BEVERLY HILLS, California -- It is with great sadness to report that Whitney Houston was found dead in her hotel room at the Beverly Hilton Saturday afternoon; the cause of death has not yet been announced.
Over the years Whitney struggled with drugs, checking herself into a rehab center last May.
Reports say she was seen displaying erratic behavior before she died. Her death comes on the eve of the Grammys and on the night of Clive Davis’ annual pre-Grammy gala, at which Whitney performed last year and was expected to attend this year.
Davis’ annual gala is held at the Hilton. On Thursday, Whitney stopped by and offered vocal tips for Brandy and Monica during rehearsals.
Whitney was reported to have been disheveled in mismatched clothes and hair that was dripping wet with either sweat or water. She was visibly bloated. She flailed her hands frenetically as she spoke to Brandy and Monica, skipping around the ballroom in a child-like fashion and wandering aimlessly about the lobby, The LA Times reports.
A Grammy staffer told security that personnel received calls saying Whitney was doing grandstands by the pool. After she left rehearsals she returned to the ballroom with her teenage daughter, Bobbi Kristina. Camera crews set up for interviews and said Whitney smelled of alcohol and cigarettes.
“She really loves and supports us both. For me, I went through a lot of very tumultuous moments and she would show up, not just with a phone call but physically when I needed,” Monica said when she was asked about Houston coaching them.
“That's something that I've carried with me, especially with all that she's been going through over the years herself. She's never turned her back on the people she cared about.”
At her peak Whitney was the "golden girl" of the music industry. She was one of the world's best-selling artists from the middle of the 1980s to the late 1990s.
Her talent took her to the big screen in "The Bodyguard" and "Waiting to Exhale."
"Six-time GRAMMY winner Whitney Houston was one of the world's greatest pop singers of all time who leaves behind a robust musical soundtrack spanning the past three decades," Neil Portnow, President/CEO of The Recording Academy said in a statement.
"Her powerful voice graced many memorable and award-winning songs. A light has been dimmed in our music community today, and we extend our deepest condolences to her family, friends, fans and all who have been touched by her beautiful voice," he said.
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