Whitney Houston died from deadly cocktail of drugs and alcohol and did not drown according to reports

A DEADLY cocktail of drugs and alcohol is believed to have caused Whitney Houston's untimely death - not drowning - according to reports.

Whitney Houston

A DEADLY cocktail of drugs and alcohol is believed to have caused Whitney Houston's untimely death - not drowning - according to reports.

Family sources told website TMZ that LA Country Coroner officials believe a combination of prescription drugs - including Xananx, Lorazepam, Valium and sleeping medication -and alcohol killed Houston.

Water was found in Houston's lungs during the autopsy but the coroner doubts there was enough to cause death by drowning, meaning the singer could have died before her head went under the water.

But police are yet to confirm the information revealed by TMZ's source.

In a press conference, yesterday, Lt. Mark Rosen of the Beverly Hills Police Department said he did not intend "to fuel the speculation or the rumours that are circulating right now", but confirmed Houston was found submerged in her bathtub.

It is now believed that Houston’s aunt, Mary Jones, discovered the singer’s body in the bathroom of her Beverly Hilton hotel room.

Jones had laid out Houston’s outfit for the evening on the bed and returned with other members of the singer’s entourage after about half an hour, after becoming concerned about how long she had spent in the bathroom.

While a bodyguard and then firefighters at the hotel attempted performed CPR for 20 minutes, she was pronounced dead by paramedics at 3.55pm on Saturday, local time.

Houston, who battled drug addiction for more than a decade, was seen looking disoriented as she left a pre-Grammy concert honouring R&B nominee Kelly Price on Thursday night.

Many in the audience were shocked at her unheralded guest spot at Tru nightclub, which is hardly on the A-list map. "I wasn't expecting her to sing - I wasn't gonna ask her to do that," Price said.

"We embraced each other and she said 'Give me the mic'. I gave her the microphone, she started to sing and I went along with her."

Earlier that day, Houston had also been spotted at rehearsals for Clive Davis's annual pre-Grammys party, at the Beverly Hilton. A witness described her as dishevelled and sweating profusely, with a strong smell of alcohol and cigarettes on her breath.

It was a description which could have been made of Houston at almost any time in the past decade.

Just minuted before she passed, it’s revealed that Whitney Houston chatted to her mother Cissy on the phone.

The grand diva of pop was preparing for a pre-Grammys party and, according to those close to her, she gave no clue that anything was awry.
Houston was described as being excited to perform the opening number at the gala.

"There was nothing that indicated Whitney was high or doing anything wrong," a long-time friend said. "Just normal mother-daughter, casual chit-chat stuff."

Her mother, godmother Aretha Franklin and cousin Dionne Warwick were all said to be in shock after hearing of Houston's death.

A spokesman for the Los Angeles Coroner's Office said there were "no visible signs of trauma" on her body after the initial post-mortem examination, with a cause of death not likely to be confirmed until an autopsy is completed early next week.

The results of toxicology tests may take several weeks to be known but it is believed police have ruled out any foul play.

It’s believed that Cissy Houston has arranged to bring her daughter’s body back to Atlanta as early as tomorrow. Because there is no evidence of any criminal activity, the coroner has allowed the body to be released.

There were fears yesterday for the wellbeing of Bobbi Kristina, Houston's 18-year-old daughter with ex-husband Bobby Brown, who was taken to hospital twice in the hours after her mother's death.

Bobbi Kristina was in the lobby of the Beverly Hilton when her mother was found, and screamed at police who would not let her into the room to see her body.

The inconsolable teenager, who travelled with Houston everywhere and was just as loved by the singer's fans, was treated for stress and anxiety at the Cedars Sinai Hospital and released yesterday afternoon.

She is expected to head to New Jersey to be cared for by her grandmother.

Despite her ongoing battles, Houston was said to be focused on reigniting her acting career, having finished filming the remake of Sparkle with Jordin Sparks recently.