It's hard to believe that it's now five years since Whitney Houston died, aged just 48.
This weekend sees the world premiere of a new documentary about the singer's life. Can I Be Me was directed by acclaimed documentary maker Nick Broomfield, whose previous work has included Kurt & Courtney, a film exploring the relationship between Kurt Cobain and Courtney Love.
"She's such an iconic figure who brought happiness to so many people," Nick said of his reasons for making the Whitney Houston documentary, which contains footage that has never been seen before. "She was very harshly criticised towards the end of her life, and it seemed like a good time to celebrate her."
"I knew very little about her, and in the course of making this film, I really fell in love with her. What you see is someone who was very fun-loving. The performances that you see are so passionate."
Aside from her immense talent, Houston's drug abuse was well documented. Her husband Bobby Brown has often been blamed for this, but Nick believes her problems began long before she met him.
"It was something that started very young - she grew up in a very tough area in Newark, New Jersey. She was likely introduced to drugs by her brothers."
Of her relationship with Bobby, Nick said, "I think they loved each other and they just went to excesses together, and they weren't able to support each other off drugs."
Nick believes that there were a lot of pressures on Whitney which contributed to her undoing. She was bullied at school, and even during her later life and career, she never felt able to be herself. It was this experience that coined the phrase which forms the title of the film: "Can I be me?"
Nick also spoke about the "supportive, intimate relationship" between Whitney and Robyn Crawford - whom she first met when she was 16, and who acted as her protector - and her appeal to both black and white audiences.
"She made the Beyonces possible. She was the first massive crossover artist."
