Bobbi Kristina Brown Dies at 22 in Hospice: ‘She's in God’s Hands Now’

By Isaiah Narciso
Bobbi Kristina Brown Has Died
Bobbi Kristina Brown, daughter of the late singer Whitney Houston, poses at the premiere of "Sparkle" in Hollywood, California August 16, 2012. REUTERS/Fred Prouser

Bobbi Kristina Brown, the daughter of legendary singer Whitney Houston, died Sunday in hospice. She was 22 years old.

According to Maria Mercedes Lara and Elizabeth McNeil of People, Bobbi Kristina's death comes nearly six months after she was found unresponsive in a bathtub at her home in Georgia back in January. The Houston family announced her death through a statement from their representative.

"Bobbi Kristina Brown passed away July 26, 2015, surrounded by her family," the statement said. "She is finally at peace in the arms of God. We want to again thank everyone for their tremendous amount of love and support during these last few months."

People reported that she was kept on life support following her near-drowning incident and was later moved to a long-term care facility in the Atlanta area in March. However, Pat Houston, who is married to Whitney Houston's brother, Gary, said in a statement last month that Bobbi Kristina's condition "continued to deteriorate," which required a transfer to hospice.

"We thank everyone for their support and prayers," Pat said. "She is in God's hands now."

A source from the Brown family told People that Bobbi Kristina was "skin and bones" shortly before she was moved to hospice.

"She has been losing weight, she's been losing hair," the source said. "They were taking good care of her, but she has no muscle tone at all. There has been some worry that her organs are shutting down."

An unnamed source close to the Houstons told People that the family turned its focus to making sure that Bobbi Kristina "is at peace" and took things "one day at a time."

"Her family is right there with her," the source said. "They sing to her and talk to her. They just want her to feel that they are there by her side. They hold her hand a lot and pray with her too - even if she doesn't know that they are there. In spirit, she knows. They have always tried to be there for her."

According to Claire Rutter of the Mirror, Bobbi Kristina's grandmother, 81-year-old Cissy Houston, was unable to be by her granddaughter's side in hospice due to her poor health, which made her unable to travel. She spoke about Bobbi Kristina's condition back in May.

"Whatever the Lord decides, I'm ready for her... I have nothing to do with that," Cissy said. "That's His job. It's His territory, you know? And I understand it."

Before her death, director Tyler Perry asked for "respect and decency" while she was in hospice. According to the Mirror, Perry plans to lend his private jet to fly her father, Bobby Brown, to Atlanta.

"For some reason, it has become human nature in our society to look for, seek out, and celebrate darkness, glory in tragedy, and enjoy reading and reporting it," Perry said. "It makes me sad to know that everybody wants to be the first to report something awful."

According to People, Bobbi Kristina's death comes more than three years after her mother's death. Houston died from accidental drowning in a bathtub in 2012; a toxicology report found that various medications and illegal drugs were in her system.

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