Whitney Houston Conspiracy Theories by Eniola Falodun

What happened to our soulful, iconic diva of all time? On February 11, 2012, the World was thrown into a disarray over the sudden death of the music legend Whitney Houston. Despite her global success, musical achievements and countless Grammy awards her sudden death revealed the fact that the famous singer faced some private struggles and lived a troubled life. " Houston's body was discovered in the bathroom of her Beverly Hilton Hotel room in Los Angeles on Saturday, February 11, 2012 "(Hiram).

Since her death, several conspiracy theories have surfaced:

1.      Did Whitney Houston die by accidental drowning in her hotel tub due to cocaine overdose.

2.      Was she murdered by the drug dealers who she owed money?

3.      Was Whitney Houston's death linked with the Illuminati cult?

           Whitney was forty-eight years old at the time of her death. She was previously married to Bobby Brown who was a singer and together they had a daughter, Bobby Kristina Brown who tragically died about three years afterwards. Whitney was a legendary singer and touched many lives with her soulful music. She was also a remarkable actress and former model.

Let's unravel the mysteries behind the sudden death of the iconic Whitney Houston which occurred in the tub of her Beverly Hilton hotel suite before the annual Clive Davis pre-Grammy party on February 11, 2012.

The Graceful Songbird, Whitney Elizabeth Houston was an ambitious, successful and optimistic woman. She had a powerful voice and original styling which yielded a luminous presence (Lister). Her looks and girl-next-door charm made her one of the most sought after celebrities. Whitney deservedly earned the nickname "The Voice" for her unadorned vocal ability (1). In addition to this, she appeared in commercials and worked briefly as a model. She also acted in some prominent movies, a top hit being "the Bodyguard” which was a huge success that brought her fame and fortune. She was a very talented singer. Her longtime mentor, Clive Davis said “the first time he heard her sing, he knew within the course of one song that Houston had magnificent pipes and star quality to match” (Bartholome). Many successful female performers, from Alicia Keys to Beyoncé, named Houston as a role model and inspiration (1). “She was a role model for the African-American community; and she was one of our original songbirds" said actress Viola Davis (1). She received six Grammy's and twenty-one American music awards. For this, she held the Guinness book of World Records Title, "Most Awarded Female of all Time" (Nathan).

            Whitney had a good middle class childhood; she was born with tremendous musical talent.  Her vocal talent was nurtured at an early age by her musically inclined family members, including her gospel singer mother, Cissy Houston, her cousin, Dionne Warwick and her Godmother Aretha Franklin (Nathan). She was definitely better connected than most young vocalists due to this fact. She never lacked love and support from her family. She once stated in an interview with ABC News," I have a mother that's very strong and a family that surround me and constantly tell me they love me" (Whitney Houston interview drug-addiction). Even though she had family love and support, she was a seemingly shy child and was nicknamed "Nippy"—"I think she was given that nickname because she was so small," remembers Henry Hamilton, her former elementary school principal in East Orange, N.J (Bartolomeo). She wrestled with fitting in among her peers. "I think I got 'Best Smile' in high school, but I was shy," she told PEOPLE in 1991, adding that she would smuggle blue jeans into school in an effort to belong (Bartolomeo). Houston said, "My face was too light, my hair was too long, I got chased and I got picked on"(1).

   Whitney was a beauty to behold.  "She would stand in front of the camera and was just magical," recalls Diane Forden, the fashion editor at Seventeen when Houston became one of the first black models to grace the magazine's cover in 1981 (Bartolomeo). She was also exceptionally focused, "She would bring her books to a shoot and study," says Forden (1). Very dedicated and very diligent, whether it was her modeling or schoolwork (1). She was a kind person too, very loving and very considerate of other people (1). Early in her career, the famous songstress exhibited acts of philanthropy and compassion for the society.  She formed the Whitney Houston Foundation for Children, a nonprofit organization that raised funds for the needs of children around the World.

            Despite her global impact, the diva had personal struggles with fear, insecurity and loneliness. In an interview with ABC News, she confessed "she was scared to death "during the making of the blockbuster movie, The Bodyguard (Whitney Houston interview drug-addiction). She claimed that her husband, Bobby Brown, constantly encouraged her and pushed her past her fears (Whitney Houston interview drug-addiction). But, wasn't he undeniably a major problem in her life? Houston's personal life became the topic of tabloids and entertainment news shows when she got married to Bobby Brown. He already had a "bad boy" public image. Throughout the marriage, Bobby Brown stood accused of several crimes, including: drunk driving, assault and drug possession (Nathan). 

