Gladys Knight has suggested Whitney Houston was being corrupted by Satan before her passing. The ‘Midnight Train to Georgia’ soul star has heaped praise on the iconic singer – who was tragically found dead in her bathtub in 2012 – but suggested her incredible talent meant the devil “was working on her big time”.
Speaking on BBC Radio 2’s show ‘Mica Meets Gladys Knight’, she said: “To be very honest with you, I had not heard a talent like that. I mean, oh my God, what an awesome gift she had. And because she was so gifted Satan was working her big time.
“She was my girl. She was beautiful, she was talented. I had people in my family who had gone that way, so it hurt me more to see. It was just little Whitney you know? Little Whitney – what are you doing? I didn’t know she was in that deep and that one really got me. That one really, really got me.”
Whitney Houston performing at Radio City Music Hall in New York on July 20, 1993. (Photo by Ebet Roberts/Redferns)
Whitney was found to have cocaine, marijuana and prescription medication in her system when she accidentally drowned in the bath in February 2012, and her battle with addiction has been well-documented. Earlier this year a picture of her bathroom littered with drug paraphernalia – which was secretly taken by her cousin Tina Brown in 2006 – was bought by Kanye West for $500,000 to use as the artwork for Pusha-T’s album ‘Daytona’.
The original image was published 12 years ago by the National Enquirer – six years before Whitney’s death from accidental drowning aged 48. Meanwhile, it’s been confirmed that Gladys, 74, will headline the BBC Proms in the Park event at London’s Hyde Park on September 8, topping a bill featuring the likes of Lisa Stansfield and Josh Groban.
The Grammy Award-winning star said: “I’m so excited to be performing at this year’s BBC Proms in the Park, I love coming to the UK and always receive such a warm welcome. Performing on the Hyde Park stage as part of the Last Night of the Proms event has always been a dream of mine and I think it’s a wonderful way to celebrate music in London!”
