—————————————————— Coroner: Drowning, Drugs Killed Whitney Houston | Rocks Off | Houston | Houston Press | The Leading Independent News Source in Houston, Texas

Breaking News

Coroner: Drowning, Drugs Killed Whitney Houston

The Los Angeles County Coroner's Office has finally released the toxicology report in Whitney Houston's death shortly before the Grammys last month, and it both is and is not a surprise.

According to Yahoo, the coroner says Houston, who was found in the bathtub of her fourth-floor room in the Beverly Hilton the afternoon of February 11, died from drowning, artheriosclerotic heart disease and cocaine use.

Besides cocaine and metabolites, which the coroner specifically mentioned contributing to Houston's death, a number of other drugs were found in her system: Marijuana, alprazolam (Xanax), cyclobenzaprine (Flexeril) and diphenhydramine (Benadryl), the report said.

Rocks Off can't say this news comes as a surprise, but it is still a shame. Except for the specific drugs (and maybe the heart disease), it's amazing how clear all that stuff still seems even six weeks after it happened.

The Monday after Houston died, Houston R&B singer Azaryah Davidson called us and told us about being in Houston's entourage during her "Nothing But Love 2010 European tour. Davidson said that as far as he could tell, the singer seemed clean and sober, and spent most of her time away from the stage swimming in the hotel pool.

"She had a clear head," he said. "You could tell when you talked to her."


Follow Rocks Off on Facebook and on Twitter at @HPRocksOff.

KEEP THE HOUSTON PRESS FREE... Since we started the Houston Press, it has been defined as the free, independent voice of Houston, and we'd like to keep it that way. With local media under siege, it's more important than ever for us to rally support behind funding our local journalism. You can help by participating in our "I Support" program, allowing us to keep offering readers access to our incisive coverage of local news, food and culture with no paywalls.
Chris Gray has been Music Editor for the Houston Press since 2008. He is the proud father of a Beatles-loving toddler named Oliver.
Contact: Chris Gray