Los Angeles: Drugs took many things from Whitney Houston — her pristine voice, clean image and her career — and coroner's officials have revealed that cocaine also played a role in the Grammy winner's death in the bathtub of a luxury hotel nearly six weeks ago.
Houston drowned accidentally at the Beverly Hilton Hotel on February 11, and autopsy results released on Thursday revealed heart disease and her recent and chronic cocaine use were contributing factors.
The results ended weeks of speculation about what killed the singer-actress at age 48 on the eve of the Grammy Awards and a planned comeback. Instead, Houston now joins the long list of entertainers who have died early with drugs at least partly to blame. Coroner's officials did not reveal how much cocaine was found in Houston's system, but said there were signs of recent and chronic use. It was unclear whether she suffered a heart-attack before drowning, assistant chief coroner Ed Winter said.
"We are saddened to learn of the toxicology results, although we are glad to now have closure," Patricia Houston, the singer's sister-in-law and manager, said in a statement.
Houston's death the night before the Grammys altered the awards ceremony and brought back memories of the singer in her better days, belting out hits and starring in feature films such as The Bodyguard and Waiting to Exhale.
