Whitney Houston's death linked to chronic coaine overdose: Report

Whitney Houston was a chronic cocaine user who had the drug in her system when she drowned in a hotel bathtub, coroner’s officials said Thursday after releasing autopsy findings that also noted heart disease contributed to her death.

The disclosure ended weeks of speculation about what killed the Grammy-winning singer on Feb. 11 on the eve of the Grammy Awards.

Houston was found submerged in the bathtub of her room at the Beverly Hilton Hotel, and her death was ruled accidental. Several bottles of prescription medications were found in her hotel room, but coroner’s officials said there weren’t excessive quantities.

“We are saddened to learn of the toxicology results, although we are glad to now have closure,” Patricia Houston, the singer’s sister-in-law and manager, wrote in a statement to The Associated Press.

Beverly Hills police said in a statement there was no evidence of wrongdoing in connection with Houston’s death.

Coroner’s Chief of Operations Craig Harvey said cocaine and its byproducts were found in Houston’s system, and the drug was listed as a contributing factor in her death. He said the results indicated Houston was a chronic cocaine user.

Toxicology results also showed Houston had marijuana, Xanax, the muscle relaxant Flexeril, and the allergy medication Benadryl in her system. Houston died just hours before she was scheduled to appear at producer Clive Davis’ pre-Grammy Awards bash.

The singer also had buildup of plaque in her arteries that can restrict blood flow. Assistant Chief Coroner Ed Winter said the condition is common in drug users, although he said it wasn’t clear whether Houston had a heart attack on the day she died.

“It just beats up their heart and they will go to use and they will have a heart attack,” he said.

The exact amount of cocaine in Houston’s system was not disclosed Thursday but will be contained in a full autopsy report to be released in about two weeks, officials said.

Cocaine use has been known to cause damage to the heart and could have cause Houston’s death, said Dr. Michael Fishbein, professor of pathology at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA. He had no role in the investigation.

He said a likely scenario was that Houston’s cocaine use interfered with the normal function of her heart.

“There’s no reason to drown in a bathtub unless you’re incapacitated,” Fishbein said.

Family and friends said after Houston’s death that they didn’t believe she was still abusing drugs.

“I don’t think drugs was an issue for her before her death. I don’t know what happened that day,” Patricia Houston said in a recent interview with Oprah Winfrey.

Houston, 48, was buried in a New Jersey cemetery next to her father after an emotional four-hour funeral service that was attended by friends, family and superstars such as Oprah Winfrey, Tyler Perry, Alicia Keys, Mariah Carey, Mary J. Blige, Jennifer Hudson and Roberta Flack

Houston, a sensation from her first, eponymous album in 1985, was one of the world’s best-selling artists from the mid-1980s to the late 1990s, turning out such hits as “I Wanna Dance With Somebody,” ‘’How Will I Know,” ‘’The Greatest Love of All” and “I Will Always Love You.” But as she struggled with drugs, her majestic voice became raspy, and she couldn’t hit the high notes.

Interest in her music skyrocketed after her death, pushing her songs back on to charts and into heavy rotation on the radio.

She influenced a generation of younger singers, from Christina Aguilera to Mariah Carey, but Houston’s drug use derailed her career and took a heavy toll on her once pristine voice.

But by the end of her career, she was a stunning cautionary tale of the toll of drug use. Her album sales plummeted and the hits stopped coming. Her once serene image was shattered by a wild demeanor and bizarre public appearances. She confessed to abusing cocaine, marijuana and pills and was eventually unable to hit the high notes as she had during her prime.

“The biggest devil is me. I’m either my best friend or my worst enemy,” Houston told ABC’s Diane Sawyer in an infamous 2002 television interview with then-husband Bobby Brown by her side.

She had been attempting a comeback when she died. She had finished filming a remake of the movie “Sparkle” in which Houston sang the gospel hymn “His Eye is on the Sparrow.” Producers of the film have said the singer was a complete professional on the set.

