Remembering Whitney by Cissy Houston - The Life and Death of Nippy Vs Whitney Houston
Whitney Houston died on February 11, 2012 at age 48, from 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 their youngest of eight children in Depression-era Newark, New Jersey.
Her Newark upbringing made her more resilient, but she can't say the same for her kids.
"My childhood toughened me up.
But my children-especially Nippy-never developed that same toughness.
And that would cause even bigger problems later.
" Strong Christian faith combined with great singing voices, inspired the siblings to create the Gospel-based Drinkard Singers.
Their talents 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 secured an introduction.
Unhappily wed and pregnant, Cissy divorced after two years of marriage.
She moved in with John, although he was still married and headed for divorce.
Two children (Michael and Whitney) joined Gary (from Cissy's first marriage) to form the Houston family.
Whitney earned her nickname, "Nippy," in early childhood, based on a then popular cartoon character; and it followed her till death.
Nippy often imitated her mother's singing career, playing dress-up in the basement and using props as microphones.
At 12, she declared her professional singing ambitions.
Cissy's industry expertise, which included forming the backup singing quartet, Sweet Inspirations, who sang with legendary performers, Aretha Franklin, Jimi Hendrix and Elvis Presley, among others; helped guide her daughter.
Unfortunately, bad press often overshadows good news, because Nippy earned her share of praise, including establishing the Whitney Houston Foundation for Children.
Cissy shares pictures and stories about Nippy, including the near destruction of her vocal cords in early childhood after a hanger lodged in her throat.
She also placed second in the Garden State Competition, a singing contest for New Jersey teens, 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.
She later learned Robyn was gay but says that had nothing to do with her disdain towards her.
"I know there had been much speculation over the years about the friendship between Robyn and Nippy and whether it was more than that.
I don't honestly know what exactly went on between them, back when they first met or later on.
" Cissy does credit Robyn with alerting her back in the late 1980s that Nippy was using drugs, when no one else courageously did so.
Nippy met her future husband, Bobby Brown, at the 1989 Soul Train Awards show.
His bad boy reputation endured even after they married, including run-ins with the law.
Although Cissy thought the couple was a mismatch, she respected her daughter's decisions.
Cissy doesn't blame Bobby (nor the music industry) for introducing Nippy to drugs, as many people do.
Nor does she think he did much to help her, as he partied too.
Both Gary and Michael used drugs in their teens; and influenced Nippy's penchant to experiment.
Many of Nippy's actions pained Cissy, including her infamous 2002 interview with Diane Sawyer where she declared, "Crack is Whack.
" Her 2005 reality show with Bobby Brown, titled, "Being Bobby Brown," stunned Cissy, with what she deemed Nippy's unrecognizable behavior.
Cissy also experienced heartbreak after visiting Nippy unannounced at her Mendham, New Jersey mansion, only to have her answer the door high on drugs.
Although Cissy mourns the loss of her daughter, she attributes her death to God's plan.
Many people think Nippy died before her time, but now she's not so sure.
" I think God had enough of seeing her go through everything she went through while she was here, and so He decided to bring her home.
" At birth, the hospital staff touted Nippy's beauty around the maternity ward.
Cissy says it's as if Nippy belonged to the public from day one.
Cissy admirably refused to grieve her daughter in public fanfare; adamant to honor Whitney Elisabeth, her child, not Whitney Houston, the internationally famous entertainer.
Relatives and friends held funeral services for Nippy at New Hope Baptist Church, the lifelong place of worship for the Houston family.
"Remembering Whitney," published on January 29, 2013, angered Bobbi Kristina, sole child of Bobbi and Whitney.
She declared her grandmother's book "disrespectful" towards her mother.
Not so.
Cissy's penned an enduring dedication to her daughter; and through her tribute we're reminded that celebrities too have faults and weaknesses, along with the fragility of life.
