Update (November 6, 2019): Robyn Crawford, Whitney Houston's best friend and ex-girlfriend, has released excerpts of her new memoir to People where she discusses their relationship.

The relationship between Houston and Crawford is well-known at this point and was even discussed in the documentary Whitney, which was produced by her family. However, Crawford's new memoir A Song For You: My Life with Whitney Houston is her first time publicly speaking about their relationship and the difficulties they faced trying to be together in the 1980s. 

"I’d come to the point where I felt the need to stand up for our friendship. And I felt an urgency to stand up and share the woman behind the incredible talent. We wanted to be together and that meant just us,” Crawford said in the memoir. 

“I wanted to lift her legacy, give her respect and share the story of who she was before the fame, and in that, to embrace our friendship,” she added, according to People.

In the book, Crawford discusses at length how they met and the struggles they faced once Houston achieved international fame. Houston's mother, Cissy, was against the relationship between the two, who were later forced to end things.

“She said we shouldn’t be physical anymore because it would make our journey even more difficult. She said if people find out about us, they would use this against us, and back in the ’80s, that’s how it felt,” Crawford said.

“I kept it safe. I found comfort in my silence. Whitney told me her mother said it wasn’t natural for two women to be that close but we were that close,” she added.

The two met in 1980 as teenagers while attending a camp in New Jersey and quickly became best friends. The 58-year-old now works as a family fitness trainer and lives with her partner, Lisa Hintlemann, and their two children.

Crawford discusses how distraught she was after learning about Houston's tragic death at the early age of 48 in 2012.

Nearly seven years after the singer's death, Crawford decided to speak up about her time with Houston and the bond they shared.

“We never talked about labels, like lesbian or gay. We just lived our lives and I hoped it could go on that way forever,” Crawford says in the book.

“Whitney knows I loved her and I know she loved me. We really meant everything to each other. We vowed to stand by each other,” Crawford added.

The book will be released on November 12.

Original (April 26, 2019): Whitney Houston's lifelong friend and close confidant is writing a book about her relationship with the late singer.

According to People, A Song for You: My Life with Whitney Houston by Robyn Crawford is set to debut this fall. The memoir will chronicle their bond from when they first met as teenagers in New Jersey, the "How Will I Know" crooner's tumultuous marriage to Bobby Brown and of course a deeper dive into the duo's friendship. Crawford also served as Houston's executive assistant.

The press release for the book reads: "With warmth, candor, and an impressive recall of detail, Robyn gives readers insight into Whitney’s life and career. She traces the years from when she and Whitney first met as teenagers in the 1980s to the recording of Whitney’s first album and the infinite success that followed. From countless sold-out world tours to her epic rendition of the U.S. national anthem to the set of The Bodyguard, her tempestuous marriage, and the birth of her only child, Robyn was there."

Crawford and Houston's bond was the subject of many rumors regarding Houston's sexuality. Per The Guardian, two separate documentaries about The Bodyguard star's life seemed to relay that Houston and Crawford were romantically involved. In fact, the publication notes Crawford and Houston's ex-husband Bobby Brown engaged in physical altercations about their respective closeness with the award-winning songstress. 

Houston, who struggled with drug abuse during her storied career, died on February 11, 2012 at the age of 48 after paramedics found her unconscious body at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Los Angeles. 

Crawford's memoir A Song for You: My Life with Whitney Houston has a November 5 release date and is available for pre-order on Amazon.