Whitney Houston Died of Prescription Drug, Alcohol Cocktail: Reports

Whitney Houston likely died from a combination of the drug Xanax and other prescription medication mixed with alcohol, TMZ reported today, citing family sources who were briefed by Los Angeles County Coroner officials. Officials told the singer's family that there was not enough water in her lungs for her to have drowned, and that she may have died before sinking into the bathtub in the Beverly Hilton hotel room where her body was found Saturday.

Whitney's aunt, Mary Jones, found the singer's body in the bathtub after laying out a dress for Clive Davis' pre-Grammy party that Houston was set to attend Saturday night, sources told TMZ. She attempted to perform CPR; half an hour later, at 3:45 p.m., someone from Houston's entourage called hotel security.


There are conflicting reports about where Houston's body will go. A family source told ABCNews.com that the family is heading back to New Jersey, but TMZ reported that Houston's mother has arranged for the singer's body to be flown to Atlanta as early as Tuesday.
Investigators looking into the death of Houston have said that they will be examining the pop icon's behavior in the hours and days before she was found dead in the bathtub. They have already questioned the singer's family, friends, and staff.
Houston's official cause of death will not be determined for six to eight weeks, pending toxicology results.
Meanwhile, Houston's 18-year-old daughter, Bobbi Kristina Brown, has been struggling with her mother's death. She was hospitalized Sunday for "stress and anxiety," a family source told ABCNews.com. She was released Sunday afternoon as her father, Houston's ex-husband Bobby Brown, boarded a plane to L.A.
TMZ reported that on Friday night, Bobbi Kristina fell asleep in another bathtub at the Beverly Hilton. Friends had to contact hotel security so she could be removed from the tub.
Houston, who struggled with drugs and alcohol and entered rehab for the third time last year, reportedly spent Friday night at the bar of the Beverly Hilton hotel with a group of friends. She was at the bar for a long time, drinking and being very loud, according to TMZ.
Houston gave her last performance on Thursday at Grammy nominee Kelly Price's party at Tru, a Hollywood nightclub.
"We laughed and we joked and we cracked up, and we danced and sang," Price said. "She was never more than two feet from me the entire night. I gave her a hug, and while I was talking to her she said 'Give me the mike.'"
"In retrospect it's a much bigger moment than I could have imagined," she added. "It was a big moment just because it was Whitney. The world got a gift in that they got an opportunity to see her perform one last time."
Photos taken later that night show Houston leaving the club looking disheveled and disoriented. She reportedly had blood dripping down her leg and scratches on her body.
"It was a great event and she left sweaty, and I have heard the word 'disheveled,'" Price said. "That's about right. When you stand for three hours and in that time period you are dancing. You would leave a club looking that way.
Price added that Houston "didn't look like she was under the influence of anything. She drank some champagne and toasted Kelly Price's three Grammy nominations Thursday night. That's what Whitney Houston did."