Who Is Nick Gordon? What to Know About the Former Fiance of Whitney Houston's Daughter Bobbi Kristina Brown

He lived with Whitney Houston

According to HollywoodLife, long before he entered a romantic relationship with Brown, Gordon had lived with Houston, who referred to him as her "adopted son," despite that she never filed legal papers to become his guardian. Gordon had reportedly moved in with Houston at the age of 12 after his own mother abandoned him, and in interviews said that she "treated me like she gave birth to me."

Gordon was so much a part of the family that not only did he get multiple tattoos in honor of Houston, who passed away in 2012, but he also appeared in the family's Lifetime reality series, The Houstons: On Our Own, CheatSheet reports.

He was engaged to Brown

Following Houston's death at the age of 48, Gordon and Brown's relationship became romantic in nature. In October 2012, the couple became engaged, though their relationship was said to be contentious and some in the family did not approve. Addressing the controversial pairing, mostly due to the misconstrued belief that they were adoptive siblings, Brown defended the relationship.

"Let me clear up something, we aren't even real brother and sister nor is he my adoptive brother. My mom never adopted him," she said. "In fact, mommy was the one who even said that she knew that we were going to start dating. My mom knows me better than any of you."

He was found "legally responsible" for Brown's death

After Brown was found unconscious in an Atlanta bathtub in January of 2015 at the age of 22, Gordon was found "legally responsible" for her death years later. Brown passed away in July of that year after having been in a coma for six months, and a medical examiner determined that she died as a result of being immersed in water and a drug intoxication.

Although Gordon largely denied any wrongdoing in her death, a lawsuit filed in 2015 alleged that he gave Brown a "toxic cocktail." An amended lawsuit claimed he came home on January 31 after "being out all night on a cocaine and drinking binge," according to WSB-TV.

After he failed to appear in court, he was founded legally responsible for Brown's death in 2016.

"Fulton County Superior Court Judge T. Jackson Bedford ruled today that Nick Gordon is legally responsible for Bobbi Kristina Brown's death after the defendant failed to appear in court," the Atlanta Fulton County Court confirmed his sentencing to US Weekly.

He had other run ins with the law

The 2015 lawsuit was not Gordon's only brush with the law. According to a March 2018 police report, Gordon's former girlfriend, Laura Leal, accused him of domestic violence. At the time, Leal alleged that Gordon had struck her in the face and threatened that he would make her "wreck" her car. The case came to an abrupt halt when Leal later retracted her statements.

Gordon had also had a run in with the law in 2017 when in June of that year he was arrested for domestic battery.

He worked as a landscaper and recently moved to Orlando

After entering rehab in March 2015 for drug abuse treatment, Gordon's lawyer, Joe Habachay, confirmed in a statement to Us Weekly that Gordon was "currently employed as a landscaper" in Orlando, Florida.

"Nick has continued to pursue sobriety and spends most of his time with family and working out," Habachay added.

According to a report from the Daily Mail, Gordon had been living with friends.

His death

Gordon's death was first confirmed in a Facebook post from his brother, Walker Jr., who wrote "God why did I have to lose my brother on New Year. All I can do is cry."

Although details have not been confirmed, it has been reported that the 30-year-old passed away of a suspected drug overdose during a New Year's Eve celebration. He was reportedly rushed to the hospital, where is he is said to have suffered a series of heart attacks. Doctors were unable to revive him.

"It's early days but the suggestion is he was taking drugs with friends and he passed out. They drove him to the hospital, took him inside and then left him there," a source told the Daily Mail. "Whatever you think of Nick and his lifestyle, it's terribly sad that his supposed friends just dumped him and drove away."

One of his last Instagram posts was a photo of himself with Houston and Brown

In one of his final social media posts, shared in February of 2017, Gordon shared a photo of himself with Houston and Brown reflecting on their tragic passings.

"Can't believe it's been 5 yrs. RIH," he captioned the photo, which fans have been flocking to in the wake of his own death.

The post would only be followed by two others before his passing.