Whitney Houston's Legacy Is In Bravo's Hands

There is no doubt that Whitney Houston's legacy resides in the music she has left behind. But along with her carefully produced records, concerts and music videos, there exist hours and hours of footage of the singer from her ex-husband's reality show, "Being Bobby Brown."

"These tapes terrify her family and managers," a friend of Whitney's told me. "They want to preserve her image as the greatest singer of our generation, not as the troubled wife of Bobby Brown, who turned her from an icon into a joke."

When Michael Jackson died, the lack of personal footage made it easy for fans and the media to focus on his professional career rather than his decidedly eccentric private life. The same cannot be said for Whitney, but it appears that Bravo, which owns the "Being Bobby Brown" archives, intends to keep them under wraps.

Asked if the network would repurpose any of its footage, a Bravo spokesperson answered with a firm "No." Those close to the singer are hoping that the decision holds, and that the vault of Whitney footage will stay locked.

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• Singers Whitney Houston (L) and Dionne W

  Singers Whitney Houston (L) and Dionne Warwick perform onstage during the 2011 Pre-Grammy Gala & Salute to Industry Icons, with Clive Davis Honoring David Geffen at the Beverly Hilton on February 12, 2011. The event, on the eve of the 53rd Annual GRAMMY, honored Geffen Records founder and DreamWorks SKG co-founder David Geffen who was presented with the President's Merit Award in recognition of his significant contributions to the music industry and the impact his efforts have had on music and the business of music. AFP PHOTO / Mark RALSTON (Photo credit should read MARK RALSTON/AFP/Getty Images)

• Clive Davis And The Recording Academy's 2011 Pre-GRAMMY Gala And Salute To Industry Icons Honoring David Geffen - Inside

  BEVERLY HILLS, CA - FEBRUARY 12: (EXCLUSIVE COVERAGE) Whitney Houston attends the 2011 Pre-GRAMMY Gala and Salute To Industry Icons Honoring David Geffen at Beverly Hilton on February 12, 2011 in Beverly Hills, California. (Photo by Larry Busacca/Getty Images For The Recording Academy)

• Singer Whitney Houston performs onstage

  Singer Whitney Houston performs onstage during the 2011 Pre-Grammy Gala & Salute to Industry Icons, with Clive Davis Honoring David Geffen at the Beverly Hilton on February 12, 2011. The event, on the eve of the 53rd Annual GRAMMY, honored Geffen Records founder and DreamWorks SKG co-founder David Geffen who was presented with the President's Merit Award in recognition of his significant contributions to the music industry and the impact his efforts have had on music and the business of music. AFP PHOTO / Mark RALSTON (Photo credit should read MARK RALSTON/AFP/Getty Images)

• Whitney Houston waves to the crowd at the 36th Ann

  NEW YORK, UNITED STATES: Whitney Houston waves to the crowd at the 36th Annual Grammy Awards in New York 01 March 1994 after she was honored for Record of the Year, 'I'll Always Love You,' and Album of the Year, the soundtrack from the film 'The Bodyguard.' At rear is her producer David Foster, who shared the honors with her. (Photo credit should read POOL/AFP/Getty Images)

• 1994 WORLD CUP FINAL

  17 JUL 1994 : WHITNEY HOUSTON SINGS DURING THE CLOSING CEREMONY OF THE WORLD CUP BEFORE THE ITALY V BRAZIL 1994 WORLD CUP FINAL AT THE ROSE BOWL STADIUM IN PASADENA CALIFORNIA. Mandatory Credit: Billy Stickland/ALLSPORT

• (FILES) US pop star and entertainer Mich

  (FILES) US pop star and entertainer Michael Jackson (2R) gathers with Elizabeth Taylor (L), Liza Minnelli (2L) and Whitney Houston (R) at the United Nego College Fund dinner at a New York hotel March 10, 1988 in New York. Michael Jackson died on June 25, 2009 after suffering a cardiac arrest, sending shockwaves sweeping across the world and tributes pouring in on June 26 for the tortured music icon revered as the 'King of Pop.' AFP PHOTO/Mark CARDWELL (Photo credit should read MARK CARDWELL/AFP/Getty Images)