Oprah Winfrey feels enriched and blessed in India

The front lawns of Diggi Palace literally came alive on Day 3 of Jaipur Literary Festival 2012 when America’s most loved talk show host, actress, producer and philanthropist Oprah Winfrey made a grand entry in a jam packed house. Looking resplendent in an Indian ensemble, Oprah’s Namaste drew huge applause. In one of the most anticipated sessions of the literary festival, Oprah shared her views on life, work and of course, her maiden Indian visit.

Apparently, what struck Oprah the most in India was a sense of chaos underlined with calm of love. For Oprah, being in incredible India is like being in a video game. “There is calmness underneath. There is no rage, there is genuine respect for elders,” she said.

Speaking about her India visit, Oprah said, “I came to India with an open mind. In India, you are in so much diversity; humanity is expanded in a way. I feel expanded, opened and enriched in India.”

Oprah is the real success story of a girl who was born into poverty and overcame all hardships by sheer belief in self. A self-made woman, Oprah gave to society what she got and is touted as the most influential woman in America.

Well, it was literary fest and talking about her love for literature, Oprah called Toni Morrison her favourite living author. In fact, Oprah’s Book Club was her love for literature that found way on her television show.

Oprah prefers reading a good book rather than tweeting and believes in US President Barack Obama. She feels that it will be a good thing if he remains in office.

And yes, Oprah would love to visit India again!

Jaipur literary festival begins today, visit Salman Rushdie

While mystery still surrounds the visit of Salman Rushdie, the Jaipur Literature Festival will kick off today with an array of international and Indian writers and global celebrities including TV mogul Oprah Winfrey.

They also refused to spell out whether or not he would visit the festival at all.

The organisers also held a meeting with representatives of some Muslim organisations to exchange point of views over the issue but to no avail.

"As of now we are not sure of his (Rushdie`s) schedule of arrival. He will not be here for the next couple of days as stated earlier. We, however, stand by our invitation, we have not rescinded it," said festival producer Sanjoy K Roy, who refused to take any other question on the Rushdie affair.

"Apart from this there is no other status to offer you for now," he told reporters at a press conference.

Roy said the festival representatives had conveyed to the group of Muslim organisations in the meeting that they had always stood for freedom of expression and continue to do so.

"Our festival has also always stood by the issues of the minority communities and other sections. We allow free speech as long as it is done in a peaceful way," Roy said.

As the Muslim organisations, who have made known their opposition to Rushdie`s visit, said they would hold a protest if he attended the festival, Roy conceded that the festival organisers too were worried about the security issue.

He, however, said it was unfortunate that the Rushdie issue had overshadowed the other aspects of the festival. "This is idiotic. This is a non-story being made into a story," a visibly agitated Roy said.

Oprah Winfrey meets the Bachchans

Megastar Amitabh Bachchan must be having several chauffers at his disposal, but he decided to drive international talk show queen Oprah Winfrey himself to a party organised in her honour here Monday night.

Upon her arrival in the country`s entertainment capital, Winfrey went to visit the Bachchan residence Jalsa to meet Abhishek and Aishwarya`s two month-old daughter, nicknamed Beti B.

After spending over an hour at the house, the 57-year-old was seen in the car with Abhishek in the passenger seat, and Aishwarya and Winfrey in the rear seat.

Big B, who is often spotted behind the wheels, was overwhelmed to meet her, and more than happy to drive her around to socialite Parmeshwar Godrej`s residence, where the star-studded bash was organised.

"The gracious Oprah Winfrey visits our home, to meet us and bless the baby…warm hearted, endearing…drive her to party in her honour. And Oprah in sari…looking lovely!!" tweeted Big B post the party.

Winfrey is on her maiden visit to India. She is scheduled to attend the Jaipur Literature Festival, and is primarily here to shoot for her new show "Next Chapter"