Denzel Washington has called Whitney Houston's drug addiction 'a monster that got hold of her'.
The iconic Hollywood star believes the late singer didn't realise the powerful effect of cocaine had over her body and thought she was capable of behaving as she had when she was younger.
During the frank chat with GQ, Denzel also spoke of good friend Samuel L Jackson, who hit rock bottom with alcohol and crack cocaine, before climbing back up to the top after a spell in rehab.
Speaking to the October issue of the US edition's Style Playbook about the darker sides of fame, Denzel, 57, said: 'Whitney was such a sweet, sweet girl and really just a humble girl.
'It's more of an example to me or the rest of us to keep it together. I was listening to her song I Look to You. It's prophetic.
'Maybe I'm speaking out of line. Maybe she thought she could have one. And then the next thing you know, her body was betraying her. She didn't know that her body was aging quickly.'
He continued: 'She couldn't take it. Your body can only take so much.'
Grammy-winner Whitney was found dead in the bathtub of her Beverly Hills hotel room in February, aged 48.
Denzel continued: 'Some people survive [Hollywood and fame], and some people don't.'
The Academy Award-winner co-starred with Whitney in 1996 film The Preacher's Wife.
Denzel thinks Whitney's story was particularly tragic because she had previously managed to overcome her addictions, but he accepts it is hard to avoid the temptation to relapse.
'Whitney was my girl, and she had done so well in recovery. And that is the toughest part about addiction. And that was a monster drug that got a hold of her, it was a mean one. You can't go back to that one. Nobody beats that.
'I look at people - and I don't think I'm speaking out of line - Samuel L. Jackson, I've known for thirty-some-odd years, he was down at the bottom. And he came all the way back.
'And when he cleaned up, he never looked back. But he can't have that beer, because it might lead to the tough thing.'
Although he is nearing his sixties, Denzel's career is still in full swing.
The Training Day star has just wrapped on mystery drama Flight, alongside Don Cheadle.
The Robert Zemeckis-directed project follows the investigation of a pilot's emergency landing, which saves everyone on board, leads to a troubling discovery that he had alcohol in his system.
Washington is also set to start shooting 2 Guns with Mark Wahlberg, the story of a DEA agent and undercover Naval Intelligence officer who have been tasked with investigating one another
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