Jennifer Hudson Performs Whitney Grammys Tribute

Grammy Awards also go to Chris Brown, Bon Iver, and more

(NEWSER) - The Grammys got started with—what else?—a performance. Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band did a rousing rendition of "We Take Care of Our Own" before host LL Cool J even made an appearance. The host brought up Whitney Houston's death first thing after thanking the band (click for more on that ). Then:

• Nope, it's still not time for an award: Bruno Mars takes the stage, then the first presenters appear—20 minutes into the ceremony. But Alicia Keys and Bonnie Raitt first perform a tribute to Etta James before presenting Best Pop Solo Performance to Adele for "Someone Like You."
• Next up: Another performance, this time the controversial first Grammys performance by Chris Brown since he beat Rihanna before the ceremony three years ago.

Singer's death 'too fresh to do more'

(NEWSER) - Whitney Houston's death barely 24 hours before the Grammy Awards left the show scrambling to honor the singer who once dominated it, but People reports that Jennifer Hudson has been selected to pay a "respectful musical tribute" during tonight's telecast. "It's too fresh in everyone's memory to do more at this time, but we would be remiss if we didn't recognize Whitney's remarkable contribution to music fans in general, and, in particular, her close ties with the Grammy telecast and her Grammy wins and nominations over the years," says the Grammys' executive producer. The show begins at 8pm Eastern; click for tributes and photos from Houston's legendary career . More»

Missing 11 teeth; showed signs of heart, liver disease

(NEWSER) - Whitney Houston's troubled history was written on her body. A mix of scars, cuts, burns, and abrasions—most of them several years old—riddled the body of the 48-year-old singer, according to the coroner's report. Besides the burns she suffered during her death in a hotel bathtub and a hole in her nasal septum from years of cocaine use, a puncture mark was still visible on her arm, and extensive cosmetic surgery marred her stomach, chest, and thighs, reports the Sun . Houston was missing 11 teeth and showed signs of heart and liver disease. More»

Singer drowned in hot water: final autopsy report

(NEWSER) - More tragic details from Whitney Houston's final autopsy report : The singer drowned in a bathtub, face down in "extremely hot" water, and had scalding burns on her body. Houston had complained of a sore throat before her death, and an assistant suggested a bath. The coroner's investigation ultimately concludes that heart disease and cocaine use both contributed to her death, although the amount of cocaine in her system was not toxic, an expert tells the Los Angeles Times . It was previously reported that cocaine and a drug spoon were found in Houston's room. More»

Whitney Houston's sister-in-law also talks to Oprah Winfrey

(NEWSER) - The night before Whitney Houston died, Bobbi Kristina Brown asked her mother to stay with her. "I slept in her arms all day, all night long," Brown told Oprah Winfrey last night. In her first interview since Houston's death, Brown called her mother "my everything," the AP reports. "She's always with me," Brown added. "Her spirit is strong, it's a strong spirit. I feel her pass through me all the time." More»