A new documentary on the pop icon drops a bombshell – she was sexually abused as a child by her cousin
SHE was the gospel singer who became a global pop powerhouse – a star with a heavenly voice who helped pave the way for generations of black women. Some say without Whitney Houston there’d be no Beyoncé – such was her clout in the industry.
So why did a woman who seemed to have everything going for her end up self-destructing in such a brutal way? This is the question that drove an award winning filmmaker in search of answers – and led him to discover a dark secret that haunted the singer all her life.
Scottish director Kevin Macdonald’s documentary, Whitney, was one of the stand-out productions at the recent Cannes Film Festival and gives new insight into a woman who could sing like an angel yet was plagued by demons.
Childhood abuse at the hands of her cousin, Dee Dee Warwick – younger sister of soul singer Dionne Warwick – goes a long way to explain why Whitney burnt out so spectacularly. Here’s more about what’s bound to be one of the most-talked-about documentaries of the year.
A SHAKY START
Kevin didn’t set out to make a controversial film on the queen of pop.
The filmmaker – whose gritty 2006 drama The Last King of Scotland, about Ugandan dictator Idi Amin, won Forest Whitaker his best actor Oscar – dismissed the idea when he was first approached.
“My immediate response was, ‘I’m not really interested in Whitney Houston’,” he told The Hollywood Reporter.
But he had a change of heart when he struck up a conversation with Whitney’s agent, Nicole David. “She said to me, ‘The thing is, I loved her so much, but I still don’t understand what happened to her family.’ That was the key for me.”
Bu hikaye YOU South Africa dergisinin 7 June 2018 sayısından alınmıştır.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Giriş Yap
Bu hikaye YOU South Africa dergisinin 7 June 2018 sayısından alınmıştır.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Giriş Yap
PUSHED TO THE LIMIT
The unusual relationship between an heiress and her husband has taken a sinister twist
HOW TO MAKE A SUPERBABY
Noor Siddiqui says her company can test embryos for hundreds of conditions from diabetes to Alzheimer's. Critics call it social engineering but she insists she's just giving prospective parents the means to avoid a lot of future heartache
THE GROWN-UP BRAIN
If you think your brain deteriorates as you age, think again!
THE eyes HAVE IT
They're the windows to our soul - and the first place to show the stresses of everyday life. Juliette Winter reveals expert tips to de-puff, brighten and smooth this delicate area
WE'RE IN THIS TOGETHER
It hasn't been an easy road but now this bodybuilding couple are making waves in the industry
I CAN'T WAIT FOR SUMMER!
Annetjie's about to get effective treatment for the skin condition that has blighted her life and she's looking forward to hitting the shops and facing the world
'SHE NO THREAT TO ANYONE'
When SA boxer Chris van Heerden's Russian girlfriend went to visit her parents she was thrown in jail and accused of treasonnow he's in a fight to free her
SUNK IN 16 MINUTES!
A sun-drenched holiday turned into a living nightmare for those aboard this luxury vessel
READY TO SMILE AGAIN
A groundbreaking surgical procedure will restore this Limpopo teen's badly damaged jaw and teeth
HARRY AT A CROSSROADS
As the prince turns 40, royal experts paint a picture of a troubled soul- isolated, homesick and struggling to find a purpose in life