The estate of the late American singer, Whitney Houston, has strongly denied claims by media mogul Oprah Winfrey that the musician was under the influence of drugs during a 2009 appearance on her talk show.
The estate, managed by Pat Houston, issued a statement refuting Winfrey’s recent remarks made at the Cannes Lions festival in France.
Winfrey had claimed during the event that Houston had relapsed at the time and was so intoxicated that she fell off the stage during her final visit to the show. Winfrey added that she had to beg the studio audience not to take photos or expose the incident to protect the singer’s career.
Responding to the allegations, Pat Houston clarified that while the singer did experience a fall, it occurred during a sound check due to poor lighting and unfamiliarity with the stage layout.
“Whitney absolutely fell off the stage, but it was during a sound check, and it was due to the darkness of the area and her unfamiliarity with the stage. She was absolutely not high,” the statement read.
The estate acknowledged Houston’s well-documented battles with addiction but argued it was unfair to attribute every incident in her life to her struggles.
“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. What the studio audience witnessed on stage was the result of discipline, talent, and commitment, not the assumptions others project,” the family added.
Whitney Houston passed away in February 2012, roughly two and a half years after the controversial September 2009 television appearance.
