Houston Has a Problem (IT'S A HIP HOP SINGER)

"R&B singer Houston has reportedly attempted suicide by gouging out his eye while on tour in London. According to reports, Houston tried to jump off a balcony, but was stopped by his security detail. After he was prevented from leaping, he then was locked in a bathroom, where he gouged out one of his eyes. Last year, the Hip-Hop oriented singer scored a major hit in 'I Like That' with Nate Dogg and Chingy. Earlier this month, Houston was nominated for 'Best New R&B Artist' by the 2004 T M H Honors. Winners were supposed to be announced on Jan. 31, but results have not been returned. "

Fink says: Thanks to the noble Farker who pointed us to the pic. Oh and by the way... the whole one-eye thing worked out great for Sammy Davis Jr.!

After being thwarted in a suicide attempt in a London hotel room, R&B singer Houston gouged his own eye out.

On Thursday Houston attempted to jump out of a 13th-floor hotel window but was stopped by his security personnel, sources close to the singer said. He was moved to a lower floor and locked in his room, where he injured himself. Additional details are still coming to light, and photographs of his injury are circulating online.

The Los Angeles native, born Houston Summers IV, was overseas for a series of performances when the incident occurred. He scored a hit last year with "I Like That," which featured Chingy and Nate Dogg and was used in a McDonald's commercial (see "Houston Scores Club Hit With Help From Chingy, Nate Dogg"). His debut album, It's Already Written, was certified gold a month after its release in August.

"Our thoughts and prayers are with Houston during this tragic time," a Capitol Records spokesperson said.

Los Angeles radio station KKBT-FM's K-Sly, who appeared in the "I Like That" video and is close to Houston's camp, said the singer had been under psychiatric care last year for manic depression. Another source corroborated that claim, adding that Houston had also struggled with PCP.

"I was told he wanted to commit suicide and stabbed his eye out," K-Sly said. "He was telling people he was Jesus and wanted to go home to his Father."

The singer is now back in Los Angeles.

Upon hearing about Houston, Bushwick Bill of rap group the Geto Boys felt compelled to speak out. In 1991, Bill forced his girlfriend to assist him in a suicide attempt, and she shot him in the eye. "Fame will make you crazy," Bill said in a statement. "Fame isn't for everybody. There are people who have a fear of fame, those who want fame, and those who don't understand fame. It drives them crazy, because it is a lot of responsibility to be all things to all people, and you can lose yourself in the shuffle, where there are no longer 52 cards in the deck."

http://www.vh1.com/news/articles/1496457/02022005/houston.jhtml

http://www.canada.com/entertainment/story.html?id=1b2c885e-9759-445d-b91c-9c0296443a80

Devil made Houston poke out his eye

Canadian Press

February 4, 2005

NEW YORK -- The devil made him do it, representatives for R&B singer Houston said in a statement explaining how his eye was seriously gouged.

Houston's publicist issued a statement Thursday night denying reports he tried to take his life by jumping from a London hotel window last week. The statement said Houston "found himself in the midst of a spiritual battle against the evil that runs rampant in the entertainment industry."

Houston, whose 2004 single I Like That was used in a McDonald's commercial, was found in his London hotel room with a serious eye injury. He was briefly in hospital.

"I went to check on him before going to bed and I saw blood on the floor," Houston's bodyguard, Marco Powell, said in the statement.

"Houston was lying on his bed with a towel over his face and I removed the towel to find his eye hanging out. He said he had to get the devil off of his back and that's the only way he could kill the devil."

Houston, whose full name is Houston Summers, is a Los Angeles resident. He was raised strictly Christian and was "constantly at odds with the temptations that come with success in the music business," the statement said.

The incident prompted a statement from Bushwick Bill of the rap group The Geto Boys. In 1991, a severely intoxicated Bushwick forced his girlfriend to assist him in a suicide attempt. She shot him in the eye but he miraculously survived.

"Fame will make you crazy," Bushwick's statement said.

"I want Houston to know that he is in my prayers and that I will ask God to give him peace of mind and peace of heart and I hope his eye heals as well as his mind and his emotions."

Houston was recuperating Friday at his Los Angeles home. The condition of his eye was not known.

"I still love all my fans. Please pray for me and know I'll be back with some more hits," Houston said.

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