Whitney Died From Drowning - Coke Abuse and Heart Disease Contributed

[Jerry Oz]

Houston died from drowning, coroner says



LOS ANGELES [[AP) — Whitney Houston died from drowning in a hotel bathtub, but coroner's officials said Thursday that heart disease and chronic cocaine use were contributing factors to the singer's death.
The release of autopsy findings Thursday ends weeks of speculation about what killed the Grammy-winning singer on Feb. 11 on the eve of the Grammy Awards.
Houston was found submerged in the bathtub of her room at the Beverly Hilton Hotel and her death has been ruled as accidental. Several bottles of prescription medications were found in her hotel room, but coroner's officials said they weren't in excessive quantities.
Beverly Hills police said in a statement there was no evidence of wrongdoing in connection with Houston's death.

"We are saddened to learn of the toxicology results, although we are glad to now have closure,' said Patricia Houston, the singer's sister-in-law and manager.

Coroner's spokesman Craig Harvey says cocaine and its byproducts were found in Houston's system, and it was listed as a contributing factor in her death. He says the results indicated Houston was a chronic cocaine user.
Coroner's officials said they also found traces of marijuana, Xanax and benadryl in her system.
Houston died just hours before she was scheduled to appear at producer Clive Davis' pre-Grammy Awards bash.
The singer was buried in a New Jersey cemetery next to her father after an emotional four-hour funeral service that was attended by friends, family and superstars such as Oprah Winfrey, Tyler Perry, Alicia Keys, Mariah Carey, Mary J. Blige, Jennifer Hudson and Roberta Flack
Houston, a sensation from her first, eponymous album in 1985, was one of the world's best-selling artists from the mid-1980s to the late 1990s, turning out such hits as "I Wanna Dance With Somebody," ''How Will I Know," ''The Greatest Love of All" and "I Will Always Love You." But as she struggled with drugs, her majestic voice became raspy, and she couldn't hit the high notes.
Interest in her music has skyrocketed since her death, pushing her songs back on to charts and into heavy rotation on the radio.





http://music.yahoo.com/news/houston-...213627189.html

[Roberta75]

Houston died from drowning, coroner says



LOS ANGELES [[AP) — Whitney Houston died from drowning in a hotel bathtub, but coroner's officials said Thursday that heart disease and chronic cocaine use were contributing factors to the singer's death.
The release of autopsy findings Thursday ends weeks of speculation about what killed the Grammy-winning singer on Feb. 11 on the eve of the Grammy Awards.
Houston was found submerged in the bathtub of her room at the Beverly Hilton Hotel and her death has been ruled as accidental. Several bottles of prescription medications were found in her hotel room, but coroner's officials said they weren't in excessive quantities.
Beverly Hills police said in a statement there was no evidence of wrongdoing in connection with Houston's death.

"We are saddened to learn of the toxicology results, although we are glad to now have closure,' said Patricia Houston, the singer's sister-in-law and manager.

Coroner's spokesman Craig Harvey says cocaine and its byproducts were found in Houston's system, and it was listed as a contributing factor in her death. He says the results indicated Houston was a chronic cocaine user.
Coroner's officials said they also found traces of marijuana, Xanax and benadryl in her system.
Houston died just hours before she was scheduled to appear at producer Clive Davis' pre-Grammy Awards bash.
The singer was buried in a New Jersey cemetery next to her father after an emotional four-hour funeral service that was attended by friends, family and superstars such as Oprah Winfrey, Tyler Perry, Alicia Keys, Mariah Carey, Mary J. Blige, Jennifer Hudson and Roberta Flack
Houston, a sensation from her first, eponymous album in 1985, was one of the world's best-selling artists from the mid-1980s to the late 1990s, turning out such hits as "I Wanna Dance With Somebody," ''How Will I Know," ''The Greatest Love of All" and "I Will Always Love You." But as she struggled with drugs, her majestic voice became raspy, and she couldn't hit the high notes.
Interest in her music has skyrocketed since her death, pushing her songs back on to charts and into heavy rotation on the radio.


http://music.yahoo.com/news/houston-...213627189.html

Terribly sad for her family. Still, now they know and hopefully they can start the healing process, which isn't going to be easy or quick.

May sweet Jesus look after Bobbi Kristina and protect her from all temptation.

Roberta

[marv2]

I'm happy that is now over and everyone knows the cause of death. Rest in peace Whitney!

