Coroner: Whitney Houston Drowned Accidentally, Cocaine In System
By VOA
Medical authorities have ruled that the death of U.S. music star Whitney Houston last month was due to accidental drowning and the effects of cocaine use and heart disease.
The Los Angeles County Coroner’s office made the announcement Thursday, saying no foul play is suspected. Houston’s manager and sister-in-law, Patricia Houston, says the family is “saddened” to learn of the results but glad to have closure.
The finding ends weeks of speculation about the cause of death for the troubled singer, who had battled drug and alcohol addiction for years. A final coroner’s report will be available for release in about two weeks.
The 48-year-old Houston was found dead in the bathtub of her Los Angeles, California hotel room on February 11, the day before the Grammy awards ceremony that brings together some of the biggest stars in the U.S. music industry.
Houston herself won six Grammys in a singing career that spanned nearly three decades. On February 19, a day after a star-studded, televised funeral, she was buried in a private ceremony in her home state of New Jersey.
