Nippy met her future husband, Bobby Brown, at the 1989 Soul Train awards ceremony. His reputation as a bad boy endured even after they got married, including run-ins with the law. Although Cissy thought the couple did not match, she respected her daughter’s decisions.

Cissy doesn’t blame Bobby (or the music industry) for introducing Nippy to drugs, the way a lot of people do. She also doesn’t think he did much to help her, since he also partied.

Both Gary and Michael used drugs as teenagers; and it influenced Nippy’s penchant for experimentation.

Many of Nippy’s actions hurt Cissy, including her infamous 2002 interview with Diane Sawyer, where she declared, “Crack is Whack.” His 2005 reality show with Bobby Brown, titled “Being Bobby Brown,” surprised Cissy with what she considered Nippy’s unrecognizable behavior.

Cissy also experienced heartbreak after visiting Nippy unannounced at his Mendham, New Jersey mansion, only for her to open the door drugged.

Although Cissy mourns the loss of her daughter, she attributes her death to God’s plan. Many people think that Nippy died prematurely, but now they are not so sure. “I think God had enough of seeing her go through everything that happened while she was here, so He decided to bring her home.”

At birth, the hospital staff promoted Nippy’s beauty in the maternity ward. Cissy says it’s like Nippy has been in the public from day one.

Cissy admirably refused to mourn her daughter in public; adamant in honoring Whitney Elisabeth, his daughter, not Whitney Houston, the internationally acclaimed artist. Family and friends celebrated Nippy’s funeral services at New Hope Baptist Church, the Houston family’s lifelong place of worship.

“Remembering Whitney,” published on January 29, 2013, infuriated Bobbi Kristina, Bobbi and Whitney’s only child. He stated that his grandmother’s book was “disrespectful” towards his mother. Not so. Cissy wrote a lasting dedication to her daughter; and through his tribute we are reminded that celebrities also have flaws and weaknesses, along with the fragility of life.

To view Billboard magazine’s collection of Whitney Houston photographs, “Remembering Whitney: Her Life in Photographs, visit: http://www.billboard.com/photos/428547/remembering-whitney-her-life-in -photos

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