Whitney Houston Cause of Death Revealed, Family 'Saddened' by Toxicology Results
Whitney Houston's official cause of death has been made public and her family has come out to share their grief over the news.
"We are saddened to learn of the toxicology results, although we are glad to now have closure," Houston's sister-in-law and former manager Patricia Houston said in a statement to The Associated Press.
Houston's mother Cissy is said to be devastated by the news.
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"She believed her daughter was completely sober while shooting the movie 'Sparkle,'" a source said to be close to Cissy told TMZ.
The singer's toxicology report was made public on Thursday with the Coroner's Office concluding that the cause of death was accidental drowning following a massive heart attack caused in part by years of drug abuse.
The report specified that the drowning occurred as a combined result of atherosclerotic heart disease and cocaine intake, and said that the singer had used cocaine "not probably too much before she collapsed."
Benadryl, Flexeril, Xanax, and marijuana were also found in the singer system but did not contribute to her death, the report found.
A final toxicology report is due out in two weeks and will specify the amount of toxins found in the singer's body at the time of death.
Houston was found submerged in her Beverly Hills Hilton Hotel room last month.
The Beverly Hills Police Department is said to be investigating claims that evidence in the case had been tampered with, as no trace of illegal drugs were found in Houston's hotel room at the time of death. Prescription drugs were found in the singer's room leading many to speculate that the singer had overdosed on prescription medications.
Houston was candid about her drug use in a 2009 interview she had with Oprah Winfrey. The singer told Oprah that her drug of choice had been marijuana laced with cocaine. "I had Krissy, it started getting heavy," she told Winfrey of her drug use but maintained that she was on a path to sobriety when Winfrey asked her if she was drug free.
"Yes maam," Houston said adding that being drug free did not eliminate her desires to abuse drugs and that she was taking the process of being sober one day at a time.
"I have to pray it away," she said.
