Death of a diva: the lonely end of soul siren Whitney Houston, who lost her way, her voice, her life

WHITNEY Houston once reigned over the Grammy Awards like a benevolent sovereign, feted for her glorious voice and charm.

Whitney Houston

WHITNEY Houston once reigned over the Grammy Awards like a benevolent sovereign, feted with kudos from America's music industry for her glorious voice and charm.

Born into a family of prodigious musical talent, she was for more than a decade one of the world's most celebrated singers, possessed of a purity of voice and a diva's grace that captured the hearts of audiences and influenced a generation of artists.

But today's Grammy's ceremony in Los Angeles will become a memorial and a wake for the 48-year-old, who was found dead in her Beverly Hills hotel room just after 3.30pm on Saturday local time . Tributes flowed from fans and music royalty as news spread of her death.

Dolly Parton, who wrote Houston's biggest hit, I Will Always Love You, said she would always be in awe of the "wonderful performance" she gave of the song. "I can truly say from the bottom of my heart: Whitney, I will always love you. You will be missed."

Soul singer Aretha Franklin said she was stunned to hear of her god-daughter's death: "I just can't talk about it now. It's so stunning and unbelievable.'

Police said paramedics tried to revive the singer after they were called to her room at the Beverly Hilton, where she was staying ahead of the Grammys and a Grammy-eve gala in which she was due to perform.

The cause of death has not been confirmed, but reports said the singer had been behaving erratically the previous day. The Los Angeles Times reported that she had attended rehearsals for the gala, but was later seen wandering aimlessly in the hotel lobby, skipping in a childlike fashion through the ballroom and doing handstands by the pool.

Houston had a long battle with cocaine addiction, which had become more pronounced after her tumultuous marriage to singer Bobby Brown. But from the late 80s until the mid-90s she was the most popular female singer in the world. She hit the charts with her 1985 debut eponymous album Whitney Houston and for almost a decade proved unstoppable. She notched seven successive No 1 hits on the Billboard charts, an unbroken record to this day.

Her screen breakthrough in the blockbuster romance The Bodyguard remains among the highest-grossing movies ever. She recorded the movie's soundtrack - including the theme song I Will Always Love You - which sold 44 million copies, the biggest-selling soundtrack ever.

Andrew McManus, who promoted her heavily criticised 2010 Australian tour, said Houston's drug of choice was known to be cocaine, but she did not appear to be using it during the Australian tour, her first visit here in 22 years.

Her curtainraiser in Brisbane generated outrage and walkouts from fans who said her singing was weak and breathless.

"After the Brisbane debacle I said I'm here and I'll try to protect you, but she said, 'Don't worry, I'm comfortable in my own skin'," Mr McManus said.

Additional reporting: Rebecca Puddy, AP