Bobby Brown To Release Memoir Detailing Bobbi Kristina Brown Tragedy
Bobby Brown experienced a catastrophe this year when he lost his 22-year-old daughter, Bobbi Kristina Brown, in July. Yet, the singer announced this week that he’s working on a memoir, which is proving to be therapeutic for him amid the tragedy.
BET reports that Brown, 46, had already arranged a new book deal prior to his daughter’s hospitalization earlier this year, but since the hardship, the “Don’t Be Cruel” singer has been working diligently on the memoir, entitled My Prerogative, and finds that writing is helping him cope with his loss. Brown recently released a statement about the upcoming memoir, via Dey Street Books, a HarperCollins imprint that’s publishing the book.
“Right after I signed on to write my story, I went through one of the most agonizing traumas I had ever experienced with the death of my daughter. But I was surprised by how therapeutic it was to work on this project, to look at the entire arc of my life and to realize that although there has been considerable pain, I have also been incredibly blessed.”
According to USA Today, Dey Street Books offered Brown the opportunity to tell his side of the events that occurred during his tumultuous marriage to the late Whitney Houston, including the 2012 incident that led to her death. The publisher also indicated that the memoir will depict the story of an entertainer “who has been on the top of the mountain and in the depths of the valley,” as part of the popular group New Edition and as a solo artist.
Senior Editor of Dey Street Books Denise Oswald promises fans, as well as people who are curious about the man behind an extremely public profile, a glimpse into his personal life and the highs and lows Brown went through to get to where he is today.
“His music, both with New Edition and in his incredible solo career, defined an era, but his life — full of epic highs, wild romance, and crushing lows— has been the subject of endless speculation and debate.”
Bobbi Kristina lost her battle with global and irreversible brain damage on July 26, and throughout six months of diligent medical care, her father was right by her side. Although Brown’s role as a parent has been questioned in the past, especially after the singer divorced Houston, it’s hard for even the most negative critic to look past the devotion he gave to Bobbi Kristina during her final months.
Since the tragic incident, Brown has only talked in-depth once about his daughter, when he appeared on daytime talk show The Real last month. In a heartfelt, emotional interview, the singer indicated that he felt guilt over not being by Bobbi Kristina’s side early enough, which, in his mind, may have prevented the negative outcome. Brown has never mentioned Nick Gordon’s name, Bobbi Kristina’s former boyfriend, himself, but the singer’s lawyer stated last month that Gordon is to blame.
This isn’t the first memoir Bobby Brown released. In 2012, he released his first memoir, The Truth, the Whole, and Nothing But, yet Essence reports that when controversial details were leaked about his former wife, he backed out of the book deal. Although the memoir was eventually published, the book wasn’t what Brown thought it would be, but he’s hoping his new memoir will shed light on a lot of confusing speculation and rumors.
My Prerogative is slated for release in June 2016. In the meantime, Bobby Brown is enjoying fatherhood again with the birth of his youngest daughter, 3-month-old Bodhi Jameson Rein Brown.
[Photos Courtesy of Isaac Brekken/Getty Images, Frazer Harrison/Getty Images & Bryan Steffy/Stringer]
