Robyn Crawford Confirms Romantic Relationship With Whitney Houston

After years of speculation, rumor, and mis-information, Robyn Crawford is setting the record straight – she did indeed have a romantic relationship with the late Whitney Houston.

For decades, Crawford has been as notable for her omnipresence in the singer’s career as she has been for her silence about it.

Yet, with the increased interest in the diva’s life post her tragic death in 2012, her longtime confidant is telling her side of the story. A story that has been told from many perspectives – beside hers – in a number of posthumous documentaries.

Now on the cusp of releasing her memoir, ‘A Song For You: My Life with Whitney Houston,’ Crawford’s account has been previewed by PEOPLE.

Check out excerpts from the book, which she says she is releasing to “lift her legacy, give her respect and share the story of who she was before the fame,” below…

Explaining her motivations for sharing the story, she said:

“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.”

Upon meeting in 1980 at a New Jersey summer camp, Crawford (who was 19) and Whitney (who was almost 17) hit it off and established a deep rooted friendship. One which would eventually blossom into more.

Crawford confirmed a physical intimacy and said of how inseparable they were:

“We wanted to be together and that meant just us.”

However, Whitney would go on to end the physical part of their relationship shortly after when she signed a record deal with Arista/Clive Davis.

Deeply religious, she broke the news to Crawford (now 58 and a personal trainer) by presenting her with a bible. On the 1982 encounter, Crawford remarked:

“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.

[So] I kept it safe. I found comfort in my silence.”

Another factor, she says, was Houston religious family:

“Whitney told me her mother [gospel singer Cissy Houston] said it wasn’t natural for two women to be that close, but we were that close.”

In remaining within Houston’s professional and personal camp for many years after, the rumor-mill churned and press intrusion mounted. Yet, Crawford felt they had an intrinsic understanding of the bond they had, one it seems that couldn’t be broken:

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

Conclusively, she stressed:

“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.”

Wow. It’s a lot to digest and, in many ways, adds new layers of depth to the “Whitney Houston” story.

And while some may side-eye Robyn’s motivations, we don’t.

So much has been said about “her” and “them,” that it’s only fair she is presented a platform to tell her truth. Something she has done tastefully and tactly here.

‘A Song For You: My Life with Whitney Houston’ will be released November 12th.