Whitney Houston Cause of Death: Drowning

But cocaine, heart disease were contributing factors
By John Johnson,  Newser Staff
Posted Mar 22, 2012 4:49 PM CDT
Whitney Houston Cause of Death: Drowning
Whitney Houston in a 2006 file photo.   (AP Photo/Matt Sayles)

The LA county coroner has ruled that the official cause of death for Whitney Houston is accidental drowning, reports AP. But the report also cited cocaine and heart disease as contributing factors, and noted that she had the drug in her system at the time of her death, along with marijuana, Xanax, a muscle relaxant, and Benadryl. One insider lays out a possible scenario for TMZ: She had a heart attack in the hotel bathtub, which caused her to lose consciousness and go under. The heart attack itself may have been triggered by hardening of the arteries, caused by regular cocaine use.

“We are saddened to learn of the toxicology results, although we are glad to now have closure," said the Houston family in a statement. (More Whitney Houston stories.)

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