Coroner: Whitney Houston Died From Accidental Drowning

[webfact]

Coroner: Whitney Houston died from accidental drowning

Los Angeles - Whitney Houston died last month from accidental drowning, combined with the effects of heart disease and cocaine use, the Los Angeles County Coroner said.

The singer’s February 11 death in her suite at the Beverly Hilton Hotel on the eve of the Grammy Awards was an accident, the coroner said Thursday.

"She must have collapsed in the tub, and she then went under the water surface," coroner spokesman Craig Harvey said. "We know she was alive under water because we have all the elements of drowning."

"We know she had heart disease, and we know she was a chronic user of cocaine," he said. "Those two factors combined caused her death as a result of drowning. Were it nor for those two factors, she probably would not have drowned in the bathtub."

While cocaine was found to have contributed to her death, numerous other drugs were found in her body - including marijuana, Xanax and Benadryl - but did not contribute to her death, Harvey said.

"The other medications that were found were either in therapeutic or subtherapeutic levels and are not considered contributory to her death," he said.

Harvey said no alcohol was found in Houston’s body.

The report ended weeks of speculation over how the pop star who sang I Will Always Love You had died. Many had speculated that her well-documented troubles with drugs had caused her death at age 48.

-- The Nation 2012-03-23

[sparebox2]

"Whitney Houston died from accidental drowning .... died last month from accidental drowning, combined with the effects of heart disease and cocaine use"

I hate drug users in general (not particular to Whitney. Famous artist should not be glorified for they drug usage. To point out the danger of drug to young people, I would have rephase the headlind:

"Whitney Houston died from cocaine use ....died last month from cocaine use, combined with the effects of heart disease and accidental drowning"

[Scott]

There is a cause of death and that cause of death was drowning. She did not die of heart failure. She did not die of a cocaine overdose.

No problem with not glorifying drug use, but lying to young people isn't the route to go either.

[RKASA]

There is a cause of death and that cause of death was drowning. She did not die of heart failure. She did not die of a cocaine overdose.

No problem with not glorifying drug use, but lying to young people isn't the route to go either.

This is like saying if a person shoots them self - then they died from a bullet and not suicide.

[chuckd]

The following paragraph lifted from the linked article:

Death: Coroner's Report and Family Story Don't Match

The LA County coroner says Houston died from accidental drowning. They also found cocaine in her system and five other drugs. She also had coronary artery disease. She had “60 percent narrowing of the artery, suggesting a cardiac event,” said spokesperson Craig Harvey. Even if you haven’t watched “CSI” you can surmise that she did a hit of coke, had a heart attack and drowned in her bathtub on February 11th.

http://www.forbes.com/sites/rogerfriedman/2012/03/23/whitney-houston-cocaine-death-coroners-report-and-family-story-dont-match/