[Roberta75]

Houston died from drowning, coroner says

LOS ANGELES [[AP) — Whitney Houston died from drowning in a hotel bathtub, but coroner's officials said Thursday that heart disease and chronic cocaine use were contributing factors to the singer's death.
The release of autopsy findings Thursday ends weeks of speculation about what killed the Grammy-winning singer on Feb. 11 on the eve of the Grammy Awards.
Houston was found submerged in the bathtub of her room at the Beverly Hilton Hotel and her death has been ruled as accidental. Several bottles of prescription medications were found in her hotel room, but coroner's officials said they weren't in excessive quantities.
Beverly Hills police said in a statement there was no evidence of wrongdoing in connection with Houston's death.

"We are saddened to learn of the toxicology results, although we are glad to now have closure,' said Patricia Houston, the singer's sister-in-law and manager.

Coroner's spokesman Craig Harvey says cocaine and its byproducts were found in Houston's system, and it was listed as a contributing factor in her death. He says the results indicated Houston was a chronic cocaine user.
Coroner's officials said they also found traces of marijuana, Xanax and benadryl in her system.
Houston died just hours before she was scheduled to appear at producer Clive Davis' pre-Grammy Awards bash.
The singer was buried in a New Jersey cemetery next to her father after an emotional four-hour funeral service that was attended by friends, family and superstars such as Oprah Winfrey, Tyler Perry, Alicia Keys, Mariah Carey, Mary J. Blige, Jennifer Hudson and Roberta Flack
Houston, a sensation from her first, eponymous album in 1985, was one of the world's best-selling artists from the mid-1980s to the late 1990s, turning out such hits as "I Wanna Dance With Somebody," ''How Will I Know," ''The Greatest Love of All" and "I Will Always Love You." But as she struggled with drugs, her majestic voice became raspy, and she couldn't hit the high notes.
Interest in her music has skyrocketed since her death, pushing her songs back on to charts and into heavy rotation on the radio.

http://music.yahoo.com/news/houston-...213627189.html

According to the coroner Whitney Houston did cocaine just before she died, which probably caused her heart attack. Tragic, just tragic. What a waste of a beautiful life.

http://www.tmz.com/2012/03/22/whitne.../#.T2vmOeX-S6w

[jobeterob]

The sad truth is that the cause of the drowning was chronic cocaine addiction.

One of those CNN doctors questioned why those around her seemed to deny what was going on. I wonder if that is because they KNEW what was going on.

[smark21]

[Jerry Oz]

The irony of that song was that Melle Mel would also go on to become a coke addict.

[jobeterob]

Still incredible to me that the two biggest musical artists of the 90's had the whole world by the everythings and they both died young as addicts. Somethings are so screwed up in this world.

[marv2]

Still incredible to me that the two biggest musical artists of the 90's had the whole world by the everythings and they both died young as addicts. Somethings are so screwed up in this world.

Oh stop it! It goes back much further and deeper than that. Ever heard of Elvis? Marilyn Monroe? Janis Joplin? Jim Morrison, Jimi Hendrix, etc,etc,etc. What is screwed up in this World is that everyone is allowed to have a computer and get on the internet...........

[Cincinnati_Kid]

Oh stop it! It goes back much further and deeper than that. Ever heard of Elvis? Marilyn Monroe? Janis Joplin? Jim Morrison, Jimi Hendrix, etc,etc,etc. What is screwed up in this World is that everyone is allowed to have a computer and get on the internet...........

Man, you know how to drop a hammer don't you.

[marv2]

Man, you know how to drop a hammer don't you.

I'm sorry, but he loves to dump on a few that he doesn't personally like.

[milven]

I'm sorry, but he loves to dump on a few that he doesn't personally like.

And we appreciate that you don't dump on the one celebrity that you don't like

[marv2]

And we appreciate that you don't dump on the one celebrity that you don't like

My pleasure.....anytime !

[jobeterob]

Yes but Whitney and Michael lived in an era where treatment possibilities and assistance was so much more available and extensive and yet they could not avail themselves of any of it. They were not 60's and 70's celebrities. And Michael and Whitney had access to so much more money than Jim, Janis or Jimi ever had.

This should make us admire any celebrity that faces these issues and survives it.

Is someone calling the kettle black here again? Gonna have to post Mary Wilson and Mary Brewster's admonitions again!

[juicefree20]

What's sad to consider is a quote that I once read in a book. I believe that is comes from Peter Guaralnick's great book "Sweet Soul Music".

