Nick Gordon, Found Liable For Bobbi Kristina Brown's 2015 Death, Dies at 30
By TheBlast Staff on January 2, 2020 at 4:20 AM EST
Gettyimages | Frazer Harrison
Gettyimages | Frazer Harrison
Nick Gordon, partner of the late Bobbi Kristina Brown, has died. He was 30.
Atlanta attorney Joe Habachy released a statement on Gordon's death, saying “it’s been truly heartbreaking to have witnessed first hand the total devastation that drug addiction has wreaked upon a group of young friends, all of whom were loved and had immense potential.”
He didn't specify Gordon's cause of death, though TMZ writes that it was a suspected drug overdose.
Bobbi Kristina's BF Nick Gordon Dies From Suspected Drug Overdose https://t.co/kbLFeoEjAL
— TMZ (@TMZ) January 2, 2020
Gettyimages | Shareif Ziyadat
In 2016, Gordon was found legally liable for Brown's death. A wrongful death lawsuit alleged that Gordon “gave Bobbi Kristina a toxic cocktail rendering her unconscious and then put her face down in a tub of cold water causing her to suffer brain damage.”
An Atlanta judge said Gordon was liable, though that finding was reached because the judge said Gordon failed to meet court deadlines, so the conservator in Brown's estate won by default.
Gordon was ordered to pay $36 million in damages, but no criminal charges were filed. In April 2015, Gordon said the claims he gave her a "toxic cocktail" were "stupid."
“Think about how far-fetched and ludicrous that sounds," he said on an episode of "Dr. Phil."
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Brown was the sole heir to singer Whitney Houston, who was herself found dead in a bathtub in a hotel room in Beverly Hills on Feb. 11, 2012 -- the night before the Grammys. Brown was the only child of Houston and singer Bobby Brown.
A coroner's report said Houston, who often struggled with drug and alcohol abuse, died from an accidental drowning from a combination of heart disease and cocaine use.
Gettyimages | Scott Gries
Houston had several number 1 hits with songs "I Will Always Love You," "I Wanna Dance With Somebody (Who Loves Me)." Houston had 11 Number 1 hits over her career.
Gettyimages | Christopher Polk
The lawsuit filed by Brown's estate alleged Gordon physically abused Gordon, citing that some of Brown's teeth were knocked out and she had been dragged up stairs. The suit also alleged Gordon maneuvered himself into a boyfriend position and took a significant amount of money from her. The suit claimed Gordon represented himself as Bobbi Kristina Brown's husband to gain access to the estate Brown inherited.
Gordon was unofficially adopted by Houston when he was 12; he was raised as a brother to Bobbi Kristina Brown, but their relationship got closer after Houston's death.
Gettyimages | Kevin Mazur/AMA2009
Bobbi Kristina Brown, 22, was found facedown and unresponsive in a bathtub in a home she shared with Gordon on Jan. 31, 2015. Brown died in hospice care on July 26, 2015; she never regained consciousness.
An autopsy found narcotics and prescription drugs in her body, such as marijuana, alcohol, and medications to treat anxiety.