Star Houston drowned, says coroner

Whitney Houston died from drowning in a hotel bathtub, but coroner’s officials said yesterday that heart disease and chronic cocaine use were contributing factors to the singer’s death.

The release of autopsy findings ends weeks of speculation about what killed the Grammy-winning singer on 11 February.

Houston was found submerged in the bathtub of her room at the Beverly Hilton Hotel and her death has been ruled as accidental.

Beverly Hills police said in a statement there was no evidence of wrongdoing in connection with Houston’s death.

Coroner’s spokesman Craig Harvey said cocaine and its metabolites were found in Houston’s system, and it was listed as a contributing factor in her death. He says the results indicated she was a chronic cocaine user.

The singer was buried in a New Jersey cemetery next to her father after an emotional four-hour funeral service that was attended by friends, family and celebrities.

Houston released her first album in 1985 and soon became a best-selling artist. Interest in her music has rocketed since her death, pushing her songs back on to charts and into heavy radio play.