Before she passed away tragically in February 2012, Whitney Houston had been a good friend of Tyler Perry. Whitney was open with him about her struggles and addiction, and, as her friend, Tyler wanted to help Whitney in any way he could -- and he certainly tried. But his attempts to help couldn't save the troubled singer.
In this clip from Tyler's upcoming appearance on "Oprah's Next Chapter," he opens up about his friendship with Whitney and reveals how he tried to help her through her addiction, beginning with the first moment she spoke candidly with him while the two were dining at a restaurant.
"I felt a huge responsibility for her," Tyler says. "From the first day we sat down in that restaurant and had a conversation where she was so open with me, I felt a responsibility to do all I could to help her."
Part of this urge stemmed from an ominous feeling Tyler had about Whitney's fate. He says, "I sensed -- like most people who deal with people who have addiction issues -- ...that there [was] a death day coming."
Behind the scenes, Tyler would send a plane and send Whitney to rehab, in addition to offering Whitney's family emotional support through the tumultuous times. "[I was] standing with them whenever they need it," Tyler says.
As for his friend Whitney, Tyler kept communicating with her, but reveals that he could tell when her addiction was taking over. "I would talk to [Whitney] sometimes and she would just be out of it, but trying to be together," he says sadly.
Tyler Perry appears on a new episode of "Oprah's Next Chapter" this Sunday, May 26, at 9 p.m. ET on OWN.
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