I write this through tears. The passing of Whitney Houston brings sadness and a sense of helplessness to me. It’s like the loss of a family member. With the loss of my beloved Mom, Michael Jackson, Phoebe Snow, Teena Marie, and now Whitney, it is like my entire childhood is passing!
While many fans have said they only want to remember her music, I think that would be a mistake as there are some vital lessons in what happened to Whitney. Her early passing represents yet another failure on the part of us, as a society, to really speak to addiction and save an Artist in obvious and long term distress. For years, we all watched helplessly as Whitney destroyed herself and finally completely obliterated her biggest gift – that legendary voice. On seeing the disheveled pictures of her from Thursday, I had posted to my FB that I hoped she was not going to end up like Amy Winehouse. She did, just two days later. Even if it is determined that Houston did not die of an immediate overdose (the drugs would’ve been removed from the hotel room my “handlers”, so we will never really know), she has been committing slow suicide for 30 years. Whatever your poison, alcohol, coke, or another, long term drug use almost always kills you earlier than normal life expectancy.
Addiction is like a demon possession, which infests everything that users think, say, and do then ultimately kills them. There is nothing that anyone but the user can do to exorcise that demon. God tried to get through to Whitney many times, even bringing her the song “The Greatest Love Of All”, with its message of inner strength and self Love – one that she more than anyone seemed to need. But alas, she didn’t seem to hear it. If only she could’ve found “her strength in Love” instead of alcohol and substances. I really wish people would call it what it is. It is not being “under the influence” it is being “under the possession”.
Many people on the boards have blamed Bobby Brown. But Whitney was purportedly already on drugs when they got together. He was just an enabler, another helpless addict, a knucklehead along for the druggy ride. While their association definitely didn’t help her, he was not the start of her downfall. In fact, if we really look at it, Brown offered her last chance for salvation. It was only because of their shocking reality show that the curtain was pulled back on just how badly she needed help. Until then, despite hearing rumors, I had no idea how bad it was.
TGATP will always love you Whitney. You leave behind so many songs that shaped my whole Life. You have joined the illustrious heavenly choir now and I hope that you can finally be at rest from whatever it was that you were escaping.
