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Though Whitney Houston was found to have cocaine in her systemwhen she accidentally drowned, her ex-husband Bobby Brown doesn’t believe drug abuse caused her sudden death.
“I don’t think she died from drugs,” the 49-year-old singer told Rolling Stone in a new interview ahead of the inaugural Celebration of Serenity Gala. “No, not at all. She was really working hard on herself to try to be a sober person and, um [pauses] she was a great woman.”
More than a month after Houston was found unresponsive and underwater in a bathtub at the Beverly Hilton Hotel on Feb. 11, 2012, the L.A. coroner’s office said her “death was complicated by chronic cocaine use and heart disease.” Aside from cocaine, Houston was also found to have marijuana, Xanax, Benadryl and other medication in her system.
Asked to clarify if he thinks drugs weren’t found in Houston’s system, Brown said “Yes” before his wife and manager Alicia Etheredge-Brown interjected to say, “There were drugs in her system.”
Instead of drug abuse causing Houston’s downfall, however, Brown said he believes the late diva’s death was caused by “just being broken-hearted.”
Brown is also still struggling with the 2015 death of his daughter Bobbi Kristina — specifically regarding her ex-boyfriend Nick Gordon, whom he believes abused his only child with Houston and caused her death.
“No, not yet. Because he’s still walking around free,” said Brown when asked if he feels justice was gained after Gordon was ordered by a court to pay $36 million to the estate of his former girlfriend after he was found him liable for her death.
Added Brown of what would bring him peace: “If he was locked up somewhere where somebody can rape him. That’s just how I feel. He raped me by taking my daughter away.”
This article originally appeared on PEOPLE.
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