Whitney Houston 'found underwater' in bath
Posted on Monday, 13 February 2012 by Oprah Francis
Officials said they would not speculate on the cause of her death until toxicology tests were finished.
"Ms Houston was pulled from the tub by members of her staff and hotel security was promptly notified," said Beverly Hills police spokesman Lt Mark Rosen.
A Los Angeles coroner said there were no signs of foul play.
It could be up to eight weeks before investigators know exactly why the 48-year-old singer died.
Funeral Plans
In a news conference on Monday, Lt Rosen said fire department officials were told the singer was found unresponsive as a member of her staff pulled her from the bath.
"First aid and CPR measures were performed in an attempt to revive her," he said, adding that after unsuccessful attempts, Houston was pronounced dead at 15:55 local time (23:55 GMT).
The police spokesman played down reports that prescription drugs might have been involved in her death.
"Our intent at Beverly Hills Police Department is not to fuel the speculation or rumours that are circulating right now," Lt Rosen said. "We can't comment on where those rumours have come from."
However, the Los Angeles's coroner's office then said there were bottles of prescription medicine in the room, although it did not provide further details.
"There weren't a lot of prescription bottles," said Ed Winter, the coroner's assistant chief. "You probably have just as many prescription bottles in your medicine cabinet."
Earlier, the coroner's office confirmed Houston's body was released to her family late on Monday morning.
The singer's body will be taken to New Jersey, where she lived, for a funeral to be held at the end of the week.
Grammy Honour
At the awards ceremony on Sunday she was remembered by the music world.
Host LL Cool J opened the event with a prayer for the singer, who won six Grammys during her career.
The audience then gave a standing ovation after watching a clip of her hit I Will Always Love You.
Dressed in black and with a simple piano accompaniment, singer Jennifer Hudson later gave a rendition of the same song, ending with the line, "Whitney, we will always love you."
Sales of Houston's albums have soared on both sides of the Atlantic following her death in Los Angeles.
Whitney - The Greatest Hits is at two on the US iTunes chart, while Whitney Houston - The Ultimate Collection is second in the UK iTunes chart.
Source: BBC.com
