Whitney Houston’s Cause Of Death Tied To Prescription Drugs And Alcohol, Report Says

Robbie Daw | February 14, 2012 7:05 am

The cause of Whitney Houston’s death remains the subject of an investigation by the Los Angeles County coroner, but initial reports suggest the singer died from a combination of Xanax, other prescription drugs and alcohol, according to TMZ. The singer was pronounced dead Saturday shortly after she was found at least partially submerged in her bathtub at the Beverly Hilton Hotel.

Initial speculation held that Houston drowned in the tub, but the latest report suggests otherwise.

TMZ notes the following:

“We’re told Coroner’s officials informed the family there was not enough water in Whitney’s lungs to lead to the conclusion that she drowned. Our sources say the family was told Whitney may well have died before her head became submerged.”

On Sunday, it had also been suggested by TMZ that one of Whitney’s stylists discovered her body in the bathtub, but now the site is saying the singer was actually found by her aunt, Mary Jones. “Mary had laid out Whitney’s dress for the evening on the bed and then left for about a half hour,” says the site. “When Whitney didn’t come out of the bathroom, Mary entered, pulled Whitney out of the tub and began administering CPR.”

Final word on the cause of Houston’s death may still be several weeks off, as authorities continue to run a variety of tests.

MTV News reported on Tuesday morning that Assistant Chief Coroner Ed Winter of the Los Angeles County coroner’s office said, “I know there are reports that she maybe was drowned or did she overdose, but we won’t make a final determination until all the tests are in.” He also noted that “not many prescription bottles” were found in Houston’s Beverly Hilton hotel
 room on Saturday, and that the amount of medications recovered were less than are usually present in deaths attributed to overdoses.

Houston was pronounced dead at 3:55 p.m. on Saturday afternoon after authorities responded to an emergency call reporting that she had been found unconscious on the fourth floor of the Beverly Hilton Hotel. Authorities arrived within two minutes of the call, but attempts to resuscitate her failed.

Houston had been preparing at the hotel to make an appearance at her mentor Clive Davis’ annual pre-Grammy Awards gala at the Beverly Hilton hotel.