Whitney Houston FBI files released
The Federal Bureau of Investigation has released files spanning a decade from 1988 to 1999 detailing three investigations it conducted on behalf of Whitney Houston.
Whitney Houston died in a hotel bathroom on February 11, 2012.
The records, numbering more than 120 pages, were posted online on Monday, showing letters from obsessed fans and an alleged extortion attempt in 1992.
The FBI found no crime actually occurred and there was no evidence of criminal threats in the fan mail.
Following Whitney Houston’s marriage to New Edition singer Bobby Brown in 1992, the files show someone considered to be a close friend and “privy to much personal information” had allegedly attempted to blackmail her to the tune of $250,000, threatening to put private information into the public arena unless she paid out.
Whitney Houston was interviewed by the FBI at the New Jersey offices of her management company about the extortion investigation, but the records are heavily redacted.
A fan in Vermont, New England proclaimed his love through more than 70 letters in a 17-month period, sent to Whitney Houston at the height of her fame.
One letter read: “I tried to ignore what I felt towards her. After five months I had to do something so I started writing letters.”
Later in the same letter, the fan referred to a plan to make his love for Whitney Houston’s public through the press, though he was afraid would hurt the singer’s reputation.
He wrote: “It scares me that I might come up with some crazy or stupid or really dumb idea that might be as bad as that or even worse than that. I might hurt someone with some crazy idea and not realize how stupid an idea is until I have done it.”
The FBI has released files spanning a decade from 1988 to 1999 detailing three investigations it conducted on behalf of Whitney Houston
The FBI decided no law was broken as he had not made any physical threats towards Whitney Houston.
The files were released through a Freedom of Information Act request, but contained no new personal details about Whitney Houston’s life.
In 1999, Whitney Houston received letters and recorded cassette tapes from the Netherlands, which she considered threatening.
In a subsequent FBI interview, the sender made outlandish claims, saying he was President of Europe, had bought Brazil for $66 billion and helped Nelson Mandela’s election campaign in South Africa
Whitney Houston’s death at the age of 48, the night before the Grammy Awards 2012, was as a result of accidental drowning due to cocaine use and heart disease, authorities said.