Robyn Crawford
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Robyn Crawford (born December 17, 1960) is an American author, producer, and former assistant to and creative director for Whitney Houston.[1][2] Her credits include The Bodyguard (1992), Waiting to Exhale (1995), In Between (1987), and The Wonderful World of Disney (1995).[3]
Early life[]
Robyn Crawford was born in Newark, New Jersey, but grew up as one of three siblings in East Orange, New Jersey. Her mother left Crawford's father due to abuse exacted.[4] Both her mother, Janet Crawford, and her brother, Marty, were diagnosed with HIV. They both died of AIDS related illness in the ’90s.[5]
Crawford met Whitney Houston in 1980, when Crawford was 19 and Houston was 17, the pair having both been counselors at an East Orange summer camp.[6][7]
Crawford claims in her book A Song for You: My Life with Whitney Houston, published in 2019, that she had a lesbian relationship with Houston that faded as they prioritized Whitney's career. Crawford left school to aid Houston's career.[8] They lived together as a couple.[9][2] Crawford was ostracised and sidelined by Houston's family and management as Houston's fame grew and her career progressed, and she married Bobby Brown.[9][10]
Her book A Song for You: My Life with Whitney Houston became a New York Times Best Seller.[11] Rosie O’Donnell has expressed her opinion that Crawford and Whitney Houston had a romantic relationship.[12]
Personal life[]
Crawford lives in New Jersey with her wife Lisa Hintelmann, with whom she adopted twins. She identifies as sexually fluid or queer. [13] Lena Waithe has cited Crawford as an early inspiration.[4]
Filmography[]
| Year | Title | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 1987 | In Between[3] | Script supervisor |
| 1992 | The Bodyguard[3] | Executive assistant to Whitney Houston |
| 1995 | Waiting to Exhale[3] | Executive assistant to Whitney Houston |
| 1997 | The Wonderful World of Disney[3] | Associate producer (one episode) |
| 2017 | Kevyn Aucoin: Beauty & the Beast in Me[3] | Herself |
| 2017 | Whitney: Can I Be Me[3] | Herself |
| 2018 | Whitney[3] | Herself
(Archival Footage) |
In print[]
Podcasts[]
| Date | Show | Episode | Role |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dec. 26, 2019 | NPR's 1A | "'She Had Me, I Had Her:' Robyn Crawford Opens Up"[15] | Guest |
| Nov. 20, 2019 | LGBTQ&A[16] | "Robyn Crawford: My Life With Whitney Houston" | Guest |
| Nov. 12, 2019 | Yes, Girl!, an Essence podcast | "Nobody Loved Whitney Like Robyn Crawford - The Interview You've Been Waiting For" | Guest |
Bibliography[]
References[]
- ^ Caramanica, Jon (November 7, 2019). "Whitney Houston's Confidante Robyn Crawford Breaks Her Silence". The New York Times.
- ^ a b "Robyn Crawford & Whitney Houston — Didn't We Almost Have It All by About A Girl". Podchaser. 2020. Retrieved 2021-08-25.
- ^ a b c d e f g h "Robyn Crawford". IMDb.
- ^ a b c Davis, Arianna (November 12, 2019). "Robyn Crawford Opens up to Lena Waithe About Her Relationship With Whitney Houston". Oprah Magazine.
- ^ McNeil, Liz. "Whitney Houston's Best Friend Robyn Crawford Counters Claim that Dee Dee Warwick Molested the Singer". People.
- ^ a b "Exclusive: The Robyn Crawford Interview You Haven't Heard Yet". Essence.
- ^ O'Connor, Roisin. "Whitney Houston's best friend Robyn Crawford confirms they had a physical relationship". Insider.
- ^ Davis, Arianna (12 November 2019). "Robyn Crawford Opens up to Lena Waithe About Her Relationship With Whitney Houston". Oprah Magazine.
- ^ a b Brockes, Emma (2019-11-16). "'Our friendship was intimate on all levels': Robyn Crawford on her love for Whitney Houston". the Guardian. Retrieved 2021-08-25.
- ^ "Whitney Houston's Best Friend Robyn Crawford Breaks Her Silence on Their Love Affair in Memoir". PEOPLE.com. Retrieved 2021-08-25.
- ^ "Combined Print & E-Book Nonfiction". The New York Times.
- ^ https://www.olisa.tv/index.php/2021/03/27/rosie-odonnell-speaks-on-whitney-houstons-sexuality-says-singer-was-a-lesbian/
- ^ "Whitney Houston's Best Friend Robyn Crawford Breaks Her Silence on Their Love Affair in New Memoir". People.
- ^ "Robyn Crawford on Loving Whitney Houston: "It Was Deep"". www.advocate.com. November 12, 2019.
- ^ "'She Had Me, I Had Her:' Robyn Crawford Opens Up". NPR.
- ^ "Robyn Crawford: My Life With Whitney Houston". LGBTQ&A – via Luminary.
- ^ "A Song for You My Life With Whitney Houston By Robyn Crawford". penguinrandomhouse.com. Retrieved July 19, 2020.
- 1960 births
- American women memoirists
- American memoirists
- Writers from East Orange, New Jersey
- LGBT writers from the United States
- LGBT people from New Jersey
- LGBT memoirists
- Living people
- 21st-century American women