Warrenton couple mourns loss of friend Whitney Houston

Millions of fans likely felt as if they knew the late legendary singer Whitney Houston, but Warrenton residents Bill and Andralyn Allen actually did.

Houston died Feb. 11 in a Beverly Hill, Calif., hotel where she was found in a bathtub. The unofficial cause of death was an overdose of prescription drugs. Although initial reports said the Grammy winning singer had drowned, later accounts discounted claim.

The Allens got to know Houston while Bill Allen was working in an executive capacity with the United Negro College Fund in New York City.

The United Negro College Fund moved from New York to Washington D.C. years ago and Bill Allen since left the organization.
He and his wife hadn't seen Houston in years, and learned about her Feb. 11 death in a Beverly Hills hotel through a news alert on Andralyn Allen's phone.

"We've known Whitney forever," said Bill Allen. "We're devastated."

On Monday evening, the Allens sat at their kitchen table and poured over photo albums filled with memories. There were pictures of them and their children with a host of celebrities, including the late Michael Jackson, Spike Lee and Michael Jordan.
And then there were the pictures of Whitney -- lots of pictures of Whitney.

"We have excellent memories of Whitney," said Andralyn Allen. "She was a warm, caring, sweet person."

Houston, who was born in Newark, N.J. and grew up in East Orange, N.J., cared about everyone, but was especially passionate about helping young African American kids get "a leg up with their education," Bill Allen said.

To that end, she supported the United Negro College Fund whole-heartedly. Her appearances at two events helped raise about $400,000, according to Bill Allen.

Even when she couldn't perform, Houston did whatever she could to help.

"We did a telethon every year. One year, I asked if she could do an appearance, but her people said she couldn't do it. They told me that we could use a song for a video and that I would be really happy. They said, 'Bill, it will blow you away.'"

The song turned out to be the smash hit, "I Will Always Love You."

Over the years, the Allens shared in some of Houston's most special moments. They attended her birthday party one year and attended the 25th birthday bash she threw for Bobby Brown at Tavern on the Green in New York City.

They saw the couple's whole relationship develop, and even went to Houston's wedding. They still have the invitation.

"I never even knew that you could fit 800 people in a tent or that you could air-condition a tent back then," said Bill Allen. "Dick Clark was at a table near us."

For all of the glamor, there were signs that trouble was brewing long before news of Houston's troubled relationship and difficulties with substance abuse became public, according to Bill Allen.

"I don't want to say anything negative, but there were problems there," he said.

The singer's struggles saddened and troubled the Allens, who say those issues should not define her.

Instead, she should be remembered as a fabulous singer and the wonderful person she was, they said.

The Grammy Awards, which could have been a stellar tribute to the late siren was lacking, they said.

"It was the highest-rated broadcast since the 1980s because I think a lot of people thought there would have been more of a tribute [to Whitney]," Bill Allen said. "They didn't do enough."