Whitney Houston and Bobbi Kristina Brown were like mother, like daughter — in good times and in bad.
The “I Will Always Love You” singer welcomed her only child in March 1993 with her then-husband, Bobby Brown. Bobbi Kristina was born into music royalty as not only the daughter of Whitney but also the granddaughter of Cissy Houston and the first cousin once removed of Dee Dee Warwick, Dionne Warwick and Leontyne Price.
Bobbi Kristina’s parents met at the Soul Train Music Awards in April 1989. They became friends soon after but did not start dating until nearly two years later. Bobby proposed to Whitney in the spring of 1991, and the couple tied the knot in July 1992.
In the beginning of their romance, Whitney and Bobby were head over heels for each other, so much so that he postponed the follow-up to his iconic 1988 album, Don’t Be Cruel, to be with her, Bobbi Kristina and his three kids from previous relationships: Landon Brown, La’Princia Brown and Bobby Brown Jr.
“I wanted to come out with an album a lot sooner,” the “My Prerogative” crooner said on Ebony/Jet Showcase in 1993. “I took my time and spent a lot of time with my children. I spent a lot of time falling in love with my wife, with my family and taking care of my business.”
But as the years went by, Whitney and Bobby’s personal struggles — which infamously included infidelity, domestic violence and drug abuse — began to drive a wedge between them. They separated in September 2006 and divorced the following April. After the case was finalized, the Bodyguard actress was awarded custody of Bobbi Kristina, while the New Edition member received visitation rights.
Bobbi Kristina had a close bond with her mother in the years that followed before they both met untimely deaths. In February 2012, Whitney died at the age of 48 after drowning in a bathtub ahead of the Grammy Awards. Heart disease and cocaine use were listed as contributing factors in her death.
The legendary performer’s daughter struggled to cope with her mom’s death and briefly spent time at a hospital because she was “overwhelmed,” according to their family. Then, in January 2015, Bobbi Kristina was found facedown in a tub at her Georgia home, eerily similar to the way that Whitney died. Emergency personnel transported Bobbi Kristina to a nearby hospital, where she remained in a coma until June 2015. She was then moved to hospice care before passing away in July 2016 at age 22.
Bobby — who married Alicia Etheredge in June 2012 and welcomed Cassius Brown, Bodhi Brown and Hendrix Brown with her — wrote via Instagram in July 2020 that Bobbi Kristina is “in my heart [and] on my mind every day.”
Scroll down to see a timeline of Bobbi Kristina’s life with her famous parents.
Whitney Houston and Bobbi Kristina Brown were like mother, like daughter — in good times and in bad.
The “I Will Always Love You” singer welcomed her only child in March 1993 with her then-husband, Bobby Brown. Bobbi Kristina was born into music royalty as not only the daughter of Whitney but also the granddaughter of Cissy Houston and the first cousin once removed of Dee Dee Warwick, Dionne Warwick and Leontyne Price.
Bobbi Kristina’s parents met at the Soul Train Music Awards in April 1989. They became friends soon after but did not start dating until nearly two years later. Bobby proposed to Whitney in the spring of 1991, and the couple tied the knot in July 1992.
In the beginning of their romance, Whitney and Bobby were head over heels for each other, so much so that he postponed the follow-up to his iconic 1988 album, Don’t Be Cruel, to be with her, Bobbi Kristina and his three kids from previous relationships: Landon Brown, La’Princia Brown and Bobby Brown Jr.
“I wanted to come out with an album a lot sooner,” the “My Prerogative” crooner said on Ebony/Jet Showcase in 1993. “I took my time and spent a lot of time with my children. I spent a lot of time falling in love with my wife, with my family and taking care of my business.”
But as the years went by, Whitney and Bobby’s personal struggles — which infamously included infidelity, domestic violence and drug abuse — began to drive a wedge between them. They separated in September 2006 and divorced the following April. After the case was finalized, the Bodyguard actress was awarded custody of Bobbi Kristina, while the New Edition member received visitation rights.
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Bobbi Kristina had a close bond with her mother in the years that followed before they both met untimely deaths. In February 2012, Whitney died at the age of 48 after drowning in a bathtub ahead of the Grammy Awards. Heart disease and cocaine use were listed as contributing factors in her death.
The legendary performer’s daughter struggled to cope with her mom’s death and briefly spent time at a hospital because she was “overwhelmed,” according to their family. Then, in January 2015, Bobbi Kristina was found facedown in a tub at her Georgia home, eerily similar to the way that Whitney died. Emergency personnel transported Bobbi Kristina to a nearby hospital, where she remained in a coma until June 2015. She was then moved to hospice care before passing away in July 2016 at age 22.
