Facts continue to pour out of Beverly Hills, Calif. where singer and actress Whitney Houston, 48, spent the last days of her life. Mere hours before she was to perform at a pre-Grammy party for her long-time producer and friend, Clive Davis, Houston was found underwater in her hotel room bathtub.
Though toxicology reports will take weeks, reports from ABC news’ L.A. affiliate KABC confirm that authorities found bottles of prescription drugs in Houston’s Beverly Hilton Hotel room.
“We are devastated by the loss of our beloved Whitney. This is an unimaginable tragedy and we will miss her terribly,” said Houston’s mother to CBS News.
She said, in a statement, that she appreciated the “outpouring of love and support from her fans and friends.”
Houston’s body was flown to her Newark, N.J. home on Tuesday.
Wendy Williams struggled to explain to her television show audience how she felt so close to Whitney Houston all though she’s never met her, and only been in the same room with her once, which was one of Houston’s early appearances.
“We shared the love for our mother and father,” she said, adding another thing they shared, revealing her own past bout with drugs. “It’s been almost 15 years…I’m one of the lucky ones.”
She wished, during that time, for Houston and for herself to be free.
“I imagined her becoming a spokeswoman for ‘Just say No.’ I just for some reason thought that was what she’d do.”
She called Houston her “Jersey girl.”
“Growing up in the 80s, Whitney Houston was one of the biggest musical icons that there was,” said Michelle Shellers, who watched the tribute to Houston from a special viewing box for members of the D.C. Chapter of the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences. “She was one of my earliest influences as a performer,” said Shellers, who has performed around the world.
In Houston’s last days, she was seen attending rehearsals for the Grammy Awards, singing on stage with Kelly Price, and partying with on and off boyfriend and singer,
Ray J.
“I was really saddened,” said Baltimore singer-songwriter Brett Gay. First introduced to Houston by her older sister at age eight, Gay said “When it comes to R&B music, Whitney was a household name.”
At her peak, Houston was the girl who could show the masses where to find the greatest love of all, yet still retain her status as queen of the night. Her voice was legendary. Her poise and grace were unmatched. She transcended all color lines and set standards so high that many current artists find it hard to perform and sing with even half the energy she possessed in her early years.
Under the tutelage of a Grammy-award winning mother, Cissy Houston, and cousin Dionne Warwick, Houston was destined for musical greatness. Still, even with her girl next door charm, it became clear that Houston’s battle with drugs was slowly overtaking her and her larger than life talent.
The Houston family is asking that the fans, family, and friends give generously to the Whitney Houston Academy of Creative and performing Arts instead of purchasing flowers and cards.
The Rev. Marvin Winans will preside over the funeral services that are by invitation only at New Hope Baptist Church in New Jersey where she sang as a child.