If I remember the quote correctly, it was something along the lines of how some industry folks would rather deal with a junkie that some unreliable knucklehead.

And along the lines of Jerry Oz's video, I think back to an early 1980s party that my Record Pool had, in which a certain entertainer who a few short years later would go on to do anti-drug PSA's, was giving encouragement to another singer as the distributor opened a bag & poured out enough coke to coat several hundred pieces of The Colonel's chicken & proceeded to avail themselves of the powder.

[juicefree20]

I notice that often when these tragedies occur, everyone seems to jump on the artist[[s), without ever once looking elsewhere. Looking back into time, one has to acknowledge one simple truth.

I've shot a lot of shows & I've noticed something. A lot of the DooWop guys & gals have held up pretty well & I have a theory as to why. When talking about drugs, most may have indulged in weed & the more unfortunate ones, heroin. As many people were & are afraid of needles, as well as the fact that coke was too expensive at the time, most whom indulged may have satisfied themselves with weed & drink. They didn't get caught up with coke because most of their careers were over by then & most were likely back in the 9-to-5 world by then. Coke likely wasn't an option for them.

I was a kid in the 60s & early 70's when the scourge known as heroin was so prevalent. We kids saw those folks nodding from heroin, or we saw the kids whom were strung out from sniffing Testor's glue, or "Dope", which was used in the building of model planes from paper bags & watching their behavior, thought that it was terrible. And we received a lot of warnings about the dangers of heroin & dope or glue-sniffing.

But no one was talkin about coke back then, as hardly anyone could afford it.

But as the 60s turned into the '70 & especially when Disco came into vogue, a lot of those artists whom were afraid of needles may have felt that coke was a better option. I remember as a young DJ how the whole lifestyle & everything that came with it was glamourized. At that point, there were no anti-coke spots on tv. In fact, you really didn't hear much negativity about coke anywhere.

And as we're blaming the artists, it would be wise to remember that coke was far from being discussed as a scourge, if only because the reports hadn't been coming out everywhere. As I remember it, it wasn't until the Wall Streeters began losing their homes & their jobs, that anyone spoke against coke in a serious manner. It was a recreational thing, most who indulged did so socially, without any thoughts of becoming hooked.

And guess who supplied many of the entertainers & here's a hint...it wasn't always some predatory street person.

There was a great singer & it was said that the label owner got them hooked on drugs as a means to control the singer. And that person wasn't the only one, as some believed it to be easier to control a strung-out singer, than some hot-headed person who's asking you about their royalties.

The whole coke issue didn't become an "epidemic" until the "wrong" people began getting hooked & losing everything. And it wasn't until a few years later when someone figured out how to cook coke into crack & our streets became the equivalent of an Iraqui village that coke became a serious part of any discussion.

But I remember that up to that time, coke was something that many of the "beautiful'' people did & never considered the future ramifications of that "fun'' choice.

Those came a few years later. As with most trials & studies, you have to have a study group before you know the results of a test, especially one which was not a controlled one.

Folks are hard on these celebrities, but I don't believe that for even one minute, that these celebrities had any idea as to what they were getting themselves into when all of those "friends" & otherwise "good" people were doling out all of those ''care'' packages. They were just having fun, it was part of the lifestyle.

And what a cost it exacted for more than a few.

[carlo]

Yes but Whitney and Michael lived in an era where treatment possibilities and assistance was so much more available and extensive and yet they could not avail themselves of any of it. They were not 60's and 70's celebrities. And Michael and Whitney had access to so much more money than Jim, Janis or Jimi ever had.

Rob, were you ever a drug addict? If not, I guess it would be difficult to make that judgment...

[juicefree20]

Carlo,

I have to admit that when I was a bit younger, I used to feel the same way. I never got into drugs & never understood how anyone could ever get hooked. I used to think that addicts couldn't kick drugs because they just didn't want to.

After awhile I spoke to people & they told me that I just didn't know what I was talking about, nor could I understand just how deep addiction runs & they were right...I didn't understand.

Then as I watched so many famous people lose their careers, it began to dawn on me that if people were throwing entire careers away, costing themselves countless millions in the process, then it has to be much more to it than my supposition that "they just don't want to quit". When I saw a young lady whom I once walked across the stage at high school graduation, a mere 8 years later in my friend's store negotiating getting a 49 cent Drake's cake & a 50 cent soda, in exchange for orally pleasuring the store owner, it began to dawn on me that addiction to this drug was far deeper than my mind could comprehend.

