Brandy Calls Whitney Houston an Angel Amid Controversy With Brother
Brandy Norwood, 33-year-old actress and singer who has referred to Whitney Houston as her idol, recently opened up about the title of her album being inspired by the late singer.
Norwood was a good friend of Houston's who co-starred with the late singer in the television movie "Cinderella," and recently spoke with YRB Magazine about Houston's death and her own birth coinciding with the title of her album "2 Eleven."
"Two Eleven describes all of that. It's the day I was born, and each year, I evolve and change with time," Norwood told the publication. "It also has a whole new meaning to it because I gained my angel."
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Before the untimely death of Houston at the age of 48, Norwood was vocal about possibly playing the late singer in a biopic.
"My dream role is to play Whitney Houston. Of course she would have to sing all the songs but I would love to play Miss Whitney," Norwood said in an interview with TrueExclusives.com. "I have her entire personality down pat, her '-isms' down pat. No offense ladies, there's a lot of talented ladies out there but nobody can play Whitney Houston like me."
Houston was reportedly close with the Norwood family, including Brandy's younger brother Ray-J, 31, who some assumed had aided in her substance abuse. The sister of Houston's ex-husband, Leolah Brown, alleged that Ray-J Norwood and Houston used drugs together.
However, his representatives have denied the claims.
"Though Leolah Brown was nowhere near the Beverly Hilton hotel on the day Whitney Houston died, [HLN's parent company] CNN proceeded to broadcast an interview with Ms. Brown in which she falsely claimed that Ray J was at the hotel and contributed to Whitney Houston's death," said Norwood's publicist, Courtney Barnes. "Even the most minimal inquiry with anyone actually in contact with Whitney would reveal that Leolah Brown had been out of contact with Whitney for more than a year and was nowhere near the scene on the day of her death."
Still, Norwood's sister, Brandy, chose to focus less on the controversy surrounding Houston's death and more on the inspiration the late singer provided.
"My icon is my angel now," Norwood told YRB.
