Bobby Brown and Whitney Houston may no longer have been a couple when she died in February, but as he told TODAY's Matt Lauer in an interview that aired Wednesday morning -- his first interview since her death -- he still  misses her fiercely.

"Our relationship was great," he said. "I had 14 beautiful, beautiful years with that woman." And it's not just his revisionist history, he insisted: "I can honestly say that -- I love that woman with -- with everything that I am. And I believe she loved me the same way."

Still, Whitney and Bobby's relationship was, almost from the start, filled with conflict of one kind or the other. Brown says he never used hard drugs before meeting Houston, and said that she had used drugs before they were involved. "I worried about it when ... we first got together until I tried it," he said. "And when I tried it, for some reason, I have an addictive personality."

He does have some regrets, wondering to Lauer whether "I coulda done something different, you know to -- ensure that she had a longer life. But ... you have to want it, you know?"

The 2005 single-season reality show "Being Bobby Brown," which put an uncomfortable spotlight on their relationship and showed Houston's temper flaring, he says, was a "wake-up, because we were able to see what others were saying about us .... (to) see that our drug use had affected our relationship, had affected the love we felt for each other."

But Houston declined to appear on a second season of the show, and the pair separated in 2006; they divorced the following year. Still, said Brown -- who told Lauer he would be getting remarried "soon" -- he still has a lot of room in his heart for his late former wife.

"My fiancee knows how I felt about that woman," Brown said. "My kids know how I feel ... how I felt about Whitney. It's not a secret, you know? I was in love with her deeply."

Did what Bobby Brown said change your opinion of him and his relationship with Whitney Houston? Discuss on Facebook.

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Reuters, AP

The star-crossed and much-scrutinized lives of Michael Jackson and Whitney Houston may have been intertwined beyond public knowledge, as a bodyguard for Jackson is now saying the two pop enigmas had a brief romantic affair in the early '90s.

Determined to prove he is the biological father of Jackson’s youngest child, Blanket, former bodyguard Matt Fiddes made a number of striking claims to UK’s The Sun, including the suggestion that the pop superstars had a two-week fling at Jackson’s Neverland Ranch in 1991, and that Jackson never quite recovered from it.

"They met because they were two of the biggest recording artists on the planet and mixing in the same circles. They instantly connected as kindred spirits because they understood each other’s massive fame,” Fiddes told the Sun on April 29. “Whitney practically moved into Michael’s ranch and they had a fling like any other young couple. But Michael said later he had always hoped the relationship had gone further, and I know he dreamed of marrying her."

In March, there was speculation that Houston was romantically linked to Jackson’s older brother, Jermaine. The Sun also reported that the affair took place while Jermaine was married to Hazel Gordy, daughter of Motown founder, Berry Gordy. Jackson’s sister, La Toya confirmed the rumor on March 5 when she appeared on the "The Talk," saying, "He [Jermaine] has admitted that they had an affair."

Fiddes further elaborated to the Sun, commenting that Michael "was furious when he heard she had also slept with Jermaine, but this didn’t stop him holding a candle for her his whole life."

The 32-year-old British martial arts expert and fitness instructor met Jackson in 1998, and soon became his bodyguard and confidant until his passing in 2009.  Fiddes insists that Jackson asked him for a sperm donation in 2001 because he wanted to "create an athletic child," and that 10-year-old Blanket (real name Prince Michael II) was the result of his endowment. Though not seeking custody of the boy, Fiddes is aiming to bring the paternity issue to court in order to have DNA testing carried out and obtain visitation rights.

As further testament to his close ties with the late superstar, Fiddes has made a number of other allegations about the singer, including that he was "anorexic" and "impotent" due to heavy use of drugs and alcohol. He claims Jackson’s body was riddled with needle marks, and that he was ashamed of his balding head and had a closet containing more than hundred wigs.

