Was Whitney Denied Plastic Surgery Prior to Death?

Following Whitney Houston's tragic passing, it was rumored that the late icon was refused plastic surgery prior to her death. Dr. Marc Mani, a physician speculated to have turned away the late icon's request for a facelift, spoke exclusively to ET regarding the warning signs he looks out for when approached by celebrity clientele.

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"There's a certain cache to having celebrity patients," says Dr. Mani, who admits doctors often fall prey to troubled clients with ties to fame. While Marc adheres to a strict code of confidentially for all his patients and refuses to comment on the Whitney rumors, he would say that it is disturbingly common for physicians to skip steps in the screening process to ensure a celebrity who will attract more business to their office.

"A lot of times what we see recently, in certain cases, physicians really don't follow [the Hippocratic] oath because they're too eager to get a patient in their operating room under the knife," Dr. Mani tells ET. "I have turned away a celebrity more than once because of health concerns, and I think that's part of being a physician… We [as doctors] need to be more active in preventing this kind of thing from happening."

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While all of Dr. Mani's perspective clients are run through a battery of tests, he acknowledges the practice of "doctor shopping" is rampant in Hollywood, and a major red flag to turn a person away for a procedure. Unfortunately, identifying those who abuse multiple prescriptions prior to surgery is often an impossible task, therefore Dr. Mani entreats the public to not judge the surgeons involved too harshly.

"This should be a wake up call, it's very sad, we're all sad about it. We lost a great talent and I wouldn't fault doctors for the whole process but at the same time we need to be more active in preventing this kind of thing from happening."

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Watch the video for more from Dr. Mani on Whitney Houston's alleged prescription drug abuse.