Whitney Houston's best friend, Robyn Crawford, is ready to open up about her romantic connection with the iconic singer.
In her upcoming memoir, A Song for You: My Life with Whitney Houston, Crawford reportedly documents her friendship with Houston, and shares details of their romantic relationship. In an excerpt of the book given to People, Crawford, who was 19-years-old at the time, recalls meeting the 17-year-old Houston when they were both counselors at a New Jersey summer camp in 1980. Shortly after striking up a friendship, Crawford says the two became romantically involved. "We wanted to be together," Crawford writes, before explaining how Houston chose her music career over their relationship.
The two ended their physical relationship once Houston signed a deal with Clive Davis and Arista Records. "She said we shouldn’t be physical anymore because it would make our journey even more difficult," Crawford wrote. "She said if people find out about us, they would use this against us and back in the ’80s that’s how it felt." Houston was also receiving a lot of pressure from her mother, gospel singer Cissy Houston, who claimed it wasn't "natural for two women to be that close."
Despite ending their romantic relationship, Crawford and Houston remained close friends until the singer's death in 2012. Their closeness sparked rumors regarding Houston's sexuality, but Crawford notes that the two "never talked about labels, like lesbian or gay." Also, Crawford says that her friendship with Houston—not their physical relationship—prompted her to write this book.
"I wanted to lift her legacy, give her respect and share the story of who she was before the fame, and in that, to embrace our friendship," she explained. "I’d come to the point where I felt the need to stand up for our friendship. And I felt an urgency to stand up and share the woman behind the incredible talent."
A Song for You: My Life with Whitney Houston will hit the shelves on Nov. 12 and is available for pre-order on Amazon.