Added Liddes, the last days of the pop icon were sullen. "If he couldn’t get drugs, he would drink. When he announced the 'This Is It' concerts at the O2 in London in 2009, he had downed half a bottle of whisky to cope with the pressure. He was also wearing a bullet-proof vest, petrified he would be assassinated due to the child abuse allegations that haunted him until his dying day."

Though he asserts he spoke to Jackson just three days before his death on June 25, 2009, Liddes was banned from the Jackson family circle following the singer’s passing.

What do you make of Fiddes claims? Share your thoughts on Facebook.

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In his first interview since the death of Whitney Houston, Bobby Brown exclusively tells TODAY's Matt Lauer, "I'm not the reason she's gone."

NBC

In a candid sit-down set to air Wednesday, Brown, who says he’s "very much clean and sober from narcotics," talks to Lauer about the last time he saw Houston, how he found out about her death, and why he gets blamed for her drug use. He talks about his relationship with their daughter, Bobbi Kristina, and addresses recent rumors and controversy surrounding her personal life. And Thursday, speaking publicly for the first time, three of Brown’s children and his fiancée tell TODAY how they feel about the media’s portrayal of Brown. 

When asked about the last time he saw Houston, a week or so before she died, Brown says the iconic singer "had this glow about her that was just, you know, incredible. I'm saying to myself, you know, 'She must be ... she must be doing really well,' because she looked really well."

Brown says Houston, to whom he was married for 15 years, "looked like she was in a good place."

Video: Coroner says Houston took drugs before drowning

Lauer asks Brown how he took the news that cocaine was a likely contributor to the death of Houston, 48, who was found in a bathtub in a Beverly Hills hotel on Feb. 11.

"I was hurt. I was hurt ... because, you know, me being off of narcotics for the last seven years, I felt that she was, you know, I didn’t know she was struggling with it still. But at the same time, you know, listen, it's a hard fight.  It's a hard fight to, you know, maintain sobriety that way."

Based on his own feelings and how she appeared when he last saw her, Brown theorizes that that one day of cocaine use -- not the effects of longterm use -- was enough to kill Houston. "It had to be that one, because that's all it takes," Brown said. "One hit, you know ... it could definitely take your life away from you. And, unfortunately, that was it."

Lauer pressed the 43-year-old R&B star on the talk after Houston's death. "If I heard it once, I heard it a hundred times, and I know you heard it too," Lauer said. "Fans, people who say they were close to Whitney, say her life went downhill when she met Bobby Brown. How does it make you feel when you hear it?"

"It makes me feel terrible," Brown said. "But you know, I know differently. I think if anyone ever knew us, if anybody ever spent time around us instead of time lookin' through the bubble, they would know how we felt about each other. They would know how happy we were together."

Video: Houston's hairstylist opens up about star's death

Brown says the couple got a wakeup call from starring in the reality TV series "Being Bobby Brown." "We looked at the bubble and saw ourselves. We was able to see what other people were saying about us, you know? We was able to see that our drug use had affected our relationship, had affected the love that we felt for each other."

But when asked by Lauer about the popular perception that he is the one responsible for getting Houston hooked on drugs, Brown says, "not true."

"I didn't get high [on narcotics] before I met Whitney," Brown said. "I smoked weed, I drank the beer, but no, I wasn't the one that got Whitney on drugs at all." He says drugs were a part of the singer's life "way before" they got together.

"It's just ... it's just unexplainable how one could, you know, [say that I] got her addicted to drugs. I'm not the reason she's gone," Brown said.

NBC

Video: Star-studded sendoff for Whitney Houston

In the second part of Lauer's interview, which will air Thursday, the TODAY host talks with three of Brown's children -- Landon, Bobby Jr., and La’Princia -- and his fiancée, Alicia Etheridge.

The children all say the public perception of their father is not the right one.

"I honestly feel like my dad's a great person," daughter La'Princia said. "He's been my best friend, like, my whole life. If I ever have a problem with anything, I know I can always go to him. Likewise, if he ever needs to talk to somebody, he knows he can always call me and I'll be there for him."