And as I looked around & saw once-proud women whom just a few short years earlier were so bad that brothers were trying to give them the world just to be with them, selling themselves for a few dollars, told me that drug addiction was not what I believed it to be.

But when I saw stories about kids killing their parents or grandparents, or parents killing their kids & once-proud men not caring enough to wash themselves & worse, reducing themselves to offer oral pleasure to a dealer or someone whom would offer them $5 just so that they could get their next hit, that told me that when it came to my ideas about addiction, that I didn't know what I was talking about. I had no idea at all, I had no idea what I was talking about.

And that's when I dropped any haughty ideas that I previously held about those addicted to drugs. I saw what drugs did to far too many decent people, people whom I had known for much of my life who had the misfortune of having something that was once done socially, completely swallow them whole.

And to those whom were once out there & through the grace of God managed to pull themselves out of that pit, I applaud them mightily, because I know far too many childhood or school friends who never made it out of the 80s, much less the 90s because of addiction.

[marv2]

Carlo,

I have to admit that when I was a bit younger, I used to feel the same way. I never got into drugs & never understood how anyone could ever get hooked. I used to think that addicts couldn't kick drugs because they just didn't want to.

After awhile I spoke to people & they told me that I just didn't know what I was talking about, nor could I understand just how deep addiction runs & they were right...I didn't understand.

Then as I watched so many famous people lose their careers, it began to dawn on me that if people were throwing entire careers away, costing themselves countless millions in the process, then it has to be much more to it than my supposition that "they just don't want to quit". When I saw a young lady whom I once walked across the stage at high school graduation, a mere 8 years later in my friend's store negotiating getting a 49 cent Drake's cake & a 50 cent soda, in exchange for orally pleasuring the store owner, it began to dawn on me that addiction to this drug was far deeper than my mind could comprehend.

And as I looked around & saw once-proud women whom just a few short years earlier were so bad that brothers were trying to give them the world just to be with them, selling themselves for a few dollars, told me that drug addiction was not what I believed it to be.

But when I saw stories about kids killing their parents or grandparents, or parents killing their kids & once-proud men not caring enough to wash themselves & worse, reducing themselves to offer oral pleasure to a dealer or someone whom would offer them $5 just so that they could get their next hit, that told me that when it came to my ideas about addiction, that I didn't know what I was talking about. I had no idea at all, I had no idea what I was talking about.

And that's when I dropped any haughty ideas that I previously held about those addicted to drugs. I saw what drugs did to far too many decent people, people whom I had known for much of my life who had the misfortune of having something that was once done socially, completely swallow them whole.

And to those whom were once out there & through the grace of God managed to pull themselves out of that pit, I applaud them mightily, because I know far too many childhood or school friends who never made it out of the 80s, much less the 90s because of addiction.

Juice I know very well what you mean. So, so many people I knew from school and my younger days are gone now. Many of the guys that played on my H.S. basketball team are also gone and we are not old men. Some were murdered, some died overtime from the use of drugs that I try not to think about it. I did learn not to judge those suffering from addiction. I however have a problem with those that made it known that they looked down on addicts while indulging themselves in prescription pain killers, alcohol etc,etc.

I think people need to sometime ask themselves, what drove some of these people to continue to use drugs. I put it that way because for every one person I knew that became addicted, there are 10 more that never did. They just did it for recreation. I can remember being shocked at one of my old company's Christmas Party back in the mid-80's when I noticed that most of the hall where the party was held was empty much of the time because everyone was out in the parking lot, in their cars, sniffing coke!

[smark21]

Yes but Whitney and Michael lived in an era where treatment possibilities and assistance was so much more available and extensive and yet they could not avail themselves of any of it. They were not 60's and 70's celebrities. And Michael and Whitney had access to so much more money than Jim, Janis or Jimi ever had.

This should make us admire any celebrity that faces these issues and survives it.

Is someone calling the kettle black here again? Gonna have to post Mary Wilson and Mary Brewster's admonitions again!

They did avail of themselves of treatment, rehab and other addiction programs. The problem was that they fell off the wagon, like many who struggling with substance abuse and addiction. One stay in rehab doesn’t mean an automatic cure.

BTW,Michael was not one of the top two selling artists of the 90’s. His sales fell off. Garth Brooks was the most popular artist of the 90’s [[in the US at least).

