WHITNEY Houston's family was told the singer died from what appears to be a mix of drugs and alcohol, reports revealed.

Celebrity news website TMZ reported that Houston appeared to have died from a lethal combination of Xanax, prescription drugs and alcohol, family sources have said.

The LA coroner's office told the family there was not enough water in Houston's lungs to cause drowning, the report said.



Houston's aunty, Mary Jones, reportedly discovered her body in the bath tub in the Beverly Hills hotel room. She performed CPR on Houston before paramedics arrived, TMZ reported.

It has been confirmed there is no evidence of foul play.

The Los Angeles County Coroner's Office said official results of the autopsy have been placed on hold, pending toxicology tests.

Los Angeles Deputy Coroner Ed Winter said at a press conference that the tests could take six to eight weeks to process.

He declined to comment on what medications or prescription drugs were obtained from the hotel room where Houston, 48, was found dead on Saturday afternoon (local time).

"There will be no cause of death at this time as it is awaiting toxicology," Winter said.

"I know there were reports of did she drown or was it an overdose, but I will not be commenting on that.

Winter added that the Beverly Hills Police Department had requested a "security hold" on the results of the coroner's investigation, meaning no further details will be made available until the inquiry is complete.

He confirmed earlier comments made by police that "no foul play is suspected" and that Houston - whose later career was blighted by addiction problems - was found in a bath tub in her room at the Beverly Hilton Hotel, but declined to comment further.

Grammys tributes

Houston's death has cast a huge shadow over the Grammy awards - the US music industry's night of nights.

Grammy executive producer Ken Erhlich said Jennifer Hudson and Chaka Khan will pay "respectful musical tribute" to Houston.

Her death was "too fresh in everyone's memory to do more at this time," Erhlich said according to the Los Angeles Times, "but we would be remiss if we didn't recognise Whitney's remarkable contribution to music fans in general, and in particular her close ties with the Grammy telecast and her Grammy wins and nominations over the years."

Houston won six Grammy Awards over the course of her career, and performed live at the 1986 and 1987 ceremonies.

As the pre-telecast awards ceremony began, co-host Dave Koz acknowledged the tragedy, noting the "great legacy of Miss Whitney Houston. She's in our hearts and our minds''.

Read more: Singer's death overshadows Grammy awards

Daughter admitted to hospital

Family members fear Houston's daughter Bobbi Kristina Brown, 18, - who was barred from seeing her mother's body - might be suicidal and are considering getting her help, TMZ reported.

Brown has twice been admitted to hospital in the 24 hours after her mother was found dead.

Brown was taken by ambulance from the the Beverly Hilton Hotel on a stretcher and transported to Cedars-Sinai Hospital in Los Angeles, with reports suggesting she was being treated for anxiety and stress.

People magazine reported that it was Brown's second hospital visit since learning of her mother's death.

A source told the celebrity news magazine she was taken to Cedars Sinai on Saturday around 11pm (local time) and was again admitted yesterday morning "for the same thing – stress and anxiety".

She was later cleared and released, People reported.

media_camera (Daily Mail caption) Whitney Houston's only daughter Bobbi Kristina Brown (above) was rushed to hospital the day after her superstar mother was found dead. The exact cause of Bobbi Kristina's emergency is unknown, but initial reports say she is having a complete meltdown in the wake of her mother's passing. Picture: Fox News, via Daily Mail

Whitney Houston's daughter Bobbi Kristina Brown iss rushed to hospital the day after her mother was found dead. Picture: Fox News

Brown, the only child of Houston and her ex-husband Bobby Brown, was apparently in the lobby of the hotel when Houston was pronounced dead Saturday afternoon.

Sources told People magazine that the young woman was distraught, yelling and had a "complete breakdown" after learning of her mother's death.

Earlier Sunday, Us Weekly quoted a source as saying, "Bobbi was always by [Houston's] side in everything she did ... She was really her mom's caretaker and biggest cheerleader and biggest fan ... I don't know how she will be able to go on."

media_camera Whitney Houston, right, pictured singing with daughter Bobbi Kristina Brown during a performance on 'Good Morning America' in September 2009.

Whitney Houston, right, pictured singing with daughter Bobbi Kristina Brown during a performance on 'Good Morning America' in September 2009. Picture: AP

Family's 'unimaginable tragedy'

The news about Bobbi Kristina came as Houston's family broke their silence on the tragedy, issuing a statement saying they were devastated by the "unimaginable tragedy'' of the singer's death.