Bobby — who married Alicia Etheredge in June 2012 and welcomed Cassius Brown, Bodhi Brown and Hendrix Brown with her — wrote via Instagram in July 2020 that Bobbi Kristina is “in my heart [and] on my mind every day.”
Scroll down to see a timeline of Bobbi Kristina’s life with her famous parents.
Credit: Time Life Pictures/DMI/Time Life Pictures/Getty
March 1990
After dating comedian Eddie Murphy and football star Randall Cunningham, Houston met Bobby at the 1989 Soul Train Awards. Here, they stepped out together at a United Negro College Fund event in March 1990.
Credit: L. Cohen/WireImage.com
October 1992
The unlikely couple released their casual engagement photo to friends, family and fans in October 1992.
Credit: AP
July 1992
The lovebirds wed on Houston’s palatial $11 million estate in Mendham, New Jersey, in July 1992 with 800 guests. Video footage from the special day captured the bride exclaiming, “We did it!”
Credit: Ron Wolfson//Time Life Pictures/Getty
January 1994
Their duo brought Bobbi Kristina — born in March 1993 — to the Grammys in January 1994, where Whitney was a huge victor for The Bodyguard soundtrack and its lead single, “I Will Always Love You.”
Credit: Splash News
February 1994
The family celebrated Bobby’s 25th birthday at Tavern on the Green in New York City in February 1994.
“I’ve got a good man,” the “I’m Your Baby Tonight” singer once said. “He takes care of me. I don’t have to be scared of anything because I know he will kick every ass. …Disrespect him and you’ve got a problem.”
Credit: Globe Photos/mediapunch/Shutterstock
February 1998
The couple defied rumors of an impending split at the the Soul Train Awards in Los Angeles in February 1998.
Credit: Mark J Terrill/AP/Shutterstock
April 2000
Bobby wiped sweat off Whitney’s brow at a 25th anniversary concert for her label, Arista Records, which was founded by her mentor, Clive Davis.
Credit: Joe Cavaretta/AP/Shutterstock
June 2001
With mom Cissy and Bobbi Kristina behind her, Whitney thanked the crowd after winning a Lifetime Achievement Award at the BET Awards in Las Vegas in June 2001.
Credit: Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic
May 2002
The family attended the VH1 Divas show in Las Vegas in May 2002.
Credit: Jim Smeal/BEI/Shutterstock
August 2004
The trio hit the Hollywood premiere of The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement in August 2004.
Credit: F. Scott Schafer/Bravo/NBCU Photo Bank/Getty Images
July 2005
Fans got a much closer look into the family’s chaotic life together on the reality show Being Bobby Brown, which premiered in June 2005. Less than two years later, Whitney and Bobby divorced.
Credit: Amanda Schwab/Starpix/Shutterstock
September 2009
While promoting her comeback album, I Look to You, Whitney performed on Good Morning America in September 2009 with Bobbi Kristina at her side. She had encouraged her daughter’s interest in singing — even going into the studio together to record potential songs, a source once told Us.
Credit: Kevin Mazur/AMA2009/WireImage.com
November 2009
Bobbi Kristina “wanted to be just like her mother,” a source told Us of the pair, seen here at the 2009 American Music Awards in L.A. “She idolized Whitney.”
Credit: Ethan Miller/Getty Images
May 2012
Following her mom’s death, Bobbi Kristina and Whitney’s sister-in-law Pat Houston took the stage at the Billboard Music Awards in May 2012, accepting the Millennium Award on the late singer’s behalf.
Credit: Alberto E. Rodriguez/WireImage
August 2012
Bobbi Kristina announced in August 2012 that she and Nick Gordon were engaged. (Gordon had been taken into the Houston-Brown family home when he was 12 years old due to problems in his own family.)
Credit: Jill Greenberg
October 2012
Starting in October 2012, Bobbi Kristina and her grandmother Cissy, as well as various other members of the Houston family, starred in a Lifetime reality show called The Houstons: On Our Own.
Credit: Jim Spellman/WireImage
October 2012
Cissy and Bobbi Kristina stayed close at the New York City premiere of The Houstons: On Our Own in October 2012, celebrating their series’ debut.
Credit: Christopher Polk/WireImage
July 2015
Three years after her mother’s death, Bobbi Kristina was found unresponsive in a tub at her home in Georgia in January 2015. She was hospitalized and remained under constant medical supervision until June, when she was moved to hospice care. She died one month later.
“She is finally at peace in the arms of God,” the Houston family said in a statement at the time. “We want to again thank everyone for their tremendous amount of love and support during these last few months.”
