BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. (AP) – The premiere of “Whitney” was no family affair. But no one expected Whitney Houston’s kin to attend.
“It was the family’s choice and decision because of what they want to do and whatever their desires or their plans are, not to be involved in this one,” director Angela Bassett said of “Whitney,” a new telefilm about the beloved entertainer’s triumphant career, often troubled life and tragic death.
But a blast of Huston’s colleagues and friends did made the screening. It took place at the Paley Center for Media, just blocks from The Beverly Hilton hotel, where the 48-year-old Houston drowned in her guest room in February 2012. The official coroner’s report listed heart disease and cocaine as contributing factors in her death.
Guests who knew Houston included athlete-entrepreneur Magic Johnson, music producer David Foster and musicians Smokey Robinson and Sheila E.
Relatives were invited, but declined, to participate in the “Whitney” project from the start, Bassett explained. The Oscar-nominated actress marked her feature-directing debut with the biopic, which debuts Jan. 17 on the Lifetime cable network.