In the documentary "Whitney" that premiered at the "Cannes Film Festival" on Wednesday, a tragic addition to the public's understanding of megastar Whitney Houston was revealed. Dee Dee Warwick has, at the time of this publication, not commented upon the allegations in the documentary of her abuse to her cousins.
The claims
People everywhere were shocked when three-quarters of the way through the documentary on Whitney Houston, it was revealed that she had been molested as a child by her cousin two-time Grammy nominee Dee Dee Warwick. The documentary also revealed that her half-brother, Gary Garland was also molested by her.
Warwick is eighteen years older than Houston, and the sister of singer Dionne Warwick. The Warwicks were the nieces of Cissy Houston, Whitney Houston's mother.
When Whitney Houston was growing up her parents were often away, busy with their own careers. Her mother, Cissy Houston, was a backup singer for Aretha Franklin and Elvis Presley. She was often on tour, so it was not unusual for the children to stay with other people, Gary Garland said in the documentary.
These claims were confirmed via interviews of family members and Houston's entourage. Additionally, details of the abuse were given by Whitney Houston's longtime assistant Mary Jones and Pat Houston, Houston's sister-in-law and manager.
Jones explained to director Kevin MacDonald that it was an issue nobody felt they could talk about and that Houston felt shame about the molestation.
No charges were ever filed against Dee Dee Warwick. The accused died in 2008 at age 63. Whitney Houston died suddenly at age 48 in 2012.
The Director's comment
Information given by Houston's longtime assistant Mary Jones changed the final cut of the documentary, according to Scottish director Kevin MacDonald.
Jones stated that the issue was important to know in order to understand Houston. In an interview with the director, Jones told him that when Houston had told her about the molestation, she had tears in her eyes. She had never told her mother for fear of how she would react. Jones apparently urged her to reveal the truth to her mother about what happened to her in order to take the burden away.
MacDonald stated that after learning about the molestation, the documentary became a detective story. He tried to uncover the truth about the allegations and present another layer to the Whitney Houston story. On the reason, he felt it important to include this in the documentary he said: "I think it will impact her legacy in a positive way because I hope that it will make people feel like I’m not going to dismiss her as this drug-addicted, tabloid, ne’er do well, low-class person."