[juicefree20]

Marv,

To be honest, I believe that the fact that there was so much misinformation told to us about drugs is what led so many to becoming disbelievers.

For example, when I was a kid, one of the biggest pieces of propaganda that "experts" spread at the time was that drugs were used by people whom were trying to escape their troubles, miscreants or other n'eer do wells & from what I saw, that was a load of bull.

By trying to scare us into NOT using drugs by misrepresent the true users, they kinda emboldened some to use them.

Most of the people whom I saw using drugs weren't miserable people. Most of the people whom I saw using drugs weren't people whom were ''troubled'' or came from bad homes.

Most of the people whom I knew who were into drugs were doing it on a casual basis. They were doing it either because other friends were doing it, to fit in & some even as a dare.

Perhaps had they been more honest with kids & told them how they were most likely to become hooked, their propaganda would've been more effective & it might've been taken more seriously than the scare tactics that they used back then.

[Jerry Oz]

I never understood the allure to do drugs, especially the dangerous ones. As a boy, I remember walking to the drug store to get candy or "funny books" and walking past abandoned store fronts. The glass in many was broken and to this day, I can't get the stench of crap and piss out of my nose. I remember seeing the geekers moving around in the dark and not thinking twice about it. I remember needles in the gutter. Why in the world would this lifestyle and environment appeal to someone?

Anyway, I remember being about 19 or so when someone came through my line at the grocery store that I was working at and told me that Lenny Bias died. He died shortly after being drafted by the Boston Celtics, a team that I hate to this day. Understand also that I'm a huuuuge fan of North Carolina basketball and Lenny Bias was as attractive to me as garlic is to a vampire. There must have been five or six people in my line at the time and I asked him how he died and he told me that he died of a heart attack. Not even caring who noticed, I openly wept for the tragedy of a life that was cut short. Not to color myself negatively [[I hope), I was quite pissed off when I found out how he died. What the hell was "crack cocaine" anyway?

Well, I thought that his death would scare America away from that mess. I found out from my family that lived in Landover, Maryland, that crack was all the rage and that his death was not a deterrent to anyone from buying or selling it. To further underscore that point, it wasn't much longer before Don Rogers, a cornerback of the Cleveland Browns [[one of the original "Dawg Pound") toked himself to death at his bachelor party. I guess from my perspective, drugs was never a possible outlet because I saw and continue to see what it does to people. I weep for my people who feel that the first time that they use it is okay and never look back. I never want to look into a mirror and see a dead man looking back.

[marv2]

Marv,

To be honest, I believe that the fact that there was so much misinformation told to us about drugs is what led so many to becoming disbelievers.

For example, when I was a kid, one of the biggest pieces of propaganda that "experts" spread at the time was that drugs were used by people whom were trying to escape their troubles, miscreants or other n'eer do wells & from what I saw, that was a load of bull.

By trying to scare us into NOT using drugs by misrepresent the true users, they kinda emboldened some to use them.

Most of the people whom I saw using drugs weren't miserable people. Most of the people whom I saw using drugs weren't people whom were ''troubled'' or came from bad homes.

Most of the people whom I knew who were into drugs were doing it on a casual basis. They were doing it either because other friends were doing it, to fit in & some even as a dare.

Perhaps had they been more honest with kids & told them how they were most likely to become hooked, their propaganda would've been more effective & it might've been taken more seriously than the scare tactics that they used back then.

So true. I went to a private university. There were students that were the children of some wealthy, well known celebrities. A of whom held the supply of drugs in the dorms! They were not from unhappy, low income backgrounds etc. Remember the term "square"? That's what was used to joke about those that didn't do drugs when I was in school. Peer pressure caused many to try them for the first time. In the case of Whitney, I would not be surprised if she did not try them for the first time with folks older than herself. I've read that she had started recording background sessions as early as age 14 in the city.

They use to have the police dept go around to all the schools when I was in Junior High and lecture us on the evils of drugs. They would have this display board that had samples on it of everything from LSD, heroin,cocaine, pot, hash and other drugs that were popular a that time. So we got to see what they looked like, but not what the hardcore addicted looked like. I didn't see that until much later in life.

[marv2]

I never understood the allure to do drugs, especially the dangerous ones. As a boy, I remember walking to the drug store to get candy or "funny books" and walking past abandoned store fronts. The glass in many was broken and to this day, I can't get the stench of crap and piss out of my nose. I remember seeing the geekers moving around in the dark and not thinking twice about it. I remember needles in the gutter. Why in the world would this lifestyle and environment appeal to someone?

