Modern Man's Hustle 0 Report post Posted February 4, 2005 from mtv.com R&B Singer Houston Gouges Eye Out After Apparent Suicide Attempt After being thwarted in a suicide attempt in a London hotel room, R&B singer Houston reportedly gouged his own eye out. According to sources close to the singer, on Thursday Houston attempted to jump out of a hotel window but was stopped by his security personnel. He was then locked in his hotel room, where he injured himself. There are currently no further details on the incident, although 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 the Chingy and Nate Dogg-featured "I Like That" (see "Houston Scores Club Hit With Help From Chingy, Nate Dogg"), which was also featured in a McDonald's commercial. His debut album, It's Already Written, was certified gold a month after its release in August of last year. Representatives for Houston's label, Capitol Records, could not be reached for comment. ....yeah. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Modern Man's Hustle 0 Report post Posted February 4, 2005 Eye like that! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Sass 0 Report post Posted February 4, 2005 He's just trying to rip off Slick Rick. Poser. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Ted the Poster 0 Report post Posted February 4, 2005 It looks like there's a crushed grape in his eye. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
razazteca 0 Report post Posted February 4, 2005 He's just trying to rip off Slick Rick. Poser. Or Ghetto Boy Bushwick Bill. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Nighthawk 0 Report post Posted February 4, 2005 It's Geto, not Ghetto, by the way. But for one, Bushwick was shot in the eye. You get shot in the eye and live, nobody can touch you. If you're a midget on top of it, you're god. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest pinnacleofallthingsmanly Report post Posted February 5, 2005 I was just reading about Bushwick Bill in the new XXL and I was trying to figure out if he was a midget or not. The story about him getting shot is fucking weird. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Modern Man's Hustle 0 Report post Posted February 5, 2005 Update on Houston's condition! From Vh1.com Bodyguard: Houston 'Happy,' Closer To God After Gouging Eye by Rashaun Hall Depending on who you talk to, R&B singer Houston's eye injury is the result of either mental illness, spiritual crisis or just an accident. "Houston is going through spiritual warfare right now," Houston's bodyguard Marco Powell said. "It's like good versus evil. He grew up in a Christian family, and since he's signed his record deal he's been subjected to, in his own words, 'sins and devils in the business' like drugs, alcohol and all this stuff that he's not used to. He didn't want to be around that. He just wasn't happy with management — he just wasn't happy. He didn't know which way to turn." Powell was in London with the 21-year-old singer the night Houston gouged his eye out and insists it was not a suicide attempt (see "R&B Singer Houston Gouges Eye Out After Apparent Suicide Attempt"). "The night of the incident, we had dinner at the hotel," Powell recalled. "After dinner, he went to his room to read the Bible. He is an avid reader of the Bible. After I finished eating, I went upstairs to check on him and I noticed blood on the floor. Houston usually has really bad nose bleeds. So I asked him, 'Are you OK? Is your nose bleeding?' He said, 'Yeah, my nose is bleeding but I'm cool. I will see you in the morning. I can't wait to get back to L.A. with my family.' He was lying on the bed with a towel over his face, so something told me it was more than [just a nose bleed]. So I walked into the room to talk to him, I pulled the towel off of his face, and that's when I saw that he had gouged his eye out. "He showed no pain and he had no remorse," Powell added. "He said he had to do it. He said that that had freed him from everything. He was happy after that. He said he was changed and was ready to go. That symbolic statement basically freed him from all the pain he was in. He feels like he is closer to God now." Billie Summers, Houston's sister, also says the suicide rumors are untrue. "Houston is a Christian and he does know that if he attempted anything like that he'd be doomed," Summers said. "His managers, Reno Rankin and Andrew Rowe of On Point Productions, are no longer his managers, so they are trying to slander his name. While Houston was on the road, their contract [with him] ended and there were rumors that they were going to try and slander my brother's name. I believe they're the ones calling up the radio stations, MTV and BET and giving false info." However, On Point's Rankin and Rowe offer a different portrait of the singer. "Houston has a sickness," Rowe said. "There's nothing to hide. He needs to be treated so he doesn't harm himself worse than he did, or someone else." According to Rankin, he, Rowe and a Capitol Records representative took Houston to a psychiatrist themselves while the family remained in denial. They say the singer was even treated at UCLA Medical Center prior to his trip overseas. "In September Houston was hospitalized," Rowe said. "We had to cancel everything from October to the end of the year. He was diagnosed as schizophrenic. He was supposed to be in treatment and on medication, but we had clearance