• 2/27/98 Los Angeles, CA. Whitney Houston at the 12th Annual Soul Train Music Awards. She recieved th

  2/27/98 Los Angeles, CA. Whitney Houston at the 12th Annual Soul Train Music Awards. She recieved the Quincy Jones Award for 'Outstanding Career Achievement' in the field of entertainment.

• 1999 VH1 Divas Live

  Whitney Houston performs during the VH1 DIVAS LIVE '99 at the Beacon Theatre in New York on Tuesday, April 13. Other performers include Brandy, Tina Turner, and Cher, with a special performance by Elton John. Photo by Frank Micelotta/ImageDirect.

• Singers Mariah Carey (L) and Whitney Houston perfo

  LOS ANGELES, UNITED STATES: Singers Mariah Carey (L) and Whitney Houston perform 'When You Believe' during the 71st Academy Awards 21 March 1999 at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion. (ELECTRONIC IMAGE) AFP PHOTO Timothy A. Clary (Photo credit should read TIMOTHY A. CLARY/AFP/Getty Images)

• 42nd Annual Grammy Awards - Pressroom

  Whitney Houston at the 2000 Grammy Awards held in Los Angeles, CA on Febuary 23, 2000 Photo by Scott Gries/ImageDirect

• (FILES): This 23 February 2000 file phot

  LOS ANGELES, UNITED STATES: (FILES): This 23 February 2000 file photo shows US pop diva Whitney Houston performing at the 42d Annual Grammy Awards in Los Angeles. Houston has checked into a drug rehabilitation clinic, her publicist said 16 March 2004, providing a new twist in her long battle with drug addiction. Houston, 40, has 'chosen to enter a facility for rehabilitation,' her publicist said in a terse statement that provided no further details of the type or location of the treatment, but which contained a message for her fans. 'She thanks everyone for their support and prayers,' the statement said. AFP PHOTO / FILES / Hector MATA (Photo credit should read HECTOR MATA/AFP/Getty Images)

• Clive Davis And The Recording Academy's 2011 Pre-GRAMMY Gala And Salute To Industry Icons Honoring David Geffen - Inside

  BEVERLY HILLS, CA - FEBRUARY 12: (EXCLUSIVE COVERAGE) Singer Whitney Houston attends the 2011 Pre-GRAMMY Gala and Salute To Industry Icons Honoring David Geffen at Beverly Hilton on February 12, 2011 in Beverly Hills, California. (Photo by Larry Busacca/Getty Images For The Recording Academy)

• Whitney Houston In Concert

  BERLIN - MAY 12: US-American singer Whitney Houston performs live during a concert at the O2 World on May 12, 2010 in Berlin, Germany. The concert is part of the 2010 Nothing But Love tour to promote the album I Look To You. (Photo by Jakubaszek/Getty Images)

• Whitney Houston Performs In Milan

  MILAN, ITALY - MAY 03: Whitney Houston performs at Mediolanum Forum on May 3, 2010 in Milan, Italy. (Photo by Vittorio Zunino Celotto/Getty Images)

• 2010 BET Honors - Show

  WASHINGTON - JANUARY 16: Whitney Houston accepts the BET Honor for entertainment during the 2010 BET Honors at the Warner Theatre on January 16, 2010 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Kris Connor/Getty Images)

• 17th Mercedes-Benz Carousel of Hope Ball - Arrivals

  BEVERLY HILLS, CA - OCTOBER 28: Producer Clive Davis (L) and singer Whitney Houston arrive at the 17th Annual Mercedes-Benz Carousel of Hope Ball at the Beverly Hilton Hotel on October 28, 2006 in Beverly Hills, California. (Photo by Michael Buckner/Getty Images)

