Kevin Costner confessed, “She was my one true love.” Eddie Murphy, despite supposedly giving her the pumpkins, admitted she “was a lovely person” and that they were “really good friends”. She had a very close and special relationship with Michael Jackson, they understood each other without speaking.
And Aretha Franklin “loved her as if she were her daughter”. Many celebrities, from cinema or music, have gone through the life of Whitney Houston in her more than three decades of trajectory. Only some did not do so in an ephemeral way. Only a privileged few could have said that they had a bond of affection with the diva.
With Michael Jackson it was understood without speaking
It was inevitable that the two great stars of the 20th century would meet. They both moved in the same circles and attended the same events when their careers were at their peak. They were even close to working on a few duets together, but due to circumstances beyond their control, that ultimately didn’t happen.
However, their relationship was very special… and very secret. Debra Martin Chase, Whitney’s friend and famous film and television producer, assures in the documentary ‘Whitney’ that the singer had a special affinity for Michael. Much deeper than usual in the world of “show business.”
Whitney and Michael shared a similar, familiar and specific isolation. Something that allowed the two of them to visit each other and simply be silent, speechless, in tune with what the other is going through:
“Michael Jackson called him sometimes. She would go sit with him in the hotel room where he was staying. They said nothing to each other. But they understood each other without speaking. They had a very close relationship.”
Matt Fiddes, Michael Jackson’s former bodyguard and confidant, made startling statements to London newspaper ‘Sun’ in April 2012. He claimed that Houston and Michael had a secret ‘affair’ in 1991. “Whitney practically moved into Michael’s ranch and they had an affair like any couple. But Michael later said he had always hoped the relationship would have gone further, and I know he dreamed of marrying her.” The romance, he says, lasted two weeks.
He also said that in 2001 there was an emotional reunion in Madison Square Garden in New York, where the 30th birthday of the “King of Pop” was celebrated. “They were both confused… they shared what would be their last hug and Michael begged Whitney to stop the drugs that were destroying her life. When they kissed, they said they loved each other. The excitement was written all over their faces.” Ironically, it was Michael who died of a painkiller overdose three years before her.
Although the testimony of who is now a millionaire martial arts expert has not been corroborated by anyone else, in 2016 the singer and friend of the pop diva, Brandy revives speculation about the two stars’ secret romance. He posted on his Instagram profile an old snapshot in which the interpreter of Thriller kissed a resplendent Houston on the cheek. The image was accompanied by this comment: “She said Michael was crazy about her. I was like ‘wow!!!'”
She was in love with Eddie Murphy
Eddie Murphy and Whitney Houston had a very close relationship. It was rumored that there was more to it than friendship, but he denied it in a 2012 interview published in ‘Extra’: “I never dated Whitney. She was my friend. We went out to dinner together a few times, but it was never as a couple. We were never boyfriend and girlfriend.” “We were very good friends” continued. “She was a lovely person. I heard a lot of people talk about her sense of humor, and she really had a great sense of humor, she was a fun girl.”
Robyn Crawford, Whitney’s best friend and with whom for decades she enjoyed “an intimate friendship in every way” (as she herself recounted in the book ‘A song for you’), says that Houston had a crush on Murphy, including when she was being sued by Bobby Brown in 1989. But the actor was elusive. Crawford describes one particular night when Murphy was supposedly going to visit Houston at his New Jersey mansion. She herself set the table for Eddie.: “She put on a black dress and low-heeled shoes.” But Murphy never showed up and his replacement left Whitney heartbroken.
This is why it is surprising that Houston got a call from the ‘Beverly Hills Police’ July 18, 1992, their wedding day. “He called to tell you he was making a mistake.” Crawford writes. “But he continued.”
“Aretha Franklin loved her as if she were her daughter”
The ‘Queen of Soul’ was a good friend of Cissy Houston (singer’s mother) and she was part of the singer’s closest environment since she was little. Whitney admired him. In an interview with MTV, Aretha explained their relationship and how she met her as a child: “Whitney was, well, she still is, a shy, lovely girl, a very beautiful young woman .” And added that she never realized how much Whitney looked up to her and the impact she had on her life: “I had no idea I felt so close, but it’s wonderful, it’s fabulous,” she explained.
In 2014, Franklin took part in a moving tribute to the late artist at New York’s Radio City Music Hall. He sang a version of the iconic I Will Always Love You and, addressing the audience, said: “We all recognize one of the best singers who ever stood in front of a microphone. And every time we hear those memorable chords, we’ll think of her and remember her.” According to Dionne Warwick (cousin of Houston): “Aretha loved Whitney like she was her daughter.”
Kevin Costner: ‘She was my one true love’
Kevin and Whitney became close friends in 1992, while filming ‘The Bodyguard’, and their affection remained until the artist’s death. “She was always very close to me, she was always someone I appreciated. I wrote her letters,” he told CNN. And he continued: “I was hoping to help him in his fight against addiction. I don’t know if she ever read those letters.” On February 11, 2012, when he learned that his friend had passed away, he released a statement saying: “She was my one true love.”