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Investigators probing if Houston drowned in bathtub: reports

Superstar Whitney Houston may have fallen asleep in her bathtub and drowned with help just feet away, according to reports out today.

A source told the Los Angeles Times that drowning is one scenario being probed by investigators after the 48-year-old singer was unresponsive in her hotel room bathtub Saturday afternoon.

A member of Houston’s entourage made the gruesome discovery just hours before she was supposed to appear at a pre-Grammy gala.

Celebrity website TMZ reported Houston was found underwater in the bathtub by her stylist, who was in the next room and became concerned after she was in the bathroom for a long time. Paramedics worked to revive Houston, but were unsuccessful and the singer was pronounced dead shortly before 4 p.m.

Houston had been drinking the night before, according to TMZ, and reportedly had been taking the anti-anxiety medication Xanax — which if combined with booze can cause an overpowering intoxication. That medication, as well as lorazepam and Valium was found in her room, RadarOnline reported.

TMZ also reported that

An autopsy was conducted today, and TMZ reported that Houston had water in her lungs. The site cautioned that authorities cannot yet determine whether Houston died before she was submerged in the water or after. Toxicology reports are expected to delay an official cause of death for up to six weeks.

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Meanwhile, Houston’s daughter was transported by ambulance to a Los Angeles hospital Sunday morning and later released. A source close to the family who did not want to speak given the sensitivity of the matter said she was treated and released for stress and anxiety. Bobbi Kristina Brown, 18, who is Houston’s daughter from her marriage to singer Bobby Brown, had accompanied her mother to several pre-Grammy Awards events last week.

“At this time, we ask for privacy, especially for my daughter, Bobbi Kristina,” Bobby Brown wrote in a statement released about an hour after she was transported from the hotel. “I appreciate all of the condolences that have been directed towards my family and I at this most difficult time.”

Brown, the only child of Houston and her ex-husband Bobby Brown, was apparently in the lobby of the hotel when Houston was pronounced dead Saturday afternoon. Sources told People magazine that the young woman was distraught, yelling and had a “complete breakdown” after learning of her mother’s death.

Sunday’s Grammys were to feature a musical tribute to Houston by Jennifer Hudson, and early on LL Cool J introduced a clip of a glowing Houston singing one of her best-known songs, “I Will Always Love You.” LL Cool J then said: “Whitney, we will always love you.”

Houston herself won six Grammys and had been expected to perform at the pre-awards gala Saturday night thrown by music impresario Clive Davis, her longtime mentor.

Davis went ahead with his annual party and concert, which were held at the same hotel where Houston’s body was found — and where it remained for most of Saturday night. He dedicated the evening to her and asked for a moment of silence.

Houston had been at rehearsals for the Davis concert on Thursday, coaching singers Brandy and Monica, according to a person who was at the event but was not authorized to speak publicly about it.

The person said Houston looked disheveled, was sweating profusely and liquor and cigarettes could be smelled on her breath. It was the latest of countless stories about the decline of a uniquely gifted and beautiful artist, once the golden girl of the music industry.

The Rev. Al Sharpton remembered Houston while preaching this morning at the Second Baptist Church in Los Angeles.

“Yes, she had an outstanding range,” he said. “Yes, she could hit notes no one else could reach. But what made her different was she was born and bred in the bosom of the black church.”

The congregation applauded and answered him with shouts of “Amen” and “Tell it!”

Houston was one of the world’s greatest entertainers, winning international fame and dozens of awards, but her career was regularly hit by personal turmoil amid her much publicized addiction problems and numerous stints in rehab.

Close friends and family, including Houston’s 18-year-old daughter Bobbi Kristina Brown, paid their last respects to the singer in the hotel room before her body was removed, RadarOnline reported.

Houston had Bobbi Kristina — her only child — with rapper husband Bobby Brown before the couple split in 2006 after 14 years of marriage.

The superstar’s death prompted an outpouring of grief from fans, friends and big names from the music world, including Brown, who declared his love for the pop icon during a concert with his band New Edition in Mississippi on Saturday night, Us Weekly reported.