• 2009 GRAMMY Salute To Industry Icons: Clive Davis - Show

  BEVERLY HILLS, CA - FEBRUARY 07: Singer Whitney Houston performs at the 2009 GRAMMY Salute To Industry Icons honoring Clive Davis at the Beverly Hilton Hotel on February 7, 2009 in Beverly Hills, California. (Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images)

• World Music Awards 2004 - Show

  LAS VEGAS, NV ? SEPTEMBER 15: Singer Whitney Houston is seen performing on stage during the 2004 World Music Awards at the Thomas and Mack Center on September 15, 2004 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images)

• US singer Whitney Houston attends in a w

  US singer Whitney Houston attends in a welcoming ceremony as a guest of honor for the polygamous Black Hebrew sect 30 May 2003 in the southern Israeli town of Dimona. Houston is in Israel for a week to make a recording with the sect. AFP PHOTO/Tal COHEN ISRAEL OUT (Photo credit should read TAL COHEN/AFP/Getty Images)

• Whitney Houston

  DECATUR, GA - AUGUST 27: Singer Whitney Houston leaves the DeKalb County Courthouse after a probation violation hearing for her husband, singer Bobby Brown on August 27, 2003 in Decatur, Georgia. Brown was sentenced to 14 days in jail followed by 60 days of house arrest for violating conditions of his probation, stemming from 1996 DUI charges. (Photo by Frank Mullen/Getty Images)

• VH1 Divas Duets Post Concert Party

  LAS VEGAS - MAY 22: Actresses (L-R) Tia and Tamara Mowry with singer Whitney Houston attend the VH1 Divas Duets post concert party to benefit the VH1 Save the Music Foundation held at the MGM Grand Garden Arena on May 22, 2003 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images)

• Singer Whitney Houston Visits Israel

  JERUSALEM - MAY 27: Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon (R) welcomes singer Whitney Houston (L) and her husband/singer, Bobby Brown (C), at the prime minister's residence May 27, 2003 in Jerusalem, Israel. Houston is on a private tour of Israel. (Photo by Quique Kierszenbaum/Getty Images)

• Bobby Brown Appears In Court

  DECATUR, GA - NOVEMBER 25: Singer/actress Whitney Houston (L) smiles at her husband, singer Bobby Brown, during a court hearing November 25, 2002 in Dekalb County State Court in Decatur, Georgia. Brown was arrested on an outstanding bench warrant for a DUI arrest in 1996. Judge Wayne Purdom set a trial of January 21, 2003. (Photo by Erik S. Lesser-Pool/Getty Images)

• Michael Jackson Concert - Day 1

  Whitney Houston performing on the Michael Jackson '30th Anniversary Celebration, The Solo Years' concert at New York's Madison Square Garden, Friday, Sept. 7, 2001. Photo by Frank Micelotta/ImageDirect.

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Comments

[michelle coop]

02:08 AM on 02/15/2012

bootleg

[Buck Winthrop]

10:28 AM on 02/14/2012

Bravo should maintain its word to never air those episodes again..

[Red Russet]

10:28 AM on 02/14/2012

In raising Whitney, her mom and/ or all of the family members forgot that she was a person first and a singer second. She needed more attention paid to building self-esteem, and her own responsible parenting. It seems like once she was rich and famous, she just stopped trying, stopped caring about her talent, her voice, her image. Her death could have been suicide if she felt the best was behind her.

[kvolovesart]

06:51 AM on 02/14/2012

I cannot imagine they would show it now...would be in very bad taste...look who I am talking about...Bravo...on second thought, they just might show it...eventually...
www.whimsicalfolkart.com

[MeiLing]

10:27 PM on 02/13/2012

Personally, I'm a little tired of everyone blaming Bobby Brown for her problems. Whitney was an adult who made her own choices. In Bobby Brown she choose someone to enable her just as every addict chooses either those that enable them or those that will help them to seek treatment.

