Whitney Houston sexually abused as child says Cannes documentary

CANNES: An explosive new documentary about the tragic life of Whitney Houston claims the superstar was sexually abused as a child by her cousin, soul singer Dee Dee Warwick. The bombshell revelation in “Whitney”, made with the cooperation of the singer’s family, comes late in the film by Oscar-winning Scottish director Kevin Macdonald, which premiered Thursday at the Cannes film festival. Houston’s assistant, Mary Jones, who Whitney called “Aunt Mary” — and who discovered her face down in a Beverly Hills bath the night she died — said the singer told her she was abused. Her half-brother Gary Garland-Houston corroborated the account and said he was also sexually assaulted by the younger sister of soul legend Dionne Warwick. The abuse allegation may help to shine a light on the singer’s troubled love life and descent into drug addiction, which contributed to her early death at 48 in 2012.