Son Landon says people confuse his father's stage persona with the real man. "I feel like my father's always had the bad boy image. So, you know, they just keep followin' that. Anything that they can take a negative from the situation, they blow it out of proportion and blame him."

Video: Details emerge about Houston's final days

La'Princia says everyone makes mistakes.

"They don't see the good part of him that we see every single day. Everyone goes through their ups and downs. You can't be judged forever about one event in your life or just the bad decisions you've made, you can't always be judged just by that."

How do you feel about Bobby Brown's view of Whitney Houston and his take on people's perception of him? Discuss on Facebook.

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Mario Anzuoni / Reuters file

Whitney Houston in 2007.

Whitney Houston's assistant was the one who discovered the pop icon lying face down in her bathtub at the Beverly Hilton on Feb. 11, but it's unclear whether she was the "irate" woman who called hotel security and "kept hanging up" before they could get the whole story, according to a recording of the 911 call made by a hotel staffer and released to the public today.

"Apparently I've got a 46-year-old female found in the bathroom," the caller, who identified himself as "security from the Beverly Hilton," told the operator. "That's all I've got right now, but they're requesting paramedics."

Then there was some confusion as to how dire the situation was.

MORE: Whitney Houston Death--Beverly Hills Police Close Investigation, No Charges Filed

"She fell or was in the bathroom with the water," the staffer said, identifying the room as 464 before correcting himself and providing the correct suite number, 434.

When asked if Houston (who remained unidentified throughout the conversation--and she was 48, not 46) was conscious or breathing, the caller said, "Apparently she wasn't breathing."

"But she's breathing now?" the operator asked, to which he said, "I don't know."

A few seconds later, however, he added, "The person who called me was irate and I couldn't get much out of her," and replied, "Yes, that's correct," when the operator asked again if the woman was still not breathing.

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The security team member then said that he was headed to the room. The operator offered to stay on the line to give CPR instructions and asked whether or not anyone had tried CPR, to which the caller said, "No, she kept hanging up on us."

The operator then promised to get the paramedics to the hotel right away.

Listen to the 911 call

Houston, who was discovered in her room at around 3:30 p.m. on Feb. 11, was pronounced dead at the scene at 3:55 p.m. after resuscitation attempts failed.

An autopsy determined the cause of death to be accidental drowning, with heart disease and cocaine use cited as contributing factors. Investigators found a "white powdery substance" in the bathroom, according to the final coroner's report.

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Rick Diamond / WireImage

Whitney Houston in 2009.

Whitney Houston can finally rest in peace. Beverly Hills police have closed their investigation into her death--the last piece of lingering red tape from her Feb. 11 passing.

And despite drugs playing a key part in her death, the cops have declined to file any charges.

MORE: Get the details on the coroner's report here

The department cited the coroner's final determination that the music legend accidentally drowned in the bathtub of her suite at the Beverly Hilton Hotel with traces of cocaine in her system. Coroner officials did say that investigators found traces of a powdery substance in the room, but there was apparently no indication it belonged to anyone other than Houston.

According to its own report, Beverly Hills police determined that Houston may have been "possibly overdosed on a narcotic substance, prescription medications, over the counter medications and alcohol."

"Based on the findings of our investigation and our review of the Coroner's Report we have determined that this is not a criminal matter. The BHPD investigation has been officially closed," the department said in a statement, which also extended its condolences to Whitney's family, friends and fans.

GALLERY: Whitney Houston: A Life

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Evan Agostini / Evan Agostini / AP

Whitney Houston in 2009.

In an upcoming interview with Anderson Cooper, Kevin Costner tells the talk-show host he twice wrote letters to his "Bodyguard" co-star Whitney Houston to try and encourage her to conquer her addictions.

