Bobbi Kristina Brown dies at 22
Whitney Houston's daughter Bobbi Kristina Brown has died at the age of 22, nearly six months after a near-drowning incident at her Georgia home.
The only daughter of Whitney and ex-husband Bobby Brown had been in a medically-induced coma since she was found unresponsive and face down in a bathtub at the Roswell home she shared with partner Nick Gordon on 31 January (15).
On Sunday (26Jul15), her family decided to take her off life
support, as she was surrounded by her loved ones at Peachtree
Christian Hospice in Duluth, Georgia.
A statement from the Houston family to Entertainment Tonight reads:
"She is finally at peace in the arms of God. We want to again thank
everyone for their tremendous amount of love and support during
these last few months."
Bobbi Kristina was moved from Atlanta's Emory University Hospital
to longterm rehabilitation facility DeKalb Medical Center in March
(15). Last month (Jun15), her family revealed she had been moved
into hospice care in Duluth.
Her death comes just weeks after Bobby and his wife Alicia
Etheridge welcomed their second child, a daughter, on 12 July (15),
and a little over three years after Whitney died on 12 February,
2012.
The I Will Always Love You singer died in similar circumstances in
the bathroom of a Beverly Hills hotel suite in 2012, with heart
disease and cocaine use listed as contributing factors.
Born in March 1993, Bobbi Kristina was immediately in the public
eye due to her parents' superstar status. When she was 10 years
old, she went in front of the camera for reality TV series Being
Bobby Brown, which gave fans a behind-the scenes look at Bobby and
Whitney's careers and their roles as parents.
They eventually ended their tumultuous relationship in 2006 and
finalized the divorce the following year (07), with Whitney
receiving sole custody of their daughter.
Bobbi Kristina had a close relationship with her mother, so when
the music icon died, the then-18 year old took the death hard. Just
a day after Whitney's passing, Bobbi Kristina reportedly suffered
from extreme stress and anxiety and had to be hospitalized at a Los
Angeles medical center.
Bobbi Kristina, who inherited her mother's reported $115 million
estate, later returned to reality TV with a 2012 series called The
Houstons: On Our Own, which featured Bobbi Kristina and members of
Whitney's family.
During the series, Bobbi Kristina spoke candidly about her beloved
mom, saying, "I still feel her everywhere. She's still around me
and that's what keeps me comfortable, is knowing that my best
friend, my everything, is still with me."
Eight months after Whitney's death, Bobbi Kristina struck up a
romantic relationship with Gordon, a childhood friend who was
informally adopted by the singer when he was 12 years old.
They claimed to have tied the knot in January 2014, but Bobby and
other members of her family denied the marriage, stating the
wedding was not official.
By March (14), Whitney's sister-in-law Pat Houston requested a
protection order against Gordon following an alleged bust-up at a
family party, banning him from contacting her or anyone in her
immediate family and faces jail if he comes within 200 yards (182.8
meters/600 feet) of them.
Following Bobbi Kristina's hospitalization in January (15), Gordon
has been feuding with Bobby and members of her family, who refused
to let him visit her.
In March (15), he had a month-long stay at a rehab facility to
treat his reported drink and drug abuse as he battles
depression.
And just last month (Jun15), he was hit with a $10 million lawsuit
by Bobbi Kristina's court-appointed conservator, who accuses him of
assault, battery, and intentional infliction of emotional
distress.
The papers also allege Gordon transferred money from his
girlfriend's account without her permission while she was comatose
in an Atlanta-area hospital.
While Gordon has yet to respond to the lawsuit, multiple reports
suggest prosecutors are preparing for a possible murder case now
that Brown was taken off life support.