How The World Lost Whitney Houston To Overdose 

Whitney Houston was one of the most famous and accomplished vocalists in the music industry, with remarkable contributions to modern tunes.  She died on February 11, 2012, at the age of 48 as she was found unresponsive in a bathtub at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills, just one day before the Grammy Awards at that time. Official Cause of Death: The Los Angeles County Coroner ruled her death as accidental drowning, with contributing factors including atherosclerotic heart disease and cocaine use. Medically, this meant that although she drowned, underlying physiological factors, particularly cardiovascular disease and substance abuse, played a significant role in her death. Role of Cocaine and Heart Disease: Toxicology reports showed that Whitney had cocaine in her system, along with its metabolites, indicating recent use. Consuming cocaine can cause cardiac arrhythmias (irregular heartbeat), increased heart rate and blood pressure as well as reduced oxygen supply to the heart. These effects, combined with atherosclerotic heart disease (narrowed coronary arteries), can lead to loss of consciousness or even cardiac arrest, which may have preceded the drowning. Other Substances Detected: Additional substances found in her system included marijuana, alprazolam (Xanax), cyclobenzaprine (Flexeril), and diphenhydramine (Benadryl).  However, the coroner determined that these did not directly contribute to her death. The most widely accepted medical explanation is that the cocaine use and heart disease triggered a cardiac event or loss of consciousness that made Whitney became submerged in the bathtub. Whitney Houston subsequently drowned while incapacitated and water found in her lungs confirmed she was alive at the time of submersion, indicating drowning was the final cause of death.


The Story Behind Whitney Houston’s Iconic 1991 Super Bowl Look — And Coco Jones’ Beautiful Tribute 35 Years Later 

Now that Super Bowl LX is in the books, most of the online chatter has been about Bad Bunny’s electrifying halftime show. But if you weren’t watching all of NBC’s coverage, you may have missed another buzz-worthy performance that happened long before kick-off. Video will return here when scrolled back into view To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video Dominique Thorne Reveals Why She Almost Passed on Ironheart During the pre-game show, actress and singer Coco Jones performed a powerful rendition of “Lift Every Voice and Sing” for the crowd at Levi’s Stadium, which has been getting lots of attention for its style and substance. Clips of Jones’ performance have been going viral as commenters loved her soul-stirring interpretation of the Black National Anthem. “Every ancestor in my soul is standing in joy!! Yes, CoCo,” wrote someone on TikTok. Many online have commented that the performance was just what they needed at the start of a Black History Month happening in a moment when Black people feel like the country is moving away from all of the progress made during the Civil Rights Movement. But fans are also buzzing about the beautiful way Jones paid tribute to another iconic Super Bowl performance: Whitney Houston’s 1991 rendition of the National Anthem at Super Bowl XXV. With the help of hip-hop stylist Sankara Xasha Turé Jones stunned in an all-white Karl Kani look, including a bubble skirt with a long train and a cropped jacket highlighted by red, black and green stripes on the armband – a nod to the Pan African flag. In an interview with “Entertainment Tonight,”Jones confirmed that her outfit was inspired by the late R&B legend, who delivered what was arguably one of the most memorable renditions of “The Star Spangled Banner” in a tracksuit from French sportswear designer Le Coq Sportif and Nike sneakers. But just like Jones’ look, Houston’s was intentional and very much about the moment. She took the stage at the biggest football game of the year just 10 days after the start of the Gulf War, when the United States and other countries launched military operations in response to Iraq’s invasion of Kuwait. In her memoir, “A Song for You: My Life with Whitney Houston,” Robyn Crawford, Houston’s long-time friend, confirmed that the singer made a last-minute decision to ditch her original choice – a sleeveless black dress and heels –for the tracksuit, something she decided was more appropriate during a time when the nation needed to be united. Houston reflected on the choice in an interview, which was in included in the “Whitney Houston Greatest Hits” collection. “In the stadium I could see the fear, the hope, the intensity, the prayers going up, you know, and I just felt like this is the moment. And it was hope, we needed hope, you know, to bring our babies home and that’s what it was about for me, that’s what I felt when I sang that song, and the overwhelming love coming out of the stands was incredible,” she said. Just as Houston’s performance continues to move people today, we have a feeling people will be talking about Jones’ rendition for years to come. “It’s the sound of black resilience for me!” wrote someone on TikTok. "; n.innerHTML = "window._taboola = window._taboola || [];_taboola.push({mode:'alternating-thumbnails-a', container:'taboola-below-article-thumbnails', placement:'Below Article Thumbnails', target_type: 'mix'});"; insertAfter(t, e); insertAfter(n, t) } injectWidgetByMarker('tbmarker'); Straight From Sign up for our free daily newsletter.


