Police: Whitney found under water, unconscious

Whitney Houston was found "under water and apparently unconscious" when she was discovered in a Beverly Hills hotel room bathtub, police said yesterday.

Police said they could not yet speculate on the cause of Houston's death. "She was under water and apparently unconscious," Beverly Hills police said in a statement. "Houston was pulled from the tub by members of her staff and hotel security was promptly notified."

After paramedics failed to revive her, the singer, who battled drug addiction during her life, was declared dead on Saturday on the eve of music's Grammy Awards.

Some reports, citing unnamed sources close to Beverly Hills police and Los Angeles County coroners, have cited a possible accidental drowning and others have highlighted her past drug use.

Britain's The Sun, quoting US reports, said pictures had surfaced that showed Houston, 48, "looking wasted during a two-night booze binge" before her death.

The Daily Telegraph earlier reported that prescription drugs - but no illegal drugs - were found in her suite.

Houston was known to take Xanax, a drug to ease anxiety. Anti-anxiety drugs Valium and Lorazepam were also believed to have been found in the suite.

Houston's brother-in-law, Billy Watson, denied to ABCNews.com that the singer had any intention of committing suicide.

"Oh, no, this is accidental," Watson told ABCNews.com. "She wouldn't have left her daughter like that," he said, referring to 18-year-old Bobbi Kristina Brown, who is said to be distraught over her mother's death. Watson said the family was flying back to New Jersey.

Houston, best known for her hit single I Will Always Love You, the theme song of The Bodyguard, in which she starred, had a long history of addiction to alcohol, cocaine and marijuana and had been in rehab as recently as May 2011.