            Though Houston was seen as a good girl with a perfect image, her behavior soon began to change after her marriage. Her life took a downturn. The union wasn't well perceived by the public, even though he was her first love. Her marriage to Bobby Brown was obviously an unwise decision. It was an abusive one that brought pain and turmoil into her life, driving her into intense drug addiction. The couple were both addicted to drugs and alcohol, but she got out of control and eventually lost herself to it. She was definitely an internally troubled and devastated woman and this reflected in the form of instability in her career. The only good that seemed to come out of the union was the birth of their daughter, Bobby Kristina Brown, who unfortunately had to grow up watching her beloved mother battle addiction and make frequent trips to rehab. This must have impacted the poor child negatively. She tragically died few years after Whitney's passing. 

            The polished façade began to crumble as early as 1994, with Houston showing up late for concerts and even keeping former South African president Nelson Mandela waiting two hours at a White House tribute in his honor (Bartolomeo). Whitney's public image was marred, and she became noted for being emotionally unstable, having an erratic behavior and appearing sickly. She was forced to go to rehab programs, which she successfully completed by her mother, after which she filed for divorce from Bobby Brown. Following a long absence from the music scene, Whitney appeared on Oprah Winfrey's show. According to her web site, Oprah.com, Winfrey called Houston's appearance "the most anticipated music interview of the decade. (“Whitney Houston to Tell All on Oprah”). During the interview, she told Oprah, that before the Bodyguard movie, her drug use was light but after the film's success and birth of her daughter, it got heavier, and by 1996 "doing drugs" was an everyday thing...."I wasn't happy by that point in time. I was losing myself" (“Whitney Houston to Tell All on Oprah”).

            Despite her personal battles, she exhibited a resilient spirit. After a period of respite in her musical and acting career, she was able to star in the longtime anticipated movie, Sparkle, alongside Jordin Sparks. Unknown to her and the world, this movie was going to be her very last acting performance of her life time. She definitely had a heart for God and Christian beliefs because she started out as a gospel artist before switching to pop music. This also reflected in her last public performance, when she joined Kelly Price on stage and together, they sang "Jesus loves Me". It happened some hours prior to her death, shortly before the Clive Davis pre- Grammy Party, which she planned to attend but couldn't, because of her untimely demise.

In Whitney Houston's tragic death, there are many conspiracy theories that were brought up over the years. The first conspiracy theory proposes that the songbird's death was caused by accidental drowning in her hotel bath tub due to cocaine overdose. It’s been a known fact over the years that Whitney Houston had a drug addiction problem and suffered depression. Houston was found dead February 11, 2012, in a hotel bathtub in Beverly Hills, just hours before music stars began to gather at the hotel for the annual Clive Davis pre-Grammy party at which she, then mounting a come-back, was expected (Puente). Toxicology results showed she was acutely intoxicated with cocaine at the time of her death; traces of the drug were found throughout her body, indicating chronic use (1). They also found in her room a dozen different prescription medications, including anti-anxiety medications (1).

It can be noted that Whitney was in good spirits shortly before her death and didn’t seem depressed to the point of taking a drug overdose.  The incomparably talented diva was in the midst of yet another career revival at the time of her death (Kaufman). Her starring role in the remake of Sparkle was getting good notices, and by some accounts, she was working on her sobriety and eager to make new music and reassert her star power (1).

            The second conspiracy suggests that Whitney Houston was murdered by drug dealers, who she owed. Some people believe she was in so much debt from the cocaine she bought over the years. A Los Angeles private investigator, who has probed celebrity drug cases and suspicious deaths, sensationally alleges that  Houston was murdered by two thugs sent by high-powered East Coast drug dealers to collect on a $1.5 million debt (Leonard). Incredibly, former police officer Paul Huebl even claims the men were captured on the hotel's Closed Circuit Television (CCTV) going into the singer's suite around the time she died (1). He believes they demanded the money she owed their bosses, and when she refused to give it to them, 'things got physical' (1). Whitney was discovered face down in a scalding bath by her assistant. The coroner, noted that a large area of skin on her lower back was burnt off   by the scalding bath water (1). He believes that after Whitney was killed, her assailants ransacked her suite, took money, drugs and jewelry, and left before her assistant returned (1).

In contrast, Whitney like most celebrities would   have had   tight security especially at such a high profile event like the Grammys. It's difficult to picture two killers walking into the luxurious Beverly Hilton hotel undetected and successfully carrying out the gruesome act on not just a regular person but a well-respected celebrity.

            The last and most bizarre conspiracy theory points to the fact   that   Houston's death was associated with the Illuminati cult which she belonged to. People believe that most celebrities in Hollywood get initiated into cults to have fame and fortune in their careers. Whitney Houston's death is being linked to both the Illuminati and Blue Ivy Carter (Sieczkowski).