Whitney Houston's Harrowing Autopsy From Scarred Body And 'furry Arteries' To Sewn-on Wig 

06:00, 11 Feb 2026Updated 07:11, 11 Feb 2026 Whitney Houston died on February 11, 2012(Image: GETTY) The Bodyguard star Whitney Houston was found dead in a bathtub by her assistant at the Beverly Hilton hotel 14 years ago on February 11, 2012, leaving her millions of fans worldwide heartbroken. An autopsy later determined that the I Will Always Love You singer, known as "the Voice" due to her incredible musical talent, died of accidental drowning, contributed to by heart disease and cocaine use, when she was just 48-years-old. The surgical procedure performed after Whitney's death also uncovered harrowing details of how drink and drug abuse had devastated Whitney's body. Body covered in scars The coroner who examined Whitney's body, which was discovered face down in the bath tub, noted in the report that she was covered in abrasions. An "old healed vertical scar" could be seen on the singer's inner lower left forearm. The official document also added that abrasions were found on her forehead and nose, alongside others spotted on her shoulder, forearm and left hand. The autopsy report also stated that there was a "possible old puncture wound to her inner left elbow" and scars from the singer's breast implants. Burned skin Due to the boiling water in the bath, which was found to be 93.5 degrees (determined "extremely hot" by the autopsy report), Whitney's skin had been burned off her back, leading to 'skin slippage' on her legs. The report included further details of "minor skin slippage" to the front of both of Whitney's knees, and to the front central portion of her legs, along with "skin slippage to the lower central portion of her back". Kevin Costner and Whitney Houston in The Bodyguard(Image: Daily Record) Furry arteries An ITV documentary, Autopsy: The Last Hours of Whitney Houston, featured commentary from world-renowned forensic pathologist Prof. Richard Shepherd, who discussed the coroner's discovery that the star had been suffering from atherosclerosis, which he described as "the furring up of the artery", leaving the right coronary artery of her heart "narrowed by 60 per cent". The disease is caused when the lining of the artery is damaged. The expert explained: "That damage is stuck to by platelets, tiny cells within the blood stream, which then attract globules of fat. As the wall gets thickened by this fat and platelet, it narrows down to just a tiny pinhole eventually." Prof. Shepherd said that atherosclerosis is "common in the elderly" and is "very strongly associated with the smoking of tobacco", which Whitney struggled to quit throughout her life. However, he then pointed out: "To find it this severe in someone aged 48 strongly suggests that other factors have played a part." Bloody purge coming from nose In a particularly grim part of Whitney's autopsy report, the coroner mentioned that there was a "bloody purge coming from her nose" and that both of the star's eyes were 'congested'. Remnants of a "white powdery substance" were also seen on multiple surfaces in the bathroom of Whitney's room in the Beverly Hilton hotel, along with "a small spoon with a white crystal like substance in it" and rolled up paper. Outside the bathroom where Whitney's body was found, an open bottle of champagne was seen on the mini-bar, while an open can of beer was on a table. There was also a bottle of beer seen on a bedside table and several loose tablets. Whitney had been open about her drug abuse, previously telling Oprah Winfrey in a 2009 interview that it became “heavy” after filming her 1992 movie The Bodyguard. She explained to Oprah that she would smoke marijuana combined with rock cocaine. Whitney Houston with her ex-husband Bobby Brown Sewn-on wig A brown wig was found to have been 'tightly attached' onto Whitney's existing hair in the autopsy, despite her natural hair still being clearly full, black and wavy with 'no balding'. Her eyebrows were noted as being 'sparse' with 'irregular hair distribution'. It was also confirmed that Whitney's upper teeth had been replaced by a "maxillary dental prosthesis". This came after Tina Brown, the sister of Whitney's ex-husband Bobby Brown, claimed the singer had previously "lost" her teeth in days-long drug binges. “She loses them in the house and when she’s out on drug binges. They cost $6000 and the dentist has to keep FedEx’ing her a new set," she said in 2006.