Whitney Houston died of drowning, cocaine use

Whitney Houston died from accidental drowning and the effects of cocaine use and heart disease, the Los Angeles County Coroner's office said Thursday. The singer, who died at age 48 in a Beverly Hills hotel room bathtub last month, had cocaine in her body which contributed to her death, it said in a statement. The manner of death was described as an "accident," according to a coroner's office statement, while the cause was listed as drowning, and "effects of atherosclerotic heart disease and cocaine use." "How injury occurred: found submerged in bathtub filled with water; cocaine intake," it added. "No trauma or foul play is suspected," added the statement, saying that a final Coroner's report will be available for release within two weeks. Other drugs found in her system but which did not contribute to her death included marijuana, alprazolam (Xanax), cyclobenzaprine (Flexiril) and Diphenhydramine (Benadryl), it said. Houston was found dead on February 11, a day before the music industry's biggest annual awards show, and hours ahead of a glittering pre-Grammy party in the Beverly Hills hotel where she died. The singer of hits including "I Will Always Love You" sold over 170 million records during a nearly three-decade career, but fought a long battle against substance abuse while trying to keep her performing talent alive.