It's believed that she was used as a sacrificial satanic ritual and that her soul was sold to the devil to herald the birth of Blue Ivy, Jay-Z and Beyoncé’s daughter who happened to be born shortly before Whitney's death (1). “When Blue Ivy Carter was born, a rumor spread like wildfire that she was actually the spawn of Satan” (1). This theory alleges that Blue Ivy is a reworking of the name Eulb Yvi , which social media users and other conspiracy theorists allege is the name of Satan's daughter (1). They believe that Whitney Houston was an Illuminati cult member because, the occult point to the numerology of Houston's passing (1). They feel it's ironic that she died in 2012 at the age of forty-eight, four plus eight equals twelve (1).

Although, Whitney Houston was definitely a troubled woman, she had strong Christian beliefs. She was also naturally endowed with musical talent and didn’t need Illuminati to boost her inborn gifting. She wasn’t the kind of person who will join the Illuminati cult or worship Satan to gain popularity. She was already uniquely gifted from birth and wasn't a diabolical person.

A survey of twenty-five people taken on the College of the Mainland campus revealed that eighty percent, who happened to be older, agreed that Whitney's death was due to accidental drowning as a result of cocaine overdose. The remaining twenty percent were younger, and they believed she was murdered mysteriously. This twenty percent of people who believed she was murdered   mysteriously happened to know very little about the songstress, unlike the eighty percent who knew a lot more about her. The most credible conspiracy remains that Whitney Houston died as a result of accidental drowning in her hotel tub due to cocaine over dose. This was evident in the autopsy report on her death and her prior addiction to drugs (Puente). Latest toxicology results showed she was acutely intoxicated with cocaine at the time of her death; traces of the drug were found throughout her body indicating chronic use (1).

After analyzing the untimely death of Whitney Houston, three conspiracies are left to consider:

• Was Whitney Houston’s death caused by accidental drowning in her hotel tub, as a result of cocaine overdose?
• Was Whitney Houston murdered by the drug dealers she owed?
• Did the Illuminati cult use Whitney Houston as a ritual sacrifice?

 Still   today, five years after the death of Whitney Houston, the mystery surrounding her demise still baffle her family, friends and fans. However, it’s likely Whitney’s death was caused by accidental drowning in her hotel tub, due to cocaine overdose; traces of which were found in her system by toxicology reports (Puente).

                                                                          

                                                                     Works Cited

Bartolomeo, Joey, et al. "Remembering Whitney." People, vol. 77, no. 9, 27 Feb. 2012, pp. 49-58.

Kaufman Gil, www.mtv.com/news/1701650/whitney-houston-death-grammys-2012/

Lee Hiram. "World Socialist the Death of Whitney Houstoneb Site. “The Death of Whitney Houston. International Committee of the Fourth International, ICFI, 13 Feb.2012. Web.17 July, 2017.

Leonard, Tom. “So WAS Whitney Houston Murdered? Private Investigator Claims He Has Video Proving Singer Was Killed by Drug Dealers.” Daily Mail Online, Associated Newspapers, 31 Dec. 2012, www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2253551/So-WAS-Whitney-Houston-murdered-Private-investigator-claims-video-proving-singer-killed-drug-dealers.html. Accessed 28 July 2017.

Lister, Lisa.  "Divafication: The Deification of Modern Female Pop Stars." Popular Music and Society 25.3-4 (2001):  1-10.

Nathan David, the Soulful Divas: Personal portraits of over a Dozen divine Divas from Nina Simone, Aretha Franklin and Diana Ross to Patti Labelle, Whitney Houston and Janet Jackson. New York: Billboard books, 1999.

Puente, Maria. “Whitney Houston: Five Years after Her Death, What's Happened?” USA Today, Gannett Satellite Information Network, www.usatoday.com/story/life/music/2017/02/10/whitney-houston-five-years-after-her-death-whats-happened/97694288/. Accessed 28 July 2017.

Sieczkowski, Cavan. “Whitney Houston Illuminati: Crazy Conspiracy Claims Houston Killed So Blue Ivy Can Live.” International Business Times, 6 May 2013, www.ibtimes.com/whitney-houston-illuminati-crazy-conspiracy-claims-houston-killed-so-blue-ivy-can-live-411326. Accessed 28 July 2017.

Whitney Houston interview drug-addiction .ABC News, ABC News Network, abcnews.go.com/WNT/video/whitney-houston-interview-drug-addiction-15577969. Accessed 27 July 2017.

“Whitney Houston to Tell All on Oprah.” CBS News, CBS Interactive, 20 Aug. 2009, www.cbsnews.com/news/whitney-houston-to-tell-all-on-oprah/. Accessed 21 July 2017.