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4 deaths in less than 9 years: The eerily similar deaths in the Houston Brown family.

This post deals with addiction and might be triggering for some readers.

Bobby Brown Jr, the son of singer Bobby Brown, has died aged 28.

Brown Jr was found unresponsive in his Los Angeles home on November 19, authorities confirmed to CNN. He was pronounced dead at the scene. 

No cause-of-death has been confirmed, but no foul play is suspected.

Brown Jr was the half-brother of Whitney Houston's daughter Bobbi Kristina Brown, who died in 2015.

In a statement to CNN, Brown senior's agent Nick Szatmari said he had "no comment" regarding the death.

In an Instagram post, Landon Brown, the eldest of Brown senior's seven children, wrote "I love you forever King".

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Brown Jr had been following in his father's musical footsteps, regularly promoting his music on social media. 

He is survived by his father, sister La'Princia and half-siblings Landon, Cassius, Hendrix and Bodhi Brown. 

A family's years of loss.

Brown Jr's death comes after Nick Gordon, the one time fiance of his half-sister Bobbi Kristina, died aged 30 in January 2020.

Gordon's brother Jack Walker Jr confirmed his death on January 1 to People, saying that the cause of death was a drug overdose.

He suffered several heart attacks on New Year's Day and died in a Florida hospital.

"New Years didn’t have to start like this," Walker Jr wrote in a Facebook post.

"You just told me you HAD to see me for New Years but I'm blessed I got to talk to you last night, you will forever be my best friend nobody will ever take your place."

Gordon's attorney told E! News it was "truly heartbreaking to have witnessed firsthand the total devastation that drug addiction has wreaked upon a group of young friends, all of whom were loved and had immense potential."


In 2016, Gordon was found 'legally responsible' for the death of his fiancé Bobbi Kristina in a civil case and ordered to pay $36 million in damages. He did not face a criminal charge.

Bobbi Kristina's family blamed Gordon, accusing him in the lawsuit of giving her "toxic cocktail" before putting her face-down in the water.

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He always maintained his innocence, insisting he did everything he could to resuscitate the then 21-year-old after finding her unconscious at their Georgia home.

Gordon became part of the Houston family at age 12, when he moved into the family home.

nick gordon bobbi kristina brown
Image: Getty.

In October 2012, eight months after the death of Bobbi Kristina's mother Houston, she and Gordon announced their engagement. It caused controversy within the family, as she had previously referred to Gordon as her "big brother".

Bobbi Kristina's grandmother Cissy Houston called the relationship "incestuous" when they were initially dating, according to TMZ. However, Bobbi Kristina said the couple received her grandmother's blessing prior to their engagement.

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In early 2014, Bobbi Kristina and Gordon announced they had married, but her father Brown senior's lawyer said a year later that "Bobbi Kristina is not and has never been married to Nick Gordon".

Bobbi Kristina died in July 2015 aged 22 having spent almost seven months in a coma, after she was found face down in a bathtub. Her death resulted from Lobar pneumonia, caused by brain damage and water immersion combined with mixed drug intoxication.

Her death echoed her mother's. Houston died in 2012 at age 48, after being found unresponsive in a bathtub. Her death was ruled due to coronary artery disease and cocaine intoxication.

nick gordon bobbi kristina brown
Image: Getty.
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In March 2015, Gordon appeared on the Dr Phil Show, but was "high as a kite" and desperately in need of rehab, according to the television psychologist.

"He was so animated and so emotionally out of control, I thought he could be dead in a matter of days if something doesn't happen," Dr Phil McGraw told Extra host Mario Lopez.

"I felt like if we did not get him to a structured and supervised environment I felt like his life was in danger."

After seeking treatment, Gordon reappeared on Dr Phil in April 2016 to give an update on his life.

"I was drinking so much at the time because I could not deal with what was happening to Krissy," he told McGraw about his previous appearance.

"It mentally broke me. That’s the lowest point in my life right there."

He told McGraw that Bobbi Kristina's drug problem worsened after the death of her mother.

"It's unfortunate, but at the time, that’s kind of the only way we knew how to deal with what had happened," he said.

If this post brought up any issues for you, you can contact Drug Aware, Australia's 24hr alcohol and drug support line. You can reach them on (08) 9442 5000 or 1800 198 024.

This article was originally published on January 2, 2020 and has been updated.

Feature image: Getty.