Emotional troubling details we learned from new documentary “Whitney: Can I Be Me”

Five years ago, Whitney Houston aka “The Voice” left us. Many people still remain puzzled over the mystery surrounding Whitney Houston’s untimely passing and her daughter, Bobbi Kristina. Since then, new details have emerged about the singer’s personal life. From her addiction problems to her insecurities, those who were closet to her suggest that her death could’ve been avoided if only someone would’ve helped her sooner.

“Whitney: Can I Be Me” premiered on Showtime, August 18th, and it unearthed some new, albeit heartbreaking details about who Whitney Houston really was.

Here are some things we learned from the documentary:

1. Whitney began drugs at a very young age:

In an interview with Oprah Winfrey, Whitney’s brother Michael painfully admitted to introducing his sister to drugs when she was a teenager. A blame that had fallen on her ex-husband, Booby Brown. “When Whitney and I met, we were in our teens,” recalls Ellin Lavar, a longtime friend of the singer. “They did drugs. It was a thing you do: go out, party, drink, do a little drugs. Everybody did it, and her brothers gave it to her.”

2. Her parents weren’t very supportive:

Whitney’s parents, the infamous Cissy Houston and John Houston, were “God-fearing” members of her local church that raised Whitney in a very strict manner. That didn’t stop when Houston began her career. Houston’s relationship with her father also deteriorated when he sued her for financial retribution. This also caused her continued use of drugs.

3. It was Kevin Costner who came up with the a capella beginning to “I Will Always Love You”:

Costner co-starred with Whitney in the 1992 hit movie, “The Body Guard”, which exerted Houston’s status into A-list celebrity. The song “I Will Always Love” was originally Dolly Parton’s, but she excitedly gave Houston the okay to remake the song for the movie. The haunting, yet mesmerizing opening to the song, was Kevin Costner’s idea after hearing her voice. The soundtrack’s producer, David Foster, was unconvinced until he heard Whitney sing the beginning verse. “It was like, Oh my god, are you kidding me, this is the most incredible thing I have ever seen,” Foster stated.

4. Those close to Whitney knew she had a problem, and tried to save her:

David Roberts, Whitney’s bodyguard for nearly a decade and her hair stylist, Ellin Lavar were among the many people in Whitney’s life that tried to get the singer to ease up on the drug use. Roberts even sought legal documents stating Whitney’s substance abuse and erratic behavior.

5. Whitney had no control over her career:

Whitney’s pop-trendy, feel good music was purposely set that way. The idea music executives had at the time was to mold Houston into the next “Joni Morrison”, completely disregarding her soulful-gospel roots. Although Whitney dominated the music charts in the 80’s, she was also disconnected from her Africa-American fan base, because she was considered a “sell-out”.

6. Whitney tried to stay sober for her daughter Bobbi Kristina:

Bobbi Kristina met the same fate eerily as her mother did, when she was found unconscious, face down in a bathtub. Though Whitney had her own personal demons, she did seek help for the sake of her only child. “She never had a chance”, David Roberts wrote, “She came along when things were only getting worse.” “She wanted to be normal,” Whitney’s former drug counselor Carrie Starks says in one interview. “She really didn’t care about fancy clothes and fancy cars. She would say to me, ‘I want to get off drugs so I can be a mother to my daughter.”

You can watch “Whitney: Can I Be Me?” on Showtime.