Tuesday, February 14, 2012
Whitney Houston’s brother- in-law vehemently denied today that the singer had any intention of committing suicide.
"Oh, no, this is accidental," Billy Watson told ABCNews.com. "She wouldn’t have left her daughter like that. She wouldn’t have done that to her daughter."
Watson, whose sister is married to Houston’s brother, Gary, also said the family is flying back to New Jersey from California, but there’s no word on funeral plans.
Los Angeles assistant chief coroner Ed Winter said at a news conference that officials do not know the 48- year-old singer’s cause of death. He confirmed that officials found prescription bottles in Houston’s hotel room, but said there was not anything "alarming" or "out of the ordinary" about them.
They were all "pretty normal" prescriptions, Winter said, adding, "I have more prescriptions than what was found in her room."
TMZ reported earlier that family sources briefed by coroner officials were told Houston likely died from a combination of the drug Xanax and other prescription medication mixed with alcohol.
Houston’s aunt, Mary Jones, found the singer unconscious and under water in the bathtub after laying out a dress for Clive Davis’ pre-Grammy party that Houston was set to attend on Saturday night, sources told TMZ.
She attempted to perform CPR; half an hour later, at 3:45pm, someone from Houston’s entourage called hotel security.
Investigators looking into the death of Houston have said that they will be examining the pop icon’s behaviour in the hours and days before her death. They have already questioned the singer’s family, friends, and staff.
The cause of the star’s death will not be officially determined for six to eight weeks, pending toxicology results.
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