To view Billboard magazine's collection of Whitney Houston pictures, entitled, "Remembering Whitney: Her Life in Photos, visit: http://www.
billboard.
com/photos/428547/remembering-whitney-her-life-in-photos
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 their youngest of eight children in Depression-era Newark, New Jersey.
Her Newark upbringing made her more resilient, but she can't say the same for her kids.
"My childhood toughened me up.
But my children-especially Nippy-never developed that same toughness.
And that would cause even bigger problems later.
" Strong Christian faith combined with great singing voices, inspired the siblings to create the Gospel-based Drinkard Singers.
Their talents 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 secured an introduction.
Unhappily wed and pregnant, Cissy divorced after two years of marriage.
She moved in with John, although he was still married and headed for divorce.
Two children (Michael and Whitney) joined Gary (from Cissy's first marriage) to form the Houston family.
Whitney earned her nickname, "Nippy," in early childhood, based on a then popular cartoon character; and it followed her till death.
Nippy often imitated her mother's singing career, playing dress-up in the basement and using props as microphones.
At 12, she declared her professional singing ambitions.
Cissy's industry expertise, which included forming the backup singing quartet, Sweet Inspirations, who sang with legendary performers, Aretha Franklin, Jimi Hendrix and Elvis Presley, among others; helped guide her daughter.
Unfortunately, bad press often overshadows good news, because Nippy earned her share of praise, including establishing the Whitney Houston Foundation for Children.
Cissy shares pictures and stories about Nippy, including the near destruction of her vocal cords in early childhood after a hanger lodged in her throat.
She also placed second in the Garden State Competition, a singing contest for New Jersey teens, 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.
She later learned Robyn was gay but says that had nothing to do with her disdain towards her.
"I know there had been much speculation over the years about the friendship between Robyn and Nippy and whether it was more than that.
I don't honestly know what exactly went on between them, back when they first met or later on.
" Cissy does credit Robyn with alerting her back in the late 1980s that Nippy was using drugs, when no one else courageously did so.
Nippy met her future husband, Bobby Brown, at the 1989 Soul Train Awards show.
His bad boy reputation endured even after they married, including run-ins with the law.
Although Cissy thought the couple was a mismatch, she respected her daughter's decisions.
Cissy doesn't blame Bobby (nor the music industry) for introducing Nippy to drugs, as many people do.
Nor does she think he did much to help her, as he partied too.
Both Gary and Michael used drugs in their teens; and influenced Nippy's penchant to experiment.
Many of Nippy's actions pained Cissy, including her infamous 2002 interview with Diane Sawyer where she declared, "Crack is Whack.
" Her 2005 reality show with Bobby Brown, titled, "Being Bobby Brown," stunned Cissy, with what she deemed Nippy's unrecognizable behavior.
Cissy also experienced heartbreak after visiting Nippy unannounced at her Mendham, New Jersey mansion, only to have her answer the door high on drugs.
Although Cissy mourns the loss of her daughter, she attributes her death to God's plan.
Many people think Nippy died before her time, but now she's not so sure.
" I think God had enough of seeing her go through everything she went through while she was here, and so He decided to bring her home.
" At birth, the hospital staff touted Nippy's beauty around the maternity ward.
Cissy says it's as if Nippy belonged to the public from day one.
Cissy admirably refused to grieve her daughter in public fanfare; adamant to honor Whitney Elisabeth, her child, not Whitney Houston, the internationally famous entertainer.
Relatives and friends held funeral services for Nippy at New Hope Baptist Church, the lifelong place of worship for the Houston family.
"Remembering Whitney," published on January 29, 2013, angered Bobbi Kristina, sole child of Bobbi and Whitney.
She declared her grandmother's book "disrespectful" towards her mother.
Not so.
Cissy's penned an enduring dedication to her daughter; and through her tribute we're reminded that celebrities too have faults and weaknesses, along with the fragility of life.
To view Billboard magazine's collection of Whitney Houston pictures, entitled, "Remembering Whitney: Her Life in Photos, visit: http://www.
billboard.
com/photos/428547/remembering-whitney-her-life-in-photos
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