The Death Of Whitney Houston, The Full Story , Updated Often

CNN first broke the news that legendary singer performer Whitney Houston age 48 had died. CNN's retired Larry King came on the air and added his own comments about a woman he said was the best female singer who had ever lived. It is some of the saddest news the world has ever heard he went on to say.

Whitney Houston was discovered dead in the bathtub of her hotel suite at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills California on the afternoon of February 11th 2012 and someone paramedics said removed her from the bathtub before paramedics arrived. The Beverly Hills Paramedics arrived on the scene and worked doing CPR on Whitney Houston for 20 minutes before declaring her dead at 3.55 Pacific Standard Time.

On the Thursday before her death Whitney Houston attended a gathering for singers Brandy and Monica. Clive Davis was also present for the Davis' pre Grammy Awards Party. People who saw Whitney Houston there said she was dressed in mismatched clothing and that she reeked of alcohol. It has also been reported that she was near the pool doing handstands. At several times that evening guests told security that they should check out Whitney Houston because she was acting so strange. Later that evening Whitney Houston attended a party being held by Kelly Price at the Tru Nightclub in Hollywood California. Whitney almost got in a scuffle with singer Stacy Francis but people stepped in and stopped it before the situation could become worse. Later in the evening Whitney Houston gave her final performance of her life when she got on the stage and sang Jesus Loves Me for about one minute along with Kelly Price. Houston was later photographed by paparazzi leaving the party with scratches and blood stains on her legs and her hair was very wet though no one knows if it was sweat or water. At this time no one really knows what happened between the time she left the party and she was found dead on Saturday afternoon. As more information becomes available I will come back and post more about her death in this section. Whitney Houston will truly be missed as she was one of the greatest female singers of our time and quite possibly ever.

It is a well known fact that Whitney Houston has struggled for years with her addiction to pills, marijuana and cocaine. As of now no one knows if drugs or alcohol played any part in her death. Only time will tell. Some people said that the years of alcohol and drugs had damaged her once pristine voice.

But despite more than a decade of problems with drugs and her divorce from Bobby Brown Whitney was attempting to make a come back. At the time of her death she had just completed work on a film called Sparkle which a remake and a project that Whitney Houston had worked on for a number of years.

Officially as I write this Hub Page there has not been many details released about how Whitney Houston was found or how she died. Many of her family and friends were devastated by her death. She will truly be remembered as one of the greatest female singers of all time. I think she was the greatest ever.

The fans and friends of Whitney Houston have started to leave notes, letters, balloons, candles, candy and flowers outside the New Hope Baptist Church where the funeral of Whitney Houston will take place. Its clear that the death of Whitney Houston has really touched the hearts of a lot of people.

The funeral will be held Saturday in the church where Whitney Houston first sang with her mother. Her family chose to have a private invitation only funeral. Gospel Singer Marvin Winans has been chosen to give the eulogy. The funeral service will be private and by invitation only.

The Houston family has issued a statement that they want to thank all Whitney Houston's fans but they stress they want the funeral to be private and ask that all her fans respect this.

Whitney Elizabeth Houston was born on August 9th 1963 and she died on Saturday, February 11th 2012 at 48 years of age. Guinness World Records in 2009 said that Whitney Houston was the most awarded female act of all time.

Whitney Houston was born in what was then a middle class neighborhood in Newark New Jersey. She was the third and youngest child of John Russel Houston and gospel singer Cissy Houston. She was of mixed heritage that included African American, Native American, and Italian. Her mother and cousins Dionne Warwick, Dee De Warwick and her grandmother Aretha Franklin were all notable singers in gospel, pop, rhythm and blues and soul. So she came from a family with a strong entertainment back ground.

In 1967 after riots in Newark New Jersey the Houston family moved from Newark to a middle class neighborhood in East Orange New Jersey. She was four at the time of the families move. Whitney Houston was raised in the Baptist Church but also sometimes went to Pentecostal Churches with her family.

It was at the age of 11 that Whitney Houston began to follow in her mothers footsteps and she began to perform as a soloist at the New Hope Baptist Church in Newark where she also learned to play the piano. While the young Whitney was still in school her mother continued to teach her how to sing and she also learned from Roberta Flack, Gladys Knight and Chaka Khan.

It was during her teenage years that Whitney Houston traveled and performed with her mother at night clubs. It was in 1978 that Whitney sang background vocals on Chaka Khans single, I am every woman. Whitney would later make the song into a huge hit for herself. It was released on her Bodyguard Album and became a huge hit for the rising star. And she also appeared in magazines Seventeen, Young Miss, Cosmopolitan, and Glamour. She also appeared in a Canada Dry Soft Drink Commercial.

