 |
| HAPPY DAYS In a March 28, 1998 file photo Whitney Houston and her husband Bobby Brown arrive for the Versace Fall 1998 fashion show in New York. (AP Photo/Mark Lennihan, file) |
LOS ANGELES—Whitney Houston’s life of glorious song and unnerving self-destruction apparently ended in a bathtub at the Beverly Hilton Hotel on Grammy weekend, but it could be weeks before investigators know exactly why she died.
Coroner’s officials say they will not release any information on an autopsy performed Sunday at the request of detectives investigating the singer’s death. Houston was found in the bathtub of her room, but Assistant Chief Coroner Ed Winter declined to say anything more about the room’s condition or any evidence investigators recovered.
There were no indications of foul play and no obvious signs of trauma on Houston’s body. Winter said toxicology tests, which would take six to eight weeks to conduct, would be necessary to determine what factor, if any, might have played in Houston’s death.
Winter declined to comment on media reports that Houston had drowned in her hotel bathtub, possibly after succumbing to drugs or alcohol.
“I’d just comment that she was found in the bathtub. … I believe somebody removed her from the bathtub and the paramedics did CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation) on her.”
He also said a “security hold” had been placed on the case.
A death in the family
The coroner’s briefing came as the Grammy Awards opened a few kilometers away at the Staples Center, where rapper-actor LL Cool J paid tribute to the late pop star just after the start of the star-studded show.
“We’ve had a death in our family and so at least for me … The only thing that feels right is to begin with a prayer for a woman we loved, for our fallen sister,” he said.
Beverly Hills Police Lt. Mark Rosen said his agency may release more details on Monday about Houston’s death, but it will depend on whether detectives feel comfortable releasing any information. -Read full story here, by Anthony McCartney, Associated Press.