Anyway, I remember being about 19 or so when someone came through my line at the grocery store that I was working at and told me that Lenny Bias died. He died shortly after being drafted by the Boston Celtics, a team that I hate to this day. Understand also that I'm a huuuuge fan of North Carolina basketball and Lenny Bias was as attractive to me as garlic is to a vampire. There must have been five or six people in my line at the time and I asked him how he died and he told me that he died of a heart attack. Not even caring who noticed, I openly wept for the tragedy of a life that was cut short. Not to color myself negatively [[I hope), I was quite pissed off when I found out how he died. What the hell was "crack cocaine" anyway?

Well, I thought that his death would scare America away from that mess. I found out from my family that lived in Landover, Maryland, that crack was all the rage and that his death was not a deterrent to anyone from buying or selling it. To further underscore that point, it wasn't much longer before Don Rogers, a cornerback of the Cleveland Browns [[one of the original "Dawg Pound") toked himself to death at his bachelor party. I guess from my perspective, drugs was never a possible outlet because I saw and continue to see what it does to people. I weep for my people who feel that the first time that they use it is okay and never look back. I never want to look into a mirror and see a dead man looking back.

Oh man, Len Bias! I remember exactly where I was when I heard that he had died. I was driving from Philly to Harrisburg and heard it on this tiny AM radio station. I had to pull the car over. That was a bit scary.

[soulster]

And, the final report has been released: http://todayentertainment.today.msnb...wn-in-tub?lite

[jobeterob]

By Alan Duke, CNN
updated 10:33 PM EDT, Wed April 4, 2012
Singer Whitney Houston's death was ruled an accident.STORY HIGHLIGHTS
NEW: Dr. Drew Pinsky: Autopsy report suggests seizure possibly from drug, alcohol withdrawal
Coroner: Death was from accidental drowning; cocaine, heart disease were factors
Investigators found "a small spoon with a white crystal like substance " in her bathroom
Her assistant found Houston 35 minutes after telling her to take a bath
Los Angeles [[CNN) -- Whitney Houston drowned face down in a tub of "extremely hot water" about 12 inches deep, the final autopsy report on the singer's death said.

The Los Angeles County coroner ruled that Houston's February 11 death was an accidental drowning with the "effects of atherosclerotic heart disease and cocaine use" as contributing factors.

The coroner's report stopped short of detailing what happened to Houston, but HLN's Dr. Drew Pinsky, an addiction medicine specialist, examined the autopsy report for CNN and suggested she might have suffered a seizure brought on by the use of cocaine possibly combined with a withdrawal from alcohol and a prescription sedative.

An empty bottle of the Xanax was found in her room, but the level of the sedative found in her blood was low, he said. Empty beer bottles were also found, but alcohol was not detected in her body, he said.



Report: Houston found face down in tub "To me, a sudden drop off in the Xanax level, a drop off in your alcohol consumption, add cocaine, that's a recipe for a seizure," Pinsky said. "Somebody who's now upside down in a bathtub could easily seize and drown."

The coroner's report note that Houston suffered several small scald burns on her face at the time of her death.

A 60% narrowing of her arteries found in the autopsy is "very mild heart disease," Pinsky said, which should not have caused a problem.

Toxicology testing measured .58 micrograms of cocaine per milliliter of blood drawn from a vein in her leg during the autopsy, which Pinsky called a moderate level.

Her cocaine use appeared to have occurred "in the time period just immediately prior to her collapse in the bathtub at the hotel," Chief Coroner Craig Harvey told reporters when he released the preliminary report last month.

Investigators found "a small spoon with a white crystal like substance in it and a rolled up piece of white paper" in the bathroom where Houston drowned, coroner's investigator Kristy McCracken wrote.

"Remnants of a white powdery substance" were found on a bathroom counter, McCracken wrote.

"I also collected remnants of a white powdery substance from out of a drawer and from the bottom of a mirror in the same drawer in the bathroom counter," she wrote.

Detectives found a "plethora of medications bottles" in the hotel room, although the coroner concluded the prescription drugs "did not contribute to the death."

Along with cocaine, the toxicology tests found other drugs in her body, including marijuana, the anti-anxiety drug Xanax, the muscle relaxant Flexeril and the allergy medicine Benadryl, the report said.

