Bobbi Kristina Brown, the 18-year-old daughter of Bobby Brown and the late Whitney Houston, was reportedly rushed to an L.A. hospital the day after her mother was found dead at the Beverly Hilton hotel. TMZ reports that Bobbi Kristina was taken out of the same hotel in a stretcher, and that she was seen in a verbal altercation with police the night before.
The cause of Houston’s death is still unknown, though an autopsy is set to be performed today. The website TMZ is reporting that Houston was found in the bathtub of her hotel room at the Beverly Hilton, and had been taking Xanax, which is used to treat anxiety and depression and can sometimes cause severe sedation. There is no evidence that any illegal drugs were in Houston’s hotel room, though TMZ reports that there were several pill bottles. Meanwhile, Grammy producers are scrambling to pay homage to the singer at tonight’s show. Jennifer Hudson has joined the tribute line-up.
The singer was found unconscious Saturday afternoon, and medics failed to revive her, CNN reported. Beverly Hills Police Lt. Mark Rosen said there were "no obvious signs of criminal intent." A music executive told CNN that Houston had appeared healthy and beautiful just days before—she saw her swimming in the hotel pool with her daughter Bobbi Kristina, and the two "looked happy," she said.
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Whitney Houston's publicist confirmed Saturday night the singer had died. She was pronounced dead at 3:55 p.m. (6:55 p.m. ET) at the Beverly Hilton Hotel, where she was scheduled to attend a pre-Grammys party hosted by Clive Davis. CNN reporter Justin Lear tweeted that Houston's on-again, off-again boyfriend, Ray J, found the singer dead in her hotel room, although this remains unconfirmed.
CBS announced Saturday night that actress and singer Jennifer Hudson would present a tribute to Houston at Sunday night's Grammy Awards ceremony in Los Angeles.TMZ reports that Dionne Warwick, Houston’s cousin, spoke with Houston a few hours before she died and that Cissy Houston (Houston’s mother) spoke with Whitney a half hour before she died. Sources say the women report that the singer seemed fine.Her former husband, Bobby Brown, had a concert scheduled Saturday night in Mississippi, and was distraught and crying over the singer’s death, according to sources. Sources also said that Brown called them, sobbing, to tell them the news before it became public. The singers were married from 1992 to 2007.
Neil Portnow, president and CEO of the Recording Academy, released a statement on the Grammys' Facebook page, calling Houston “one of the world's greatest pop singers of all time” and adding, “A light has been dimmed in our music community today.”
The day before she died, paparazzi photographed Houston emerging dishevelled from a nightclub, with scratches on her arms and blood on her leg. In January, sources reported that the singer was nearly bankrupt, and last May representatives confirmed that she was entering drug rehab for the third time. Simon Cowell was considering the singer as a judge on his beleaguered talent show, The X-Factor.
Houston will make a posthumous appearance in Sparkle, a remake of the 1976 Irene Cara film about young musicians ruined by addiction. Houston recently completing filming, and the movie is currently in post-production for an August release.
Houston's 1987 Hit "I Wanna Dance With Somebody"
Houston Performs "The Star-Spangled Banner" at the 1991 Super Bowl
