Bobbi Kristina Brown, the daughter of singers Whitney Houston and Bobby Brown, died in 2015
at the age of 22.
When a civil trial deemed that drug intoxication had contributed to her death, her boyfriend
at the time, Nick Gordon, was found legally liable.
However, no criminal charges were filed.
As part of that ruling, Gordon was ordered to pay $36 million to his late girlfriend's
estate.
Gordon and Brown briefly starred together in the Lifetime reality show The Houstons:
On Our Own, and in 2020, he himself died from a heroin overdose.
Only three years earlier, Bobbi Kristina Brown's mother, Whitney Houston, had also died.
Brown was just 18 years old at the time of her mother's passing.
Following the death of the legendary singer, Bobbi Kristina inherited the entirety of her
mother’s fortune — which at that point was estimated at some $20 million.
None of that money was left to Houston's ex-husband, Bobby Brown, however.
Brown and Houston had an unhappy marriage, with allegations of substance and physical
abuse, as well as infidelity.
They split up in 2007 after 15 years — but what happened to Bobbi Kristina Brown's money
after she died?
"What's getting you through it?"
"My family.
And the Lord.
And her, just hearing her all the time."
Whitney Houston's will stipulated that her daughter would receive only 10% of her mother's
wealth, while the rest was to be put into a trust fund.
She would then receive 25% of the money on her 25th birthday, and the remainder of the
fortune by her 30th birthday.
Tragically, she never made it.
Further complicating any estimation of how much Bobbi Kristina was worth at the time
of her death is the potential for outstanding debt from her late mother, which would have
been paid from the inheritance.
The value of Whitney Houston's estate also continued to grow after she died.
For these reasons, it is unclear exactly how much Brown was worth in 2015, though some
sources estimate her net worth to be about $2 million.
Houston's will was originally drafted in 1993 — one year after marrying Bobby Brown.
Her mother, gospel singer Cissy Houston, was the original executor of the will, but she
stepped aside, allowing Whitney Houston's sister-in-law and manager, Marion Houston,
to assume the role.
Her will was revised again in the year 2000, removing her ex-husband and naming Bobbi Kristina
the sole benefactor of the money.
Much like her mother had been years earlier, Bobbi Kristina Brown was found in an unresponsive
state when her body was discovered in January 2015.
Unlike her mother, Bobbi Kristina was alive and transported to the hospital.
At first, it was reported that neither drugs nor alcohol were involved in the incident,
but that turned out to not be the case.
Brown's condition at the time began to affect her brain function, and she was placed into
a medically induced coma.
She subsequently spent some time in a rehabilitation center in a comatose state.
After her case was reviewed by medical specialists, Brown was moved to hospice, where she died
in July of that same year.
A conservator was appointed when Bobbi Kristina was placed in her coma, and this person was
given control over her assets, likeness, rights, and legal claims.
At first, Nick Gordon claimed to be the husband of Bobbi Kristina Brown, meaning he would
receive all her remaining money — but it turned out the two weren't married at all.
For this reason, the entirety of Whitney Houston's money would have reverted to the estate, benefitting
her mother Cissy Houston and Houston's two brothers.
Consequently, none of Whitney Houston's money would have gone to Bobby Brown, or to Bobbi
Kristina's boyfriend, unless specifically stipulated in Bobbi Kristina's own will.
It is not known if she had drafted such a document before she died, however.
Without a will, her father, Bobby Brown, could have made a claim, but no attempt to do this
appears to have been made.
Much of the money Brown inherited from her mother may also have been spent while undergoing
treatment prior to her death.
Unfortunately, the many variables and question marks surrounding this situation mean that
it's more or less impossible to say for sure what happened to the money — and it's likely
to remain a mystery for years to come.
If you or anyone you know is struggling with addiction issues, help is available.
Visit the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration website or contact
SAMHSA's National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357).