Robyn Crawford
{{Short description|American author and producer (born 1960)}}
{{Multiple issues|
{{POV|date=November 2019}}
{{BLP sources|date=November 2019}}
}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Robyn Crawford
| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1960|12|17}}
| birth_place = Newark, New Jersey, U.S.
| death_date =
| death_place =
| education =
| alma_mater =
| spouse = Lisa Hintelmann
| children =2
| occupation =
| years_active =
}}
Robyn Crawford (born December 17, 1960) is an American author, producer, and former assistant to and creative director for Whitney Houston.{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2019/11/07/books/review/whitney-houston-robyn-crawford-book.html|title=Whitney Houston's Confidante Robyn Crawford Breaks Her Silence|first=Jon|last=Caramanica|newspaper=The New York Times|date=November 7, 2019}}{{Cite web|date=2020|title=Robyn Crawford & Whitney Houston — Didn't We Almost Have It All by About A Girl|url=https://www.podchaser.com/podcasts/about-a-girl-1565843/episodes/robyn-crawford-whitney-houston-83265548|website=Podchaser|language=en|access-date=August 25, 2021}} Her credits include The Bodyguard (1992), Waiting to Exhale (1995), The Preacher's Wife (1996), In Between (1987), and Cinderella (1997).{{Cite web|url=http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0186947|title=Robyn Crawford|website=IMDb}}
Early life
Crawford was born in Newark, New Jersey, but grew up as one of three siblings in East Orange, New Jersey. Crawford's mother left her father due to his abuse.{{Cite web |last=Davis |first=Arianna |date=November 12, 2019 |title=Robyn Crawford Opens up to Lena Waithe About Her Relationship With Whitney Houston |url=https://www.oprahmag.com/entertainment/books/a29657752/robyn-crawford-lena-waithe-a-song-for-you-interview|website=Oprah Magazine |access-date=13 May 2022}} Both her mother, Janet Crawford, and her brother, Marty, were diagnosed with HIV, and both died of AIDS related illness in the ’90s.{{Cite web |last=McNeil |first=Liz | date=November 8, 2019 |title=Whitney Houston's Best Friend Robyn Crawford Counters Claim that Dee Dee Warwick Molested the Singer|url=https://people.com/music/whitney-houston-best-friend-counters-claim-dee-dee-warwick-molested-singer/ |website=People |access-date=13 May 2022}}
Relationship with Whitney Houston
Crawford met Whitney Houston in 1980, when Crawford was 19 and Houston was 16. She and Houston met when they were counselors at an East Orange summer camp.{{Cite web |last=Penn |first=Charli |date=November 12, 2019 |title=Exclusive: The Robyn Crawford Interview You Haven't Heard Yet |url=https://www.essence.com/feature/exclusive-interview-robyn-crawford-whitney-houston-best-friend |website=Essence |access-date=13 May 2022}}{{Cite web |last=O'Connor |first=Roisin |date=November 7, 2019 |title=Whitney Houston's best friend Robyn Crawford confirms they had a physical relationship |url=https://www.insider.com/whitney-houston-best-friend-robyn-crawford-physical-sexual-relationship-2019-11 |website=Insider |access-date=August 25, 2021}}
Crawford claims in her 2019 book A Song for You: My Life with Whitney Houston that she had a same-sex relationship with Houston that faded as they prioritized Houston's career. Crawford left school to aid Houston's career. They lived together.{{Cite web |last=Brockes |first=Emma |date=November 16, 2019 |title='Our friendship was intimate on all levels': Robyn Crawford on her love for Whitney Houston |url=http://www.theguardian.com/music/2019/nov/16/friendship-intimate-on-all-levels-whitney-houston-robyn-crawford-addiction-fame-secrecy |website=the Guardian |language=en |access-date=August 25, 2021}} Crawford says that she was ostracised and sidelined by Houston's family and management as Houston's fame grew and her career progressed, and when Houston married Bobby Brown.{{Cite web |last=McNeil |first=Liz |date=November 6, 2019 |title=Whitney Houston's Best Friend Robyn Crawford Breaks Her Silence on Their Love Affair in New Memoir |url=https://people.com/music/robyn-crawford-breaks-silence-whitney-houston-love-affair-memoir/ |website=People |access-date=13 May 2022}}
A Song for You: My Life with Whitney Houston became a New York Times Best Seller.{{Cite news |title=Combined Print & E-Book Nonfiction |url=https://www.nytimes.com/books/best-sellers/2019/11/25/combined-print-and-e-book-nonfiction/ |newspaper=The New York Times |date=November 25, 2019 |access-date=13 May 2022}}
Personal life
Crawford lives in New Jersey with her wife Lisa Hintelmann, with whom she adopted twins. Lena Waithe has cited Crawford as an early inspiration.
Filmography
| class="wikitable" | ||
| Year | Title | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 1987
|Script supervisor | ||
| 1992
|Executive assistant to Whitney Houston | ||
| 1995
|Executive assistant to Whitney Houston | ||
| 1997
|Associate producer | ||
| 2017
|Kevyn Aucoin: Beauty & the Beast in Me |Herself | ||
| 2017
|Herself (archival footage) | ||
| 2018
|Herself (archival footage) |
=In print=
=Podcasts=
| class="wikitable"
!Date !Show !Episode !Role |
| Dec. 26, 2019
|"'She Had Me, I Had Her:' Robyn Crawford Opens Up"{{Cite web|url=https://www.npr.org/2019/12/25/791296728/she-had-me-i-had-her-robyn-crawford-opens-up|title='She Had Me, I Had Her:' Robyn Crawford Opens Up|website=NPR}} |Guest |
| Nov. 20, 2019
|"Robyn Crawford: My Life With Whitney Houston" |Guest |
| Nov. 12, 2019
|Yes, Girl!, an Essence podcast |"Nobody Loved Whitney Like Robyn Crawford - The Interview You've Been Waiting For" |Guest |
Autobiography
- A Song for You. My Life With Whitney Houston. Dutton. 2019. {{ISBN|9781524742843}}.{{Cite web|url=https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/566213/a-song-for-you-by-robyn-crawford/|title=A Song for You My Life With Whitney Houston By Robyn Crawford|website=penguinrandomhouse.com|accessdate=July 19, 2020}}
References
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Category:American women memoirists
Category:Writers from East Orange, New Jersey
Category:American LGBTQ writers