“There are some people that really love Whitney, and a couple times during the last seven, eight years, (they) asked me, would I write her a letter?” recalls the actor, who spoke at the singer's February funeral. “She would always be close to me, she would always be somebody I appreciated.”

“When someone says, will you write a letter to someone who you know is having trouble … I did.” he adds. “I don’t know if those letters were ever read.”

Costner spoke to Cooper on the host's daytime talk show, “Anderson,” for an episode that will air in May. The actor is currently promoting his new mini-series, “Hatfields & McCoys,” which premieres on the History Channel on May 28.

Cooper asked Costner about the toxicology report on Houston, which revealed chronic and long-term usage of cocaine by the singer.

“Was she going through those struggles when she was doing 'The Bodyguard'?” Cooper asked Costner.

“Not that I know of, no,” he replied. “I elected to let Whitney have her life after 'The Bodyguard.'”

At Houston's funeral, Costner described the "Whitney that I knew” as someone who lacked self-confidence and always questioned her own abilities. He observed how such scrutiny both helped her to advance, and ultimately, led to her decline.

Costner told Cooper on his show, “I know I have this level of celebrity, of fame, international, national, whatever you want to call it, but it’s a pretty surreal thing to think sometimes that you’re in the middle of another famous person’s life and you think to yourself, ‘How the hell did I get famous? What is this some weird club that we’re in?’”

Costner also said that he had spoken to the the late Princess Diana about the possibility of her starring in a second "Bodyguard" movie. "I told her I would take of her just the same way that I took care of Whitney."

While it may sound like a pipe dream -- the famous former royal in a Hollywood film -- Costner told Cooper the princess was serious about it. ""She wanted me to write it for her," he said. "I said 'I'll tailor it for you if you're interested.' She goes, 'I am interested.'"

Like the first film, Costner would play a bodyguard who protects a famous woman from paparazzi and stalkers and then becomes romantically involved with her. He told Cooper he received a draft of the script for the proposed sequel on Aug. 31, 1997, the day before Diana's fatal Paris car crash.

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Kevin Mazur / WireImage file

Whitney Houston in 2009.

With Whitney Houston’s final moments revealed through release of the L.A. County coroner’s final autopsy report Wednesday, the Beverly Hills Police Department appears ready to close the case of the singer's sudden death. But Dr. Drew Pinsky has a lot of unanswered questions.

Houston, 48, was found dead in her bathtub at the Beverly Hilton Hotel on Feb. 11. The cause was ruled to be an accidental drowning, and the result of cocaine ingestion and a heart condition.

Nearly six hours after the singer was pronounced dead, police measured the temperature of the water in the tub at 93 degrees Fahrenheit. No other specifics were mentioned regarding this circumstance, but it was a point Pinsky was quick to address on his television show, “Dr. Drew on HLN,” Wednesday night.

“How is that even possible? Is it like a self-heating bathtub?” Pinsky asked. He later added, “I don’t think they should close [the case] as this still leaves open the possibility of foul play.”

He went on to provide his own theory on Houston’s death.

“This theory that she had some sort of heart problem, I take issue with that,” said Pinsky. “She had mild – not even mild – minimal heart disease. Sixty percent coronary stenosis is something that no doctor would do anything with, because it is harmless.”

He calls the suggestion that heart disease contributed to Houston’s death “a pure guess.” Pinsky says the fact that the singer was found upside-down in her bathtub combined with low levels of Xanax in her system, as compared to high levels of cocaine, indicates the singer suffered a seizure provoked by chemical imbalance.

“Here’s a way to induce a seizure: not taking Xanax after having been on it for a period of time, the blood level goes low, (chance of a) seizure goes up," Pinsky said.

TMZ spoke to Pat Houston, Whitney’s sister-in-law, on Thursday morning, asking whether she now believed there may be truth to the insinuation that foul play was involved in the singer’s death.

“I do not,” said Pat. “It’s over with.”