Locally, congregants at the Newark church where Whitney Houston got her start were mourned her death.

The pop star began singing at the New Hope Baptist Church in Newark as a child. And while parishioners had fond memories of her many performances there over the years, they said her and her family’s longtime membership and service to the church is what they will never forget.

Houston was born in Newark and raised in East Orange, and many said she never forgot her Jersey roots. Her mother, Grammy-award winning gospel singer Cissy Houston, had led the musical program at the 112-year-old church. Whitney’s cousin, singer Dionne Warwick, also sang in its choir.

“Whitney called Newark home and we know that everyone, both near and far, are mourning the loss of this national treasure,” the church’s pastor Joe Carter said in a statement. He added that he had no details relating to funeral arrangements yet.

“The pastor asked us to support the Houston family, to share our love and God’s love with them and to give them strength in this sad time,” said Shawn Cooper, 32, of Newark as he left an early morning service, which was only open to church members.

“I haven’t been a regular churchgoer, but felt I should be here today because this is a time for the community to come together,” Cooper said, noting the church was full Sunday morning. “The Houston family means a lot to this community, they have done a lot for this community, and being there for them is the best thing we can do as a community today.”

Several other parishioners voiced similar sentiments as they made their way into the church, ignoring the bitter cold temperatures and moderate to gusty winds.

A few sympathy cards were tied to a fence post at the church, including one addressed “to the greatest songstress ever.” Next to it, a small bouquet of fresh flowers fluttered softly in the brisk morning air.

Speaking outside the church before the service, New Hope’s Pastor Joe Carter asked reporters gathered to respect the Houston family’s privacy.

“The family shared Whitney with the world, but Whitney was a mother, a daughter, and a sister, and that’s the focus we want to keep in front of everyone today. We ask that in this time of grief, you respect their privacy,” Carter said.

A former classmate at a Newark high school recalled Houston in a phone interview as a sweet, bubbly yet unpretentious girl.

Dr. Maria Pane said she attended Mount Saint Dominic Academy with Whitney Houston. The two had homeroom together as well as physical education, French and art.

“She was such a beautiful, kind girl and very quiet that to be honest with you, I had no idea there was a star in the making,” said Pane, who now lives in Maryland.

Pane said the two rode the bus together after school, and she remembered Whitney’s favorite way to pass the time at the bus stop: practicing her dance routines.

In a statement late Saturday night, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie called the singer “a true New Jersey treasure” who died too soon.

“Her terribly premature death is an awful loss for her family and the incredible New Jersey musical family. Her soaring talent put her in the pantheon of great New Jersey musical talents like Frank Sinatra, Count Basie and Bruce Springsteen. Our prayers are with her family.”

Some of Houston’s fans came to the church Sunday as a way of dealing with their grief. Among them was Charice Crawford, a 34-year-old Irvington resident who said the singer’s music became the soundtrack to her life.

“This is where I needed to be this morning,” said Crawford, who does not belong to the church. “I understand why I couldn’t attend the service, but being here helps ease the grief of her passing.”

When she was a child, Crawford said she and her younger brother would pretend they were Houston and ex-husband Bobby Brown, singing their songs to entertain family members.

“I always wanted to be her when I was little, and I always bought her albums the minute they came out, Crawford said. “It’s so sad to think she’ll never sing again.”

Drowning is one scenario being considered as the investigation into Whitney Houston's death continues.

Drowning is one scenario being considered as the investigation into Whitney Houston’s death continues. (AXELLE/BAUER-GRIFFIN.COM)

Flowers and a card are seen, left as a memorial to deceased singer Whitney Houston, in front of the New Hope Baptist Church, where she sang in the choir, in Newark, New Jersey today.

Flowers and a card are seen, left as a memorial to deceased singer Whitney Houston, in front of the New Hope Baptist Church, where she sang in the choir, in Newark, New Jersey today. (REUTERS)

With AP and NewsCore