Dionne on Whitney: Back Off

By Stephen M. Silverman

09/07/1998 at 12:00 AM EDT

Dionne Warwick grew a bit testy on local New York station WNBC's "Today in New York" this morning. Co-anchor Maurice DuBois asked the musician and ex-"Psychic Friends Network" pitchwoman about recent reports concerning her cousin Whitney Houston's alleged problems with substance abuse and/or calls for a family intervention on Houston's behalf. (The main point of the interview had been to discuss Warwick being named one of the legendary performers over the age of 60 in an upcoming issue PEOPLE magazine, though the singer doesn't reach that landmark until this December.) When, in the closing moments of the segment, DuBois turned the subject to Houston, Warwick snapped: "I have an answer for that. I think, basically, that it's none of your business. And if anybody does care about it, they would just wish her luck. It's what goes on behind closed doors, and it's just nobody's business."