Speaking to the L.A. Times following the release of the 42-page report, Lt. Mark Rosen, a police spokesman, said the investigation had been on hold while police awaited completed autopsy findings, and accordingly, the department would examine any new details before offering a conclusion. He did not provide a timetable for the proceedings.

"We can't finalize the case until we see what's in the report," the detective told the paper. "We have to review the document and we will take the appropriate course of action based on the coroner's findings."

The report said the singer was last seen by her personal assistant, who returned from Neiman Marcus to find the singer unresponsive in the bathtub. She’d been submerged for nearly an hour. Signs of cocaine and drug paraphernalia were found in the hotel room along with an assortment of prescription medications, and an open bottle of champagne.

 Should Dr. Drew quit speculating about the cause of Whitney Houston's death? Tell us on Facebook.

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The Los Angeles County Coroner released the final coroner's report for Whitney Houston on Wednesday. The singer died on Feb. 11 at the Beverly Hills Hilton, one day before the Grammy Awards. The official cause of death was accidental drowning and "effects of atherosclerotic heart disease and cocaine use."

The 42-page document, obtained by TODAY.com, gives a detailed description of the scene inside her room at the hotel and details of the investigation.

According to the report, Houston's assistant suggested the star take a bath to prepare for the pre-Grammys activities occurring that evening. The assistant then left to pick up items at Neiman Marcus, and when she returned, she found Houston, 48, face down and unresponsive in the bathtub. The assistant and a bodyguard pulled the singer out of the tub.

The detective on the scene noted that Houston had "possibly overdosed on a narcotic substance, prescription medications, over the counter medications, and alcohol." Prescription medications found at the scene included Xanax, amoxicillin, Prednisone and antibiotics. An open bottle of champagne was also in the room.

The coroner's report indicated that there were multiple items on the bathroom counter, including "an ashtray filled with multiple cigarette butts," "a small spoon with a white crystal like substance in it and a rolled up piece of white paper" and "a bottle of prescription medications." In one of the counter drawers, detectives found "remnants of a white powdery substance, and a portable mirror on the base."

TMZ reported on March 30 that official documents indicated that the "white powdery substance" was cocaine. The report released Wednesday did not identify that substance as cocaine.

Houston's initial autopsy indicated that she had taken cocaine shortly before she died, and coroner spokesman Craig Harvey said in a March 22 news conference that her body showed signs of "chronic usage."

The final report noted that at the time of her death, Houston had cocaine, marijuana, Xanax, Benadryl and  muscle relaxants in her system. The autopsy also indicated her body was "well built, muscular and fairly well nourished."

Houston was laid to rest in a private ceremony on Feb. 19.

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Yuriko Nakao / Reuters

Rihanna wants to one day play Whitney Houston in a movie.

If the opportunity ever presented itself, Rihanna is hoping to make it known she would "love" the chance to play Whitney Houston in a biopic based on the singer's life.

Opening up to The Press Association, Rihanna, 24, discussed her attachment to the legendary vocalist, who died tragically on Feb. 11 at the age of 48.

PHOTOS: Remembering Whitney

"My first song that I remember falling love with was a Whitney Houston song: 'I Will Always Love You,'" Rihanna shared. "It was really inspiring and it made me develop a passion for music, so really, she's partly responsible for me being here in this industry."

PHOTOS: Whitney's family album

The "We Found Love" singer added she understands the type of commitment needed to undertake such a meaningful part.

"That would be something that I would have to give my entire life to do, because I would really want to pull it off," Rihanna told reporters. "That's a huge, huge role and whoever does it has to do a good job."

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Rihanna is slated to make her big screen debut next month when "Battleship" (also starring Alexander Skarsgard and Brooklyn Decker) hits theaters.

Do you think the singer should play Whitney Houston in a movie? Tell us on Facebook.

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Joerg Koch / AFP - Getty Images file

Whitney Houston in 2009.

