Brandy: Whitney Houston’s Death Still Tough On Ray J

Brandy Norwood said her brother Ray J is having trouble coping with the loss of Whitney Houston.

“It’s been really tough on him, just trying to get through it,” the singer and actress (on “Drop Dead Diva”) told Access Hollywood Live’s Kit Hoover and guest co-host Arsenio Hall on Thursday.

“They were really, really good friends and some of the things that people have said about him, [have] really hurt him,” Brandy continued. “Being the kind person that he is, the good guy that he, it’s just been tough for him to get through some of the things that have been going on.”

Brandy explained that they’ve been helping Ray J with his grief by giving him a great amount of family support.

“We all come together as family. Family always makes you feel better and [gives you] a sense of comfort, so we’ve all been sticking together through this tough time for him, for me, for everyone around us that have been going through the same thing,” she continued.

Brandy too was close with Whitney, and she told Kit and Arsenio that if Bobbi Kristina Brown needs her, she is there for the young woman.

“I’ve definitely expressed that to Bobbi Kris, and, you know, everything, just telling her that I’m here for her whenever she needs me,” Brandy said.

On July 8, Brandy continues her role as Elisa Shayne, the former girlfriend of law office boss Jay Parker on “Drop Dead Diva,” which airs Sundays at 9 PM on Lifetime.

And she’s about to take the screen alongside tennis pro Serena Williams, who will play her lawyer.

“She’s a classy, classy girl,” Brandy said of the tennis whiz.

While she was impressed with Serena’s acting chops, Brandy was less enthusiastic about Serena’s vocal pipes, which the athlete revealed during some down time karaoke.

“Her voice is ‘karaoke,’” Brandy laughed. “Sorry, Serena. Gotta keep it real.”

Brandy is a mom to 10-year-old Sy’rai, but while she started out in show business at an early age, Brandy’s not ready to see her daughter tread the same path.

“I haven’t created the age yet that I’m OK with her getting into the industry, but I feel like it’s starting to become something that she really wants to do,” Brandy said. “I want to support whatever it is that she wants to do, but not yet. Maybe 18.”