Sunday, July 26, brought some deeply tragic news for the Brown and Houston families, as well as their many fans across the world: According to reports, Bobbi Kristina Brown has passed away at the age of 22. This news comes nearly five months after Bobbi Kristina was placed in a medically-induced coma following reports that she was found unresponsive and face down in a bathtub at her home in Roswell, Georgia, by her boyfriend Nick Gordon and their mutual friend. In the period following the shocking reports of Bobbi Kristina's hospitalization and subsequent coma, conflicting tabloid reports began to surface concerning the circumstances around how Bobbi Kristina Brown died — and though those questions remain valid, it isn't all we should remember about the young woman.
Brown was much more than the tabloid circus surrounding her hospitalization. She was talented — reports suggested she may have been considering following in her late mother, Whitney Houston's, footsteps and pursuing a career in music — and she possessed such immense strength that many don't know the half of their entire lives. Although the circumstances surrounding Brown's death are questionable — the events leading up to her being found unresponsive still aren't clear, after all — none of who Bobbi Kristina herself was should get lost in that conversation.
Brown's life, from the time she was a child, was tumultuous — and that's to say the least. She was born to Bobby Brown and the legendary Houston on March 4, 1993 in Livingston, NJ, and was often thrust into the spotlight due to her parents' collective fame. Throughout her childhood, Brown and Houston individually struggled with addiction, and when Bobbi Kristina was only 19 years old, Houston was found dead in a bathtub at the Beverly Hills Hotel in Los Angeles, CA (eerily similar circumstances to Bobbi Kristina's death).
It was a tragedy that Bobbi Kristina struggled deeply with — but, as depicted in the Houston family's reality show following Houston's shocking death, Bobbi Kristina was still capable of calling upon immense inner strength and wisdom to cope and move on as best she could. She was nothing short of inspirational for her ability to handle the pressure, though it clearly weighed on her shoulders more than one could even imagine.
Don't get me wrong here: Questioning the circumstances surrounding Bobbi Kristina's death is necessary, especially considering there are still so many questions left to be answered about what led up to it and if any foul play was involved. However, at this moment in time, we should reflect on Brown's life, her strength, her talent, and the tragedy surrounding the fact that that her life ended before it could ever really begin — Bobbi Kristina's family deserves the time to mourn their loss, and Bobbi Kristina herself deserves that respect.
The questions can come later.
