Whitney Houston's closest friend BeBe Winans has admitted that her death caught her loved ones "off guard", as she appeared to be "thriving" after overcoming her troubles.
The 'I Will Always Love You' singer passed away at the age of 48 in her Beverly Hilton hotel room in February.
A toxicology report later found that Houston had Xanax, cocaine and Benadryl in her system at the time of her death.
Winans, who sang at Houston's funeral and has written a book about their relationship titled The Whitney I Knew, has now come out to claim that the star was stronger than ever at the time of her passing, having seemingly conquered her issues with drugs.
"Those of us who were really close to Whitney had experienced the real dark times, when that phone call was almost expected," he told The Sun.
"We thought she had passed those days so when it happened, it caught us off guard. She was thriving.
"I can't say that Whitney's trouble with drugs or anything else were caused by the stress of fame. I can't say that, but we can assume that."
Winans also said that he doesn't feel Houston's ex-husband Bobby Brown should be held responsible for her issues.
"People want to blame Bobby for her demise and I think it's wrong," he said. "Whitney made her own decisions.
"When she told me she was marrying him, I told her I thought it was a bad idea, that they weren't meant to be together.
"But when she said that is what she was going to do, I said, 'I'll be there, in my tuxedo and a smile'."
Winans will publish The Whitney I Knew later this month.
It was announced this week that an exhibit dedicated to Houston will open at the Grammy Museum in LA.
