Houston's confidante defends Bobby Brown

Whitney Houston's sister-in-law and longtime confidante has defended the singer's ex-husband Bobby Brown, insisting he wasn't the one who introduced her to drugs and sent the tragic superstar's life spiralling out of control.

Patricia Houston, who was the star's former manager, admits Brown has received a lot of bad press he didn't deserve over the years from fans and critics who felt sure he was the man behind Houston's fall from grace, which many believe ended with her death in Los Angeles last month (Feb12).

In an exclusive TV interview with Oprah Winfrey, which will air on Sunday (11Mar12), Patricia Houston says, "I can't say that he introduced drugs to her; I don't think that's true. Bobby and I had a good relationship. She (Whitney) would say, 'You're always trying to protect him.' I said, 'No, I'm protecting truth... I can't do it any other way.'"

And Patricia Houston admits the couple's marriage was doomed from the start - because there were so many outside pressures placed on them.

She adds, "There was always so much outside interference... It was very hard. Their reality was everyone else's, and it's very difficult if you've got family members that are demanding certain things from you, then the world demanding certain things from you. In all of that congestion, how can you make it work?"