"We are devastated by the loss of our beloved Whitney," they said in a statement through the singer's publicist, thanking fans for their outpouring of support. "This is an unimaginable tragedy and we will miss her terribly."

The singer's ex-husband Bobby Brown said he was "deeply saddened" by her death.

Brown, who had a tumultuous 14-year marriage to Houston, asked for privacy, especially for the pair's only daughter.

"I appreciate all of the condolences that have been directed towards my family and I at this most difficult time," the R&B singer-songwriter added in a statement to People magazine.

Brown, 43, reportedly broke down backstage before a show with his band New Edition outside of Memphis Saturday night, just after news broke that Houston was found dead in the Beverly Hilton hotel.

At one point onstage, Brown shouted, "I love you, Whitney," before blowing a kiss to the sky with visibly teary eyes, according to Us Weekly.

media_camera A lone bouquet of flowers in memory of Whitney Houston placed at the Apollo Theater in New York.

A lone bouquet of flowers in memory of Whitney Houston placed at the Apollo Theater in New York. Picture: Getty

Houston 'partying' before death

The TMZ celebrity news website reported that various prescription pills were found in Houston's hotel room, quoting family members as saying she used Xanax, which is often used to treat anxiety.

It emerged yesterday that Houston had been partying heavily only hours before she was found dead in a hotel bath.

The troubled superstar, 48, was seen drinking and talking loudly with friends at a hotel bar not long before a member of her entourage discovered her unconscious in the tub and called for help.

Paramedics tried for 20 minutes to resuscitate Houston, but she was pronounced dead at the scene.

Houston's stunned mother, Cissy, said she spoke to the singer only half an hour before she died and she "seemed fine".

The pair even made plans to attend a pre-Grammy Awards party together later in the day.

media_camera A woman arriving for the Grammy awards looks at a sidewalk plaque honouring Whitney Houston's wins for Record of the Year and Album of the Year in 1994.

A woman arriving for the Grammy awards looks at a sidewalk plaque honouring Whitney Houston's wins for Record of the Year and Album of the Year in 1994. Picture: AP

Drug issues

Although there were no obvious signs of criminal activity, police are investigating Houston's death.

A multiple award-winner and star of the hit movie The Bodyguard, Houston's stellar career was marred in more recent years by drug addiction, erratic behaviour and a turbulent marriage.

Describing herself as her own "worst enemy", the fallen diva was on the cusp of a comeback with a new film due for release and a possible mentoring role on the TV series The X Factor.

A squeaky-clean darling of the pop world in the 1980s, Houston's personal and professional life began unravelling by the end of the 1990s.

In a 2002 tell-all interview with Diane Sawyer, Houston confessed she and then-husband Brown used marijuana, cocaine and prescription drugs together.

She denied they were crack addicts saying: "Crack is cheap. I make too much money to ever smoke crack. Let's get that straight, OK? We don't do crack. We don't do that. Crack is whack."

Houston explained her drug abuse as "partying" that had got out of hand.

"I am not self-destructive," Houston said.

"I'm a person who has life, and wants to live."

Houston's 1997 and 2010 tours of Australia were marred by unhappy fans claiming her vocal performance was substandard.

media_camera Sisters Toni and Pam Gregory cry together as they stand in front of The Whitney E. Houston Academy of Creative and Performing Arts in East Orange, New Jersey.

Sisters Toni and Pam Gregory cry together as they stand in front of The Whitney E. Houston Academy of Creative and Performing Arts in East Orange, New Jersey. Picture: AP

Tragedy stuns music industry

Singer Anthony Callea, Houston's support act in 2010, shot down any suggestion of drug use or trouble.

"Despite her reported personal turmoil in recent years, backstage she wasn't the diva at all," he said.

"She completely made us feel part of the tour."

Houston's Aussie tour promoter Andrew McManus said: "I'm as shocked as anybody. There was no sign of drug use or any indication at all she was on drugs.

"The most illicit thing she had was a glass of champagne. It's devastating."

McManus said he spoke to Houston after she received bad reviews for her first Australian concerts.

"Whitney said to me, 'God's got my back. If that's what people want to think about me, let them'," he said.

Life-long Houston fan, Jamie Campbell followed her around Australia in 2010 and said her performances were "far from a train wreck".

"The true fans will remember her for her amazing voice and nothing else," he said.

- with Siobhan Duck

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Originally published as Whitney died from drugs, alcohol: reports