*A public dispute over Whitney Houston’s legacy is drawing sharp responses from those who knew her best.
The friction centers on remarks Oprah Winfrey delivered Tuesday at Cannes Lions, telling the audience that Houston had relapsed before her 2009 talk show appearance and fell from the stage in front of a live crowd. Oprah claimed she personally intervened to keep the story from going public.
“I knew that if that story got out that she’d fallen off the stage, she would be destroyed by that,” she said, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
Houston’s estate rejected that characterization in a statement posted to the singer’s official Instagram. The fall occurred during a sound check and had nothing to do with substance use. Per the post, “darkness of the area and her unfamiliarity with the stage” was the cause.
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“She was absolutely not high,” the statement read. “Like many people, she faced personal battles, but it is inaccurate and unfair to attach that struggle to every performance or every chapter of her life.”
Ray Watson, Houston’s bodyguard for more than a dozen years, told TMZ the stage edge sat in a poorly lit area, and a warning never reached her in time. He described her reaction after the fall as unbothered. She laughed, he said, and moved on.
“What the studio audience witnessed on stage was the result of discipline, talent, and commitment not the assumptions others project,” the estate said. “We owe her the dignity of telling the truth not repeating myths.”
Houston, who died in 2012, remains one of the best-selling recording artists in history. Check out Ray’s interview below to hear what he had to say about working with the music icon.
MORE NEWS ON EURWEB.COM: Oprah Reveals How She Protected Whitney Houston During a Private Struggle
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