09:56 14 February 2012
Whitney Houston was unconscious and underwater when she was found in her hotel bathtub, it has been confirmed.
Police investigating the singerÂ’s death made the announcement to the media.
Lieutenant Mark Rosen of the Beverly Hills Police Department said that Houston was found in the bath by a member of her staff at 3.30pm on 11 February.
Rosen said:
"She was underwater and apparently unconscious. Ms Houston was pulled from the tub by members of her staff and hotel security was promptly notified."
He also laid to rest claims that Houston's death is a homicide investigation, clarifying that it is a death investigation:
"As of right now, it's not a criminal investigation. We have concluded our portion of the investigation at the hotel."
Entertainment website TMZ, which broke the news of the iconic singerÂ’s passing, is reporting that sources have told them that it was WhitneyÂ’s aunt that found her:
"And family sources tell us ... it was actually Whitney's aunt, Mary Jones, who discovered Whitney's body in the bathtub.
"Mary had laid out Whitney's dress for the evening on the bed and then left for about a half hour. When Whitney didn't come out of the bathroom, Mary entered, pulled Whitney out of the tub and began administering CPR."
The investigating police are waiting for the toxicology results from the coroner's office before they can confirm the cause of death.