Inside Bobby Brown's Relationship With Daughter Bobbi Kristina
Bobbi Kristina Brown, daughter of legendary singer Whitney Houston and R&B star Bobby Brown, passed away on July 26, 2015 and was subsequently buried next to her mother in New Jersey (Houston died just three years previous). As People reported on the second anniversary of her death, the young woman was found unresponsive in a bathtub at her home in Georgia and was placed in a medically-induced coma for six months.
Boyfriend Nick Gordon was ultimately found civilly liable for Bobbi Kristina's death and ordered to pay $36 million restitution. Her father expressed hope Gordon would be charged criminally too, noting that the 22-year-old "was afraid of tubs because of what happened to her mom. So I know she wouldn't have gotten in the tub" (via ET Online). In the years since his daughter's passing, the R&B singer has continued to fight to clear her name and pay tribute as best he can.
Bobbi Kristina Brown's death left many questions
On the second anniversary of her death, Brown posted an Instagram tribute to his daughter through the domestic abuse charity Bobbi Kristina Serenity House. "SAY HER NAME — NEVER FORGET," he wrote alongside the hashtag #LoveShouldntHurt. Likewise, on the fifth anniversary of her passing, the R&B star shared a shot of his daughter as a little girl with the sweet message, "There's no way to explain how I feel I miss you so much little girl you stay in my heart on my mind every day daddy loves you."
As People reports, in the trailer for Lifetime documentary, Whitney Houston & Bobbi Kristina: Didn't We Almost Have It All, a friend of the Bobbi Kristina reiterates Brown's statement about her death. "The fact that she was found in a bathtub with the same fate as her mother doesn't make any sense," Sarah Beckmann advised ominously.
Bobby Brown wishes things could've been different
Speaking on 20/20 in 2016, Brown tearfully admitted to having "failed" his daughter while on lengthy drug binges with Houston, during which they'd typically leave Bobbi Kristina in the care of nannies (via USA Today). Although Brown insists they never did drugs in front of her, he acknowledged, "We could have been better. We should have been better." The R&B singer marked Houston's death as a major turning point in their relationship.
He admitted Bobbi Kristina stopped speaking to him for years afterwards. However, in 2014, she moved to L.A. so they could work it out. Of Bobbi Kristina's untimely death, he noted, "If I could get those two days back, I would go and get her. My daughter would be here." Brown reiterated Gordon's involvement too, advising, "I don't know what happened that night, but he does." Evidently, the wound may never fully close for him.