Houston was last seen alive by her personal assistant in her Beverly Hilton hotel room at about 3 p.m. that Saturday, the report said. The assistant left to run errands after telling Houston to take a bath in preparation for a pre-Grammy Awards party at the hotel that night, it said.

When the assistant returned to the locked room at 3:35 p.m.. she found Houston "lying face down in the bathtub filled with water, unresponsive."

"The assistant called for her bodyguard, and together they pulled the decedent out of the bathtub," the report said.

When paramedics arrived about 10 minutes later they moved Houston to the living room floor. It was at 3:55 p.m., 20 minutes after she was found by the assistant, that paramedics concluded she was dead, the report said.

Houston won six Grammys and sold 170 million albums, singles and videos over her career.

In recent years, the singer's accomplishments were overtaken by her struggles with drug addiction.

[jsmith]

RE: Investigators found "a small spoon with a white crystal like substance " in her bathroom
ALSO a small mirror & other drug paraphernalia but no one had the white powder tested as Whitney 'drowned'.
..... Whitney was a cocaine user.
.... a small mirror, small spoon,white powder / crystal are 'tools of the trade' to cocaine user's.
.... bur Whitney just 'drowned' ........ YEA, we know !!!
Another case of 'nobody ask, nobody tell' !!!

[soulster]

RE: Investigators found "a small spoon with a white crystal like substance " in her bathroom
ALSO a small mirror & other drug paraphernalia but no one had the white powder tested as Whitney 'drowned'.
..... Whitney was a cocaine user.
.... a small mirror, small spoon,white powder / crystal are 'tools of the trade' to cocaine user's.
.... bur Whitney just 'drowned' ........ YEA, we know !!!
Another case of 'nobody ask, nobody tell' !!!

This should silence all those die-hard Whitney fans who kept getting angry at the mere suggestion that she was using again.

[carlo]

Juice, I say this with total respect for you...but I am not sure if you completely understood my post? I basically replied to Jobeterob, frustrated that he was judging Whitney and Michael Jackson because they had more access to "help" and rehabs than celebrities from the 60's. To me, that doesn't make a difference. Addiction is addiction. It's not our place to judge. I know what he means, but I still would not judge a person, even if they're rich and have easier access to help. We don't know their full stories. Y'all can judge and assume all you want, but unless I know their full story and have experienced it for myself, then it's not my place to judge. Just like a lot of people automatically assume that because of my age, I'm young, naive and innocent and have not been hurt or abused or whatever....so they make those assumptions and use it as an excuse to patronize me. We all have our stories.

I used to judge people in that manner, but I won't do it anymore. For me, addiction is addiction, whether it's the guy on the street or Whitney Houston. I have compassion for both of them.

[carlo]

This should silence all those die-hard Whitney fans who kept getting angry at the mere suggestion that she was using again.

Whitney's gone...I don't care about who was wrong and who was right on this forum. People on this forum were very cruel to her while she was still alive. When you put positive or negative energy into the universe, it always comes back to you. Those people who constantly bad mouthed her should be ashamed.

It's very sad and tragic that Whitney is gone. I cried for days. It disgusts me how some people love to bask in controversy, including when it involves someone else's death. Let the lady rest in peace. I will always remember her and cherish the positive times, her music and her talent, not the troubled times. If anything, we should learn from Whitney and the troubles she experienced during her life. None of us are immune to that. Drug addicts are not people on a "lower level" of society than the rest of us. They're people like you and I that lost their way at some point. It is very real and it could easily happen to you or a loved one. We should not judge or point fingers. I used to judge people, but never again...

Whitney is at peace now, with the Lord. Amen.

[marv2]

Whitney's gone...I don't care about who was wrong and who was right on this forum. People on this forum were very cruel to her while she was still alive. When you put positive or negative energy into the universe, it always comes back to you. Those people who constantly bad mouthed her should be ashamed.

It's very sad and tragic that Whitney is gone. I cried for days. It disgusts me how some people love to bask in controversy, including when it involves someone else's death. Let the lady rest in peace. I will always remember her and cherish the positive times, her music and her talent, not the troubled times. If anything, we should learn from Whitney and the troubles she experienced during her life. None of us are immune to that. Drug addicts are not people on a "lower level" of society than the rest of us. They're people like you and I that lost their way at some point. It is very real and it could easily happen to you or a loved one. We should not judge or point fingers. I used to judge people, but never again...

Whitney is at peace now, with the Lord. Amen.

