Bombshell From Robyn Crawford's New Memoir Claims Eddie Murphy Was Once Engaged To Whitney Houston
Bobby Brown was apparently Houston's "backup guy."
instagram It’s been over seven years since Whitney Houston passed away. Even posthumously, she’s one of the best-selling music artists of all-time, releasing seven studio albums during her life, all of which were certified diamond, multi-platinum, platinum, or gold. Some of her hits included a cover of Dolly Parton’s “I Will Always Love You,” as well as “How Will I Know,” “I Wanna Dance with Somebody,” “I’m Every Woman,” and more.
But since her passing, hidden secrets have come out of the woodwork, including alleged sexual abuse at the hands of her cousin, Dee Dee Warwick, sister of Dionne Warwick. The allegations were discussed in Kevin Macdonald’s 2018 documentary, Whitney.
Whitney’s brother, Gary, also says he was a victim of abuse, saying in the documentary that there was a source of his addiction issues: “Being a child — being seven, eight, nine years old — and being molested by a female family member of mine. My mother and father were gone a lot, so we stayed with a lot of different people ... four, five different families who took care of us.”
Houston’s relationships were also high-profile while she was still alive. Her claims of domestic abuse and violence from her husband, singer Bobby Brown, ultimately brought their tumultuous relationship to divorce. And now, there may be truth to another secret.
Was Eddie Murphy engaged to Whitney Houston?
Houston’s close friend and one-time female lover, Robyn Crawford, claims in her new book, A Song for You: My Life with Whitney Houston, that Houston and Murphy had a serious relationship. Their alleged relationship dates back to 1989 when she was 26 years old. Crawford claims that Houston loved Murphy, and Brown was “the backup guy.”
According to Crawford, Murphy gave the talented singer an engagement ring, but his “hot and cold” behavior may have been to blame for their split.
“He gave Whitney a diamond ring that looked an awful lot like an engagement ring. When the insurance appraiser came to our house to value Whitney’s jewelry, we found out that the ring Eddie had given her was more valuable than her engagement ring from Bobby. Whitney shrugged and had Eddie’s ring made into earrings,” Crawford revealed, adding she never thought Murphy and Houston would ever get married.
Another bombshell? Murphy apparently tried to convince Houston to not marry Brown ... on their wedding day! “[That day], Eddie Murphy called to say she was making a mistake, but she pressed ahead,” Crawford said. “She was more interested in Eddie Murphy, but he was elusive.”
Crawford also wrote about one night when Houston made dinner for Murphy, but he never showed up: “One day when Eddie was supposed to come for dinner, I caught a glimpse of Whitney. She was wearing a black dress and low-heeled slingbacks. For a moment, I thought ‘Boy, I wish she was doing that for me.’”
Now, this isn’t the first time there have been rumors of Murphy being engaged to Houston, or even having a relationship with her.
Following her death in 2012, Murphy revealed to Extra, “I was never dating Whitney. She was a friend of mine. I may have gone to dinner with her a few times, it was never like we were dating — we were never boyfriend and girlfriend.” Houston’s mother, Cissy, backs up Murphy’s claims that they were just friends.
Whether or not you believe this is the case, Crawford released her book in an effort to remember her closest friend: “Yes, in the end it was tragic, but the dream and the rise were beautiful. I owe it to my friend to share her story, my story. Our story. And I hope that in doing so, I can set us both free.”
Samantha Maffucci is an editor for YourTango who focuses on writing trending news and entertainment pieces. In her free time, you can find her obsessing about cats, wine, and all things Vanderpump Rules.