by the family and doctors to work half the time. "He was out of control, just doing things that were off the wall — things that normal people don't do," Rowe added. "So when he went to London, we were told he blew it on the Choice FM Awards and that he was starting to regress. He was carry a Bible around and just doing things that just weren't normal." The On Point duo said Houston's actions made them worried about sending him overseas. "Houston wanted to work like any other artist because there was money on the table," Rowe recalled, "but there was concern, and that's why I requested a doctor's note." "Capitol was requesting him on the road to do promo over in London," Rankin said. "So Houston's family sent us a doctor's note, stating that Houston was able to work, and we took the note and faxed it over to Capitol." While Rankin and Rowe are not sure if a lack of medication is what caused the incident, they say things quickly took a turn for the worse. "They finally got to Dubai [in the United Arab Emirates], barely, and that's where he got real bad," Rowe said. "[Houston] wanted to hurt himself bad and he was on the brink. When he got back to England was when I finally got the call that he stabbed himself in the eye. He was so off guard that he was trying to kill himself." Summers acknowledged that her brother was injured while overseas but called it "an accident." "He is all right and in good spirits," she said. "He's not depressed, on any medications or under any psychiatric care. He was just in surgery and he will be coming home soon, in a day or two. Everything is well." She said he's in Los Angeles now and that she doesn't know the details of the accident. "We haven't mentioned anything to Houston, but we're going to talk to him about what exactly happened," Summers said. "Houston would never inflict any harm on himself. He was under a lot of spiritual stress, and a lot of that pressure, I believe, came from the music industry. "I just want everyone to pray for him. He is going through trying times. ... This is the last thing he needs," she added. Meanwhile, Rankin and Rowe said they haven't had any direct contact with their former client since he returned to the States. "We decided that we didn't want to continue," Rowe said. "We feel like our contract could have been extended, but that's not important. The kid needs help more than anything else. His health is our biggest concern." The two said they're also concerned with how Houston's finances are being managed. "We have a serious problem with the way the family is handling this kid's situation," Rowe said. "There's no reason for this kid to have no money. They passed on a publishing deal that could have helped him out right now. They got involved and we tried everything [we could], but at the end of the day, Houston was loyal to his mom. I don't have a problem with that, but they are not capable of handling a kid like that. The kid was a star. He had a great opportunity laid out, so he should have had proper housing and a nice car." "The kid still lives where he lives when we met him — in a two-bedroom apartment with four other people," Rankin said. "They spent all the kid's money." And here's a preview of the new Houston action figure: I think the kid is fucking nuts. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest BrokenWings Report post Posted February 5, 2005 So what would have happened had the bodyguard not taken the towel off his face in the original encounter? Would it have just crusted over, or something? I can't imagine that being healthy. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Giuseppe Zangara 0 Report post Posted February 5, 2005 Calling a man's psychosis "spiritual warfare?" Houston's boydguard should consider a career in public relations. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mister foozel 0 Report post Posted February 8, 2005 Eye like that! Aha that's awesome, especially if you've heard that annoying , repetitive dribble that Houston calls music. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Mole 0 Report post Posted February 8, 2005 It's fake... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Open the Muggy Gate 0 Report post Posted February 8, 2005 Someone next to me on another comp just looked at this comp and was about ready to puke right then and there. Nice job Modern Man Hustle. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Art Sandusky 0 Report post Posted February 8, 2005 I edited the subtitle long ago to say NSFW. Your fault for clicking. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
CBright7831 0 Report post Posted February 10, 2005 Wasn't he the one who had the song with Nate Dogg where the whole song goes "Woah, woah, woah!"? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Nobody Report post Posted February 12, 2005 just a meer observation. it doesn't look like he gouged his eye OUT. I personally THINK it looks a little bit more scrambled than OUT... just a MEER observation. IT doesn't look like he GOUGED his eye out. i personally think it looks a LITTLE bit more scrambled THAN out... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest BrokenWings Report post Posted February 12, 2005 I think he burst the eyeball. Regardless, he did gouge his eye. Has there been an update as to his condition or what happens now, yet, by the way? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