Amen. Carlo I hope I have never patronized you, but I am very proud of you and your understanding of the situation as it relates to Whitney and others.

[Roberta75]

Whitney's gone...I don't care about who was wrong and who was right on this forum. People on this forum were very cruel to her while she was still alive. When you put positive or negative energy into the universe, it always comes back to you. Those people who constantly bad mouthed her should be ashamed.

It's very sad and tragic that Whitney is gone. I cried for days. It disgusts me how some people love to bask in controversy, including when it involves someone else's death. Let the lady rest in peace. I will always remember her and cherish the positive times, her music and her talent, not the troubled times. If anything, we should learn from Whitney and the troubles she experienced during her life. None of us are immune to that. Drug addicts are not people on a "lower level" of society than the rest of us. They're people like you and I that lost their way at some point. It is very real and it could easily happen to you or a loved one. We should not judge or point fingers. I used to judge people, but never again...

Whitney is at peace now, with the Lord. Amen.

Amen Carlo, Whitney is with the lord Almighty, so you dry your tears my lamb and rejoice that Whitney Houston is now singing in the Heavenly Mansion and Bobbi Kristina has her very own angel watching over her.

As stated in the Gospel according to John: "In my Father's house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you"

Whitney's place was prepared and now she's home with her beloved Jesus.

Do not stand at my grave and weep
I am not there. I do not sleep.
I am a thousand winds that blow.
I am the diamond glints on snow.
I am the sunlight on ripened grain.
I am the gentle autumn rain.
When you awaken in the morning's hush
I am the swift uplifting rush
Of quiet birds in circled flight.
I am the soft stars that shine at night.
Do not stand at my grave and cry;
I am not there. I did not die.

My God comfort and bless you Carlo.

Fondly,

Roberta

[carlo]

Thank you. God Bless you, Roberta.

Marv, no you've never patronized me. I'm just speaking in general terms.

[smark21]

Carlo, do you have friends your own age who you can hang out with on a regular basis? You're too young to spend days crying over a dead star who you never knew.

[carlo]

That's rude, Smark.

[smark21]

Yes, it’s a rude question/remark Carlo. But still when I read a post from a young man in his 20’s with his whole life in front of him describing that he cried for days after the death of Whitney Houston, I can’t help but be concerned and alarmed. You’re entitled to your feelings and your fandom of Whitney Houston, but to cry for days on end over the death of a singer, someone who was not your mother, grandmother, sister, wife, girlfriend, or friend, is sad to hear. I really do hope you have friends in your town around your age you can hang out with and have some fun. I certainly hope these friends see you were in pain after Whitney’s death and gave you support and took you out for some fun and get your mind off it and make realize there is so much more to life than mourning a dead singer and posting on an internet music forums.

[Jerry Oz]

My two cents:

I remember thinking back on musicians that I loved as a boy in the '60s as basically one-dimensional pop singers. Smiling, dancing, making music that takes you back to finer days when you hear it decades later. At some point, I began reading books and watching films about these singers [[especially the tons of material produced about the Temptations). After finding out who these folks really were, I began to hear new things in their voices and art. The strained relationships, arguments, joys and pains can be heard in every inflection of each note that they sung. It was no longer "pop" music to me, but in every sense "soul" music for the first time.

It's fine to remember Whitney Houston and Michael Jackson for the joy they brought to so many through their music. But you are short-changing them as human beings to pretend that their frailties and faults were not as instrumental to their talent and success as the sound of their voices and the strength of their production. Take a closer look at the smiling face on the cover of the magazines and tell me that you can't imagine the tears they cried soon before or just after the photo was taken. It's there and if you care about them, then you should recognize that they are human. Just like you and me.

It may be disrespectful to talk poorly about the dead, but it's not appropriate in any regard to sing praises after tearing them down in life. I guess if you don't have something good to say, then shut up [[whether they are dead or alive). But, to find out that Whitney died this way doesn't make her less of a sensational woman. It makes her more sensational because she succeeded while being as weak as the rest of us. To be honest, I think that she [[and Michael Jackson before her) died years ago and her physical death was no great surprise to me. I don't think she would ever have been able to return to her level of talent or success, but I didn't lose respect for her as a human being. I'm just dismayed that someone who could have had much more positive influence on young people will be remembered for the negative way in which she passed.

[carlo]

Thanks Smark, but I doubt you really care about what I do or don't do. You don't know me and I don't know you. I'm not here to discuss my life.