Her girl next door looks and can do attitude made her one of the most sought after teen models of her time. It was Clive Davis from Arista Records who first saw Whitney Houston perform with her mother in a New York Night Club and he was impressed. Later that year she made her television debut on the Merv Griffin Show along with Clive Davis. The first song recorded by Whitney Houston was recorded along with singer Teddy Pendergrass. The song was Hold Me and it appeared on Pendergrass' album Love Language. The song was released as a single in 1984 and it gave Houston her first taste of success when it became a number 5 R&B hit. Whitney later included the song on her first album in 1985.

To me the best song she ever sang was , I will always love you, from her movie The Bodyguard. To me she took that song to levels that no one else has ever reached. It was just amazing. Nothing but amazing. You can play it just below there and see what you think.

Many people saw her 1992 marriage to Bobby Brown as the start of her decline. But many people who knew her said that while she had some really bad times with Bobby Brown and he was very cruel to her that she did drugs and alcohol before she ever got with Bobby Brown.

Bobby Brown released a statement on Sunday February 12th saying how sorry he was that his ex wife had died. He went on to ask that he and Whitney Houston's family be left in peace and that he wished the media would allow Whitney Houston to rest in peace. Bobby Brown and Whitney Houston's daughter Bobbi Kristina Brown was rushed to Cedar-Sinai Hospital and treated for stress after she heard the news of the death of her mother.

On Saturday night Bobbi Brown was performing in Southaven Miss. and at one point he became really choked up and ask the crowd to pray for his ex wife Whitney, his daughter Bobbi and for him. Bobbi Brown was performing at the New Edition Reunion Concert.

It has now been released to news services that the autopsy of Whitney Houston will be carried out on Sunday February 12 but that the results will not be released until toxicology reports are done. Some sources are saying that Whitney Houston may have become unconscious in the bathtub and that she may have slipped under the water and drowned.

Law Enforcement sources are now being quoted as saying that as many as half a dozen pill bottles may have been removed from the Hotel Suite of Whitney Houston including Xanax. But that no illegal drugs were found in the room of Whitney Houston.

It is believed by law enforcement that Whitney Houston may have taken Xanax and drank a large amount of alcohol and that she passed out and slipped under the water in the bathtub and drowned. Though police sources caution that it is to early to firmly say what exactly did happen to Whitney Houston. Police sources went on to say that it may be several weeks before we know exactly what happened to Whitney Houston.

It has been revealed by family members and other people close to Whitney Houston that she has been taking Xanax recently and that she has been consuming large amounts of alcohol in the days leading up to her death. It is well known that Xanax and alcohol don't mix and it may have been the combination of the two that ended the life of 48 year old Whitney Houston.

Before police searched the Hotel Suite of Whitney Houston they at one point stopped any of Whitney Houston's family or friends from going back into the hotel suite and then the Hollywood Police obtained a search warrant to search the suite.

At one point before the body of Whitney Houston was removed from the hotel suite her daughter showed up and wanted to go into the room with her mothers body but the police stopped her and Bobbi the daughter got into a angry shouting match with the police before leaving. Whitney's cousin Dionne Warwick also arrived and tried to get into the room but police turned her away also.

I hope you enjoyed my Hub Page on the death of Whitney Houston and I promise you as I get more information I will be back and post it. Thanks for taking the time to read this Hub Page.

In a Hollywood Police News Conference this morning it was revealed that Whitney Houston was first found in the bathtub under water in her hotel suite and was pulled from the water say that presently there is no criminal investigation going on and that the body of Whitney Houston was released to her family today Monday Feb. 13th.

Lt. Mark Rosen said as of right now it is a coroners case and that is how it will be handled for now. A provisional certificate of death was issued to enable the family to have a funeral and bury Whitney Houston and the death certificate will be updated when the toxicology report comes in. Police went on to say that the toxicology report could be several weeks in coming.

President Obama issued a statement saying his thought and prayers are with the family of Whitney Houston.

It was the aunt of Whitney Houston ( Mary Jones ) who discovered Whitney Houston in the bathtub under water. She had left the hotel suite for about thirty minutes and when she came back in the bathroom door was closed. She knocked on the bathroom door and when she opened the door she found Whitney Houston under the water and pulled her from the bathtub. She attempted CPR as did the first paramedics on the scene but Whitney Houston could not be revived and was pronounced dead a few minutes later.