Certainly he wasn't a good influence but we all choose the people we surround ourselves with.

[MeiLing]

10:19 PM on 02/13/2012

Not sure why Bravo chose to air it in the first place! Quite frankly, when a celebrity family has some seriously dysfunctional issues such as drug addiction that they are not getting help for, I really can't understand why they would serve up their dirty laundry themselves as public fodder! And the networks shouldn't indulge them either otherwise they become just another enabler!

[Rob Shuter]

07:40 PM on 02/13/2012

i don't know any star Whitney level that has ever done a reality show. sad

[dpcemker]

07:31 PM on 02/13/2012

Her legacy should be the horrible example she set while alive to millions of young girls growing up wanting to be like her. That is what her legacy should be as magnificent as her voice was 20 years ago.

[s e]

12:53 AM on 02/14/2012

her legacy should be exactly what it is..whitney brown is one of the very best voices and singers of all time...period. you sound like a drug addict. poster and a hateful one at that.

[absurd2]

07:14 PM on 02/13/2012

Hey Rob, glad you read my blog, I wrote about the possibility of Bravo re-runs of Being Bobby Brown yesterday
absurdtosublime.net

[DeAnnaClaudette]

06:18 PM on 02/13/2012

They act like people don't already know that Whitney was a drug addict. IMO, there are two distinct sides to this. Whitney the extraordinary vocalist and Whitney the drug addict. You can celebrate her voice while recognizing that she led a troubled life that led to a troubled ending. I personally don't want to see the videos, but it has nothing to do with me trying preserve the Whitney that existed in the mid 80's and early 90's. That ship has sailed.

[MeiLing]

10:23 PM on 02/13/2012

It don't think it has so much to do with that. She divorced Brown years ago so one could just as easily make the case that that ship has sailed a while back as well. Yes, her life was a train wreck and I'm sure the first airings of the show were quite an embarrassment to her family, but do we really need the wreckage again??? Isn't her passing enough of a cautionary tale at this point?

[DeAnnaClaudette]

11:31 PM on 02/13/2012

I wasn't trying to make a case for them showing it. I'm just saying that Whitney tarnished her image on her own. Even if they did release footage, I don't see it making it any worse than she herself made it.

[s e]

12:55 AM on 02/14/2012

that is not WHO whitney was. she is a legend. HUFF POST GET LOST WITH ALL YOUR GOING OVER EVERY SINGLE POST AND MODERATING IT..YOU PEOPLE ARE WAY GONE...THERE IS NO OTHER WEBSITE THAT DOES THIS. THERE ARE 5 OF US POSTING...GENERIC NOTHINGS ON THIS WEBSITE AND YOU MODERATE EVERYTHING..WE WILL SHUT YOU DOWN, B/C YOU PEOPLE DONT KNOW HOW TO RUN A WEBSITE. WHAT A LOSS.

[DeAnnaClaudette]

02:52 AM on 02/14/2012

Yes, an addict is a big part of who she was. When someone has an addiction, it consumes their lives and clouds everything that they do. You can't go around being hooked on the drugs that she was hooked on and also have an entirely clear head.

I agree that she was a legend.

[bertinia]

06:14 PM on 02/13/2012

I like Bravo, however if the footage does not stay locked or better yet destroyed, I would boycott the station and their advertisers!

[rowdiman]

04:28 PM on 02/13/2012

I would never watch their network again and would boycott all advertisers.

[s e]

12:57 AM on 02/14/2012

I WOULD DO THE SAME...HUFF POST, ARE YOU GOING TO MODERATE THIS LIKE EVERY OTHER POST YOU MODERATE...WHAT THE H IS WRONG WITH HUFF POST...TRY TO GET A GRIP. H POST...AND, BTW...TRY TO GET SOME GOOD EXAMPLES FROM OTHER TABLOID WEBSITES, B/C YOURS IS A LOSER.