Whitney drowned, says coroner

Whitney Houston drowned but heart disease and cocaine use were contributory factors in her death, a US coroner ruled today.

The announcement by officials in Los Angeles ends weeks of speculation about what killed the Grammy-winning singer on February 11.

The 48-year-old star was found submerged in the bathtub of her room at the Beverly Hilton Hotel on the eve of the Grammy Awards.

Several bottles of prescription drugs were found in her hotel room, but coroner’s officials said they were not in excessive quantities.

Coroner’s spokesman Craig Harvey said cocaine metabolites were found in Houston’s system, and it was listed as a contributing factor in her death.

He added that the results indicated Houston was a chronic cocaine user.