Whitney Houston's ex-husband Bobby Brown struck back at claims he was responsible for getting the pop star hooked on drugs or that he played a role in her cocaine-fueled death in February."I'm not the one that got Whitney on drugs, at all," Brown said in an interview to be aired on the Today show on US television network NBC.
"I'm not the reason she's gone."
Houston, 48, was found dead in a Beverly Hills hotel bathtub on February 11 from what authorities called accidental drowning brought on by cocaine use and heart disease.
White powder and drugs paraphernalia were found in the bathroom where she died.
The singer had spoken publicly about a long battle with cocaine, marijuana and crack, particularly during her tempestuous 15-year marriage to Brown. They divorced in 2007, but some fans and members of Houston's family have blamed Brown for her untimely death.
In his first TV interview since the singer died, Brown, 43, told Today show host Matt Lauer that he has been off drugs for seven years and was hurt to hear that Houston had been using cocaine.
"I was hurt because, you know, me being off of narcotics for the last seven years - I felt that she was, you know, I didn't know she was struggling with it still. But at the same time, you know - listen, it's a hard fight," he said.
Brown said drugs were part of Houston's life before he met her in 1991.
"I smoked weed, I drank the beer, but no, I wasn't the one that got Whitney on drugs at all."
REUTERS
