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Whitney Houston died on Feb. 11 in Beverly Hills from accidental drowning.
By Anna Chan
The Los Angeles County Coroner released the final coroner's report for Whitney Houston on Wednesday. The singer died on Feb. 11 at the Beverly Hills Hilton, one day before the Grammy Awards. The official cause of death was accidental drowning and "effects of atherosclerotic heart disease and cocaine use."
The 42-page document, obtained by TODAY.com, gives a detailed description of the scene inside her room at the hotel and details of the investigation.
According to the report, Houston's assistant suggested the star take a bath to prepare for the pre-Grammys activities occurring that evening. The assistant then left to pick up items at Neiman Marcus, and when she returned less than an hour later, she found Houston, 48, face down and unresponsive in the bathtub.
The detective on the scene noted that Houston had "possibly overdosed on a narcotic substance, prescription medications, over the counter medications, and alcohol." The coroner's report indicated that there were multiple items on the bathroom counter, including "an ashtray filled with multiple cigarette butts," "a small spoon with a white crystal like substance in it and a rolled up piece of white paper" and "a bottle of prescription medications." In one of the counter drawers, detectives found "remnants of a white powdery substance, and a portable mirror on the base."
Houston's autopsy indicated that she had taken cocaine shortly before she died, and coroner spokesman Craig Harvey said in a March 22 news conference that her body showed signs of "chronic usage."
She was laid to rest in a private ceremony on Feb. 19.
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