A diva put to rest

Whitney Houston died from a cocktail of Xanax, prescription drugs and alcohol.

Whitney Houston’s family was told that 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 aunt, 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.

According to the Herald Sun, 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.

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’s body was found. Brown was taken by ambulance from 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 and was again admitted on Sunday morning “for the same thing — stress and anxiety”.

Houston’s body sent home to New Jersey

According to Reuters, the body of pop singer Whitney Houston was flown out of a Los Angeles airport on Monday, reportedly heading home to New Jersey for funeral services, police said on Monday.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 15^th, 2012.