Grammys mourn Whitney Houston as investigators search for answers

Published on Sunday 12 February 2012 02:03

INVESTIGATORS in Los Angeles are trying to piece together the cause of Whitney Houston’s death after the music world mourned her at the Grammy Awards last night.

Coroner’s officials confirmed that would not release any information about the star’s post-mortem examination, carried out at the request of police.

The singer was found in the bathtub of her room at the Beverly Hilton Hotel, but Assistant Chief Coroner Ed Winter declined to say anything more about the room’s condition or any evidence investigators recovered.

He said there were no obvious signs of trauma on Houston’s body, but officials were not ruling out any causes of death until they have toxicology results, which will take weeks to obtain.

Beverly Hills Police Lieutenant Mark Rosen said his agency may release more details about Houston’s death later today, but it would depend on whether detectives felt comfortable releasing any information.

A member of Houston’s entourage found the 48-year-old singer unresponsive in her hotel room at the Beverly Hilton Hotel on Saturday, just hours before she was supposed to appear at a pre-Grammy gala.

Lt Rosen said there were no indications of foul play when Houston was found. Paramedics worked to revive her, but were unsuccessful and she was pronounced dead shortly before 4pm. He said he could not comment on the condition of Houston’s room or where she had been found.

Meanwhile, Houston’s daughter was taken to a Los Angeles hospital by ambulance yesterday morning and later released. A source close to the family said Bobbi Kristina Brown was treated for stress and anxiety.

The 18-year-old, who is Houston’s daughter from her tumultuous marriage to singer Bobby Brown, had accompanied her mother to several pre-Grammy Awards events last week.

“At this time, we ask for privacy, especially for my daughter, Bobbi Kristina,” Bobby Brown wrote in a statement released about an hour after she was transported from the hotel.

“I appreciate all of the condolences that have been directed towards my family and I at this most difficult time.”

Yesterday’s Grammys featured a musical tribute by Jennifer Hudson, whose version of Houston’s most famous hit, I Will Always Love You, ended with Hudson’s personal note: “Whitney, we love you.”

Earlier in the show, LL Cool J introduced a clip of a glowing Houston at the 1994 Grammys singing her signature ballad, the most downloaded song on iTunes for much of yesterday.

A sensation from her very first album, she was one of the world’s best-selling artists from the mid-1980s to the late 1990s. She awed millions with soaring, but disciplined vocals rooted in gospel and polished for the masses, a bridge between the earthy passion of her godmother, Aretha Franklin, and the bouncy pop of her cousin, Dionne Warwick.

Houston herself won six Grammys and had been expected to perform at the pre-awards gala on Saturday night thrown by music impresario Clive Davis, her long-time mentor.

Mr Davis went ahead with his annual party and concert, which were held at the same hotel where Houston’s body was found - and where it remained for most of Saturday night. He dedicated the evening to her and asked for a moment of silence.

Houston had been at rehearsals for the concert on Thursday, coaching singers Brandy and Monica, according to a source at the event.

The source said Houston looked dishevelled, was sweating profusely and liquor and cigarettes could be smelled on her breath. It was the latest of countless stories about the decline of a uniquely gifted and beautiful artist, once the golden girl of the music industry.

Civil rights leader Rev Al Sharpton remembered Houston while preaching at the Second Baptist Church in Los Angeles yesterday morning.

“Yes, she had an outstanding range,” he said. “Yes, she could hit notes no-one else could reach. But what made her different was she was born and bred in the bosom of the black church.”

The congregation applauded and answered him with shouts of “Amen” and “Tell it!”

Houston’s success carried her beyond music to films, where she became a rare black actress with box office appeal, starring in such hits as The Bodyguard and Waiting To Exhale.

Bishop TD Jakes, a Texas minister and producer on Houston’s final film project, a re-make of the 1970s release Sparkle, said he saw no signs she was having any substance issues.

He said she was a complete professional and moved the cast and crew to tears two months ago when she sang the gospel hymn Her Eyes On The Sparrow for a scene shot in Detroit.

There was no evidence in working with her on Sparkle that there was any struggle in her life,” he said. “She just left a deep impression on everybody.”

Houston had the perfect voice and the perfect image: gorgeous, but wholesome; grounded, but fun-loving. And she influenced a generation of younger singers, from Christina Aguilera to Mariah Carey, who at first sounded so much like Houston that many could not tell the difference.

But by the end of her career, Houston had become a stunning and heartbreaking cautionary tale. Her album sales plummeted and the hits stopped coming; her once serene image was shattered by a wild demeanour and bizarre public appearances.

She confessed to abusing cocaine, marijuana and pills, and her precious voice became raspy and hoarse, unable to hit the high notes of her prime.

“The biggest devil is me - I’m either my best friend or my worst enemy,” Houston told ABC’s Diane Sawyer in an infamous 2002 interview with then-husband Brown by her side.

In her teens, Houston sang backing vocals for Chaka Khan, Jermaine Jackson and others, in addition to modelling.

Mr Davis, who as head of Arista Records had already signed up Warwick and Franklin, was instantly smitten by the statuesque young singer.

“The time that I first saw her singing in her mother’s act in a club... it was such a stunning impact,” he told Good Morning America.

“To hear this young girl breathe such fire into this song. I mean, it really sent the proverbial tingles up my spine,” he added.

Before long, the rest of the country would feel it, too.

Houston made her album debut in 1985 with Whitney Houston, which sold millions and spawned hit after hit. Saving All My Love For You brought her her first Grammy, for best female pop vocal. How Will I Know, You Give Good Love and The Greatest Love Of All also became hit sing-platinum album, Whitney, came out in 1987 and included Where Do Broken Hearts Go and I Wanna Dance With Somebody.

Some saw her 1992 marriage to Brown, the former New Edition member and soul crooner, as an attempt to toughen her image. It seemed to be an odd union; she was seen as pop’s pure princess while he had a bad-boy image and already had children of his own.

Over the years, he would be arrested several times, on charges including driving under the influence and failure to pay child support.