Whitney Houston
The late Whitney Houston was reportedly blackmailed in 1992 by a Chicago lawyer seeking $250,000 claiming he had knowledge about her lesbian affair. Reuters/Ethan Miller/Files

A Chicago lawyer tried to extort $250,000 from Whitney Houston by threatening to reveal her secret relationship with her personal assistant and longtime friend, Robyn Crawford, the New York Post reported, citing a FBI report. Details about the late Grammy award-winning singer’s alleged lesbian affair was revealed in a new book released Monday, titled, "Whitney & Bobbi Kristina: The Deadly Price of Fame”.

The attorney reportedly claimed that he had knowledge of Houston’s romantic relationships and would go public with the information if he was not paid the amount, the New York Post reported. The incident reportedly occurred in 1992. The 128-page FBI file reportedly contained several harassing letters between Houston’s handlers and someone who threatened her.

According to the report, Houston’s father, John Houston, “settled the matter by sending a confidentiality agreement almost immediately,” but it was unclear how much money was paid to the person.

Ian Halperin, the author of the new book, which highlights the drug problems of Houston and her daughter Bobbi Kristina, reportedly quoted Kevin Ammons, who was once Houston's bodyguard, as saying that John Houston was extremely unhappy and worried that Crawford might go public about her relationship with Houston.

Houston’s husband, Bobby Brown, had also reportedly once addressed the rumors of his late wife’s lesbian affair. "The media was accusing her of having a bisexual relationship. In Whitney's situation, the only solution was to get married and have kids," Bobby Brown reportedly wrote in his memoir.

Crawford, who is openly gay, reportedly resigned from Whitney's production company in 2000.

Houston died in February 2011 after an accidental drowning in a bathtub in a hotel room at the Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills, California. The Los Angeles County Coroner had said, citing an autopsy report, in 2012, that "effects of atherosclerotic heart disease and cocaine use" were the reasons for her death.

Her daughter, Bobbi Kristina, was found under similar circumstances in a bathtub at her Atlanta Home on Jan. 31, 2015, following which she has been hospitalized and remains in an unresponsive state.

RELATED STORIES