Investigators are looking into possible causes for the sudden death of pop legend Whitney Houston on Saturday, February 11, at age 48.
Her death came hours before her mentor Clive Davis held his annual Grammy party, which Houston was slated to attend. Beverly Hills police say Houston was found dead in her suite at the Beverly Hilton Hotel, the same location of Davis’ party, at 3:55pm PST. Although the cause of death has not been officially determined, sources tell TMZ.com that Houston was found unresponsive in the bathtub and had been taking Xanax for depression and anxiety. Houston was seen partying heavily the night before, and experts say mixing Xanax with alcohol can leave a person heavily sedated. An investigation into whether or not Houston drowned from a Xanax overdose is now under way. Because of her history with drug abuse, reporters asked Beverly Hills Police Lieutenant Mark Rosen during a press conference whether they suspected drugs or foul play in Houston’s death. “At this time, there’s no obvious evidence of foul play or cause of death,” answered Rosen. Police later obtained a search warrant and found various prescription bottles in the star’s room, but no illegal substances.
The iconic singer was last photographed leaving Tru Hollywood nightclub in Los Angeles on Thursday where she attended “Kelly Price & Friends Unplugged: For the Love of R&B Grammy Party.” Friends tell CNN she looked a bit disheveled but nothing out of the ordinary. On Saturday night, Clive Davis opened his pre-Grammys gala with a “very heavy heart,” he said. “She was so full of life and looking forward to tonight, this night that celebrates music. She would have wanted us to carry on and her family asks that we carry on.” During the event he asked partygoers to pause for a moment of silence to honor the fallen star, and a photograph of Houston with open arms displayed on the screen behind him. Ironically, it was at this very party that Davis first introduced Houston to the music industry in the late 80s.
