Rosing to prominence back in the 70s, Whitney Houston soon became one of the most celebrated actor-singers of that era, who went on to win 6 Grammys throughout her illustrious career. But apart from Houston’s acclaimed acting and music career, the I Will Always Love You Singer’s dating life also remained a major talking point during the ’80s and ’90s.

Years later after the Waiting to Exhale Star’s tragic demise back in 2012, her long-time best friend and business partner Robyn Crawford gave an insight into Houston’s dating life in her memoir.
Whitney Houston

Whitney Houston Was Left Heartbroken After Jermaine Jackson Turned Her Down

Recounting her memories about the acclaimed singer in The New York Times Bestseller, Robyn Crawford took a deep dive into Whitney Houston’s love life. And while the actress had a history with several notable names, including Ray J and Crawford herself, she also suffered a major heartbreak back in the ’80s after Michael Jackson’s brother Jermaine Jackson rejected her advances. In the memoir, A Song for You: My Life with Whitney Houston (Via New Zealand Herald), Robyn Crawford recalled that she tried to make Houston feel better by saying,

“I tried to make her feel better by saying she was worrying over the wrong Jackson,”

But it wasn’t only the Greatest Love of All Singer, who had to deal with rejection, as Oscar Winner Robert De Niro had to go through a similar experience when he developed feelings for the singer.

Robert de Niro Took His Shots Only to Experience Rejection

Following her initial ascend to the top, one of Whitney Houston’s early admirers involved a young Robert De Niro, who was a pretty prominent figure in Hollywood following his collaborations with Scorsese. But unlike the morally ambiguous characters he tackled onscreen, his real-life counterpart couldn’t have been more different, as he took his shots at Houston on several occasions. From inviting her to dinner and giving her a visit at the hotel, the Goodfellas Star didn’t budge until the Singer eventually turned the actor “down gently”.

In her memoir, A Song for You: My Life with Whitney Houston, Crawford explained,

“She had trouble shaking [him]… He must be crazy,”

Robert De Niro
It didn’t take long for De Niro to move on, as the later years would witness him tying the knot with Grace Hightower in 1997, and their marriage would last for a little over 2-decades.