Speaking for the first time since her daughter’s Feb. 11 death, Whitney Houston’s mother, Cissy, says claims that her daughter was broke when she died are just plain wrong.

“Whitney did not die broke. She’s not broke. She’s not anything ... None of that crap,” Cissy told My9’s “The 10 o’clock News in New Jersey, in an exclusive interview to air Monday. “They think they know everything…These people don’t know anything about her. The media doesn’t know what they are talking about.”

While refusing to join other relatives in a recent interview with Oprah Winfrey, Cissy, 78, is finally opening up about her feelings surrounding her 48-year-old daughter’s death, recently ruled to be the result of an accidental drowning and the effects of atherosclerotic heart disease and cocaine use.

“She accomplished a whole lot in the short time that she had here,” says Cissy, a Grammy-winning gospel singer. “I know I did the best I could. I don’t blame myself. I know I did the best I could for everything.”

The interview took place at New Hope Baptist Church in Newark, N.J., where Whitney Houston began her singing career as a young girl. The church was also the site of the pop star’s funeral service on Feb. 18, during which, the New York Daily News reports, Cissy Houston “broke down…wailing ‘My baby! My baby!’ " while following her daughter's casket.

An auction of clothing and jewelry worn by the pop star was held March 31 blocks away from where she was found dead at California's Beverly Hilton Hotel. Bidders paid $80,000 for Whitney memorabilia at Julien's "Hollywood Legends" auction with a bustier worn by the singer at concerts pulling in the highest amount at $18,750, CBS Los Angeles reports. A grey velvet gown worn by Houston at Clive Davis’ 1996  pre-Grammy party sold for $11,250; pearl drop earrings from “The Bodyguard” sold for $2,812, and a vest from the film went for $3,437.

Items were donated by Houston's family and friends, and more will be sold in June, including 30 dresses. The singer lost most of her designer gowns at a 2007 court-ordered auction to settle a $200,000 storage debt, Inside Edition reports.

The singer's final movie, "Sparkle," will hit theaters Aug. 17. An exclusive clip was shown Monday on TODAY.

Should the Houston family stop talking to the media? Tell us on Facebook.

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Mario Anzuoni / Reuters file

On March 22, an L.A. Coroner's autopsy report confirmed that traces of cocaine were found in Whitney Houston's system after her Feb. 11 death.

On Friday, TMZ has learned that the powdery white substance was also present in the late singer's Beverly Hills hotel room, where she was found submerged under water inside a bathtub the evening before the 2012 Grammys. (The autopsy ruled Houston's main cause of death as an accidental drowning.)

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The site writes, "As for the quantity of cocaine that was found, official documents show one of the items police recovered was 'white, powdery remnants.' Sources tell us the powder was tested and it's cocaine."

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On March 23, Leolah Brown (Houston's ex-husband Bobby Brown's sister) went on CNN's "Headline News" where she told Dr. Drew that Ray J should be held responsible for the cocaine evidence.

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After Leolah accused Houston's man friend as a "runner boy," his rep released a statement on his behalf, calling her remarks, "rife with false statements."

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Larry Marano / Getty Images

Elton John performs in Sunrise, Fla., on March 9.

Elton John has accomplished a lot in his 65 years, but the thing he's most proud of? Getting clean and sober in 1990.

And he says if he didn't he would be another rock 'n' roll casualty.

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"I could have so easily ended up like Whitney Houston," he says in a candid interview with E! News' David Burtka. (The official cause of Houston's Feb. 11 death was a combination of accidental drowning, cocaine use and heart disease.)

"It's a miracle I didn't," he continues. "Because I'm sure I did as much cocaine as she ever did."

GALLERY: Whitney Houston's highs and lows

And John is grateful he had the willpower to quit.

"I would not be the person I am today [if I hadn't]," he says. "I wouldn't have [my son] Zachary, [my husband] David [Furnish]. I wouldn't have anything. I'd probably be dead."

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