Dionne Warwick is speaking out against ashocking claimmade in the documentary Whitney, which alleged that her sister — and the late superstar’s cousin — Dee Dee Warwick molestedWhitney Houstonas a child.
In PEOPLE’s exclusive first look at Dionne’s upcoming interview withLarry King Now, the five-time Grammy winner slammed the allegation, calling it “evil” and untrue.
“I have tried to refrain from responding to that,” the 77-year-old singer explained. “First of all,it’s totally hogwash. My sister would never, ever have done anything to do any harm to any child, especially within our family. And for those lies to be perpetuated in this so-called documentary film, I think it’s evil.”
“I will never, and I mean this, ever forgive those who perpetuated this insanity,” Dionne added.
Larry King/YouTube
Nearly two months after the film’s release, Whitney’s motherCissy Houston, in conjunction with Dionne,issued an emotional statement, revealing their deep concerns about the claim, and the film as a whole.
“We cannot overstate the shock and horror we feel and the difficulty we have believing that my niece Dee Dee Warwick . . . molested two of my three children,” Cissy told PEOPLE in a statement on behalf of herself and Dionne, revealing they first learned of the claims two days before the film’s May 16 premiere in Cannes.
RELATED VIDEO: Read Cissy Houston’s Emotional Full Statement About Claim That Whitney Houston was Molested
Though the two share their support for all victims of child abuse, these are charges “neither Whitney nor Dee Dee are here to deny, refute or affirm … How can that be fair to my daughter, to Dee Dee, to our family?”
Jean Cummings/Fotos International/Getty; Michael Ochs Archives/Getty
“I was close to Whitney, she confided in me and I struggled tremendously deciding whether to share this secret or keep to myself,” Jones previously told PEOPLE in an exclusive statement. “I deeply love and respect Dionne, Cissy and their entire families, and my intention was never to embarrass anyone in the family, but rather to bring to light that Whitney was subjected to something painful and troubling as a child. And it’s something that happens to other innocent kids and goes unspoken too much.
She continued, “I decided to share the story so that people might understand that throughout her entire life Whitney carried this with her, and the weight of it was immense. Whitney was a wonderful woman, an angel, and she did not drag herself down all alone — there was a cause.”
David Corio/Redferns
During Dionne’s interview with King, the legendary singer revealed that she believes her legacy is “happiness and joy and hope…and beautiful melodies that will stay with you forever.”
Asked whether there are any career milestones she’d still like to accomplish, Dionne didn’t skip a beat before replying, ”Oh sure: the Oscar, the Emmy and the Tony.”
“Not necessarily in that order,” she added.
Dionne Warwick’s fullLarry King Nowinterview airs in August 15 on Hulu.
source: people.com
