Whitney Houston and Jermaine Jackson's Secret Affair

The romance explains why 56-year-old Jermaine — a married man at the time — was so devastated by pop diva Whitney's death in a Los Angeles hotel last month.

Whitney's No1 hit Saving All My Love For You echoed the story of her secret affair with Jermaine.

The blockbuster ballad is about a woman having a romance with a married man — as Jackson was at the time — and waiting for him to be hers.

Whitney even hired a Jermaine lookalike for the song's video.

It features the romeo's wife keeping a beady eye on his mistress.

Michael Jackson was among the few people who knew about the pair's year-long passionate relationship — but did not approve of it.

Whitney and Jermaine never lost touch after the affair ended.

She comforted him after Thriller singer Jacko died in 2009.

And Jermaine was shattered when Whitney was found dead in her hotel bathtub last month.
He was so grief-stricken he could not bring himself to attend her funeral in New Jersey.

A friend of both Whitney and Jermaine said: "Her death has devastated Jermaine because of the history between them.

"No one understood the scale of his grief because they didn't know what they shared."

The links between the deaths of Whitney and Jacko were also hard to bear for Jermaine.

Jacko, 50, was a prescription drug user killed by an overdose of dangerous sedative propofol administered by his doctor Conrad Murray.

Whitney, 48, is feared to have died after taking a cocktail of prescribed drugs before slipping under the water in her bath.

Both pop superstars met their end in Los Angeles.

Jermaine was brought in to produce Whitney and duet with her before she hit the big time in the early 1980s.

Romance blossomed even though Jermaine was married to Hazel Gordy, daughter of Motown founder Berry Gordy.

Jermaine hinted at the relationship in his book You Are Not Alone: Michael, Through A Brother's Eyes — published last year.
But he claimed they quelled their feelings for each other before becoming lovers.

Revealing how he was torn between his wife and the beautiful singer, he wrote: "Whitney and I spoke about our shared predicament.

"And as much as I wanted to lose myself in all these feelings, I told her to wait.

"I spoke of 'one day' and 'maybe'. Ultimately, we had to go our separate ways and it killed us both."

But the friend revealed Jermaine was being less than honest — because he did not want to reveal the truth out of respect to Whitney while she was alive.

The pal explained: "Jermaine didn't tell even half the story in his book.

"He made it sound like they flirted and backed away. But they were lovers.

"In those early days with Whitney, he was smuggled into her hotel rooms, they worked extra late in the studio and she even had a codename for him. She referred to him as 'Ji'.

"The reason it ended was because Jermaine wouldn't leave his wife — and Whitney was angry. The video for Saving All My Love For You was about all of that."

Whitney did not write the song, which was released in 1985, the year after the affair fizzled out. It was a cover of a minor hit by Marilyn McCoo and Billy Davis Jr in 1978.

But the symbolism of the words sung by Whitney — and the haunting video — made it a powerful dedication to the romance.

Jermaine admitted in his book that being around Whitney as they recorded songs together in Los Angeles was "intoxicating".

He wrote: "With each session that intense professional chemistry crossed over.

"These were turning into duets between temptation and forbidden love, and the studio sessions gave us what felt like stolen time together."

Jermaine also claimed Jacko warned him off a full-on sexual relationship. He said: "He didn't fuel the temptation as some guys would. He reminded me about Hazel, about family.

"He gave the soundest advice. I knew that doing the right thing was what I had to do."

But in reality Jermaine ignored his brother and went ahead with the fling.

He did not leave Hazel then — but he split from her three years later after a 14-year marriage during which they had three children.

Whitney went on to wed R&B singer Bobby Brown.

 Their turbulent marriage — which ended in 2006 — has been blamed for her grim spiral into crack addiction that she battled until the end.

The friend said: "Jermaine remains on good terms with Whitney's family. He knows they know.

"But Whitney was no husband-stealer. She just happened to fall for a married guy."

Jermaine, who has rubbished claims Whitney was tormented because she was secretly gay, posted a poignant online tribute to her after her death.

He said: "The right words fail me to sum up the sense of loss following the passing of Whitney... a wonderful woman, a true heart and an immense artist.

"That incredible voice will live on as an eternal reminder of her timeless talent."

At a recent showbiz event in Hollywood he admitted the pair "had fun together".

But he continued to keep the true nature of their relationship under wraps.

Jermaine has had three long-term relationships since his split with Hazel — and is now wed to third wife Halima Rashid.

WHEN Jermaine Jackson appeared on Celebrity Big Brother all those years ago, everyone knew he had stories to tell.

In every conversation the housemates and viewers at home held their breath for a massive revelation about his troubled brother Michael Jackson.

It's why Jermaine was paid big bucks for the gig.

But little did we know that he was the one with a huge story to tell — a secret, heartbreaking year-long affair with Whitney Houston.

Amazingly, they kept their relationship secret all this time — through extremely difficult times for both of them. Jacko and Whitney, the King and Queen of Pop, died eerily similar deaths.

We now know Whitney had been Jermaine's shoulder to cry on during the shock death of his global pop icon brother.

Now Whitney has gone, Jermaine is left with nothing but memories of their passionate fling back in the day.
WHITNEY'S life mirrored Jacko's — as both spiralled into drug addiction.

The two also suffered huge financial headaches despite amassing fortunes as they sold millions of records.

Tragically the careers of both the pop megastars are poised to be even more lucrative now that they are no longer alive.

Jacko's bungling personal physician Conrad Murray, 58 — who supplied him with the sedatives he craved — is serving four years' jail after he was convicted three months ago of involuntary manslaughter.

Just like the King of Pop, Whitney is feared to have taken prescription drugs when she was found slumped in a hotel bath.

Police believe she may have suffered a reaction from drinking alcohol with the pills.

The mum of one sold more than 170million records — but had been dogged by drink and drug problems in the years leading up to her death.

Crack cocaine had wrecked her powerhouse voice and she was virtually bankrupt after blowing her £100million fortune.

Relatives blame her drug hell on ex-hubby Bobby Brown, 43 — the rapper she divorced in 2007.

Whitney admitted taking cocaine and marijuana with Brown throughout their 15-year marriage.

In 2006 a shocking photograph emerged of the singer's bathroom.

It was littered with empty beer bottles and drug paraphernalia.

Crack pipes could clearly be seen — along with powder-covered spoons and lighters.

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