Bobby Brown Denies He’s Banned From Whitney Houston’s Funeral

Bobby Brown will be permitted to attend Whitney Houston’s funeral. That claim comes from, er, Bobby Brown, who was addressing earlier rumors that he had been banned from the service by Houston’s family.

Houston’s ex-husband apparently isn’t held in the highest esteem by the late singer’s family, but Brown emailed ABC News to deny he has been shut out of Houston’s funeral.

The private service, which is invite-only, will take place this Saturday in Newark, N.J, in the church where Houston first showcased her prodigious vocal talents. In his message to ABC News, Brown said he was focused on supporting Bobbi Kristina Brown, the daughter he had with Houston:

“My daughter Bobbi Kristina is doing much better. We continue to provide love and support to Bobbi Kristina. She is dealing with the tragedy of her mother’s death and would prefer to do it outside of the public eye. I ask again that our privacy be respected.”

Bobbi Kristina has been hospitalized for stress and anxiety at least three times since learning of her mother’s death, and her current whereabouts have not been disclosed. Her father cancelled a Nashville concert to comfort her.

The Houston family’s reportedly difficult relationship with Bobby Brown is at least partly based on speculation, with several pundits suggesting the family blames Brown for introducing the diva to drugs. Brown insists that he had only experimented with drugs before marrying Houston. We’ll know if he really is getting the shoulder by this Saturday.

In the meantime, Whitney fans are expressing their grief by buying a lot of her music – since her death, her album sales have been boosted by almost 6,000 percent, and her most famous song, ‘I Will Always Love You,’ is miles ahead of anything else in the iTunes chart.

[Via ABC News]