Whitney Houston was "vibrant" and "crazy"

In 'The Whitney I Knew', published later this month, the 49-year-old friend relives some of their moments together.

He told The Sun newspaper: "I remember I went to see the 'Prince Of Tides' with her in the early Nineties. Near the end of the movie the woman sitting in front of Whitney turned around and said, 'Can you shut up please?'

"Whitney grabbed the woman's blonde ponytail and said, 'You shouldn't be so rude'. Then she pushed her head forward."

He continued: "The woman stood up and screamed and her boyfriend stood up like he was getting ready to fight. We grabbed Whitney and bolted out of the theatre.

"Whitney was laughing and saying, 'That was so much fun!' I wasn't surprised at all because I knew exactly the sort of person she was. She could stand her ground. She didn't need a bodyguard!

He added: "She was unruly and she was vibrant and she was crazy -- she was honest to who she was."

BeBe believes if she had been shielded better from the demands of fame, she may not have had her life blighted by drug addiction.

BeBe said: "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.

"If you allow that stress to enter your life and to remain there, it can lead you to do things that you never thought you would ever do."