L.A. Weekly was the first news organization to report that it appeared Whitney Houston was discovered in a hotel room bathtub. That was confirmed today by the Beverly Hills Police Department.

The department issued a statement saying that ” … information relayed to first responders was that Ms. Houston was discovered in her bathtub by a member of her personal staff at approximately 3:30 pm on Saturday February 11th. She was underwater and apparently unconscious.”

More:

Ms. Houston was pulled from the tub by members of her staff and hotel security was promptly notified.

Fire Department personnel, accompanied by hotel security, responded to her hotel suite. Upon arrival, first responders observed Whitney Houston to still be unconscious and unresponsive. They initiated CPR, but were unable to revive her. At approximately 3:55 pm. Whitney Houston, age 48 was pronounced dead at the scene.

(Read the full release here).

At a news conference this morning, BHPD Lt. Mark Rosen would not comment on reports that Xanax and other prescription drugs were found in Houston's room and that, as TMZ put it, her final meal included “RX and alcohol.”

The site reports that Houston might have died from an overdose and subsequent heart attack, not from drowning.

Beverly Hills Police say Whitney was discovered unconscious by a member of her “personal staff,” in Rosen's words, about 3:30 p.m. Saturday. She was in a room at the Beverly Hilton hotel preparing for an appearance at Clive Davis' annual pre-Grammy Awards party there.

After Beverly Hills first responders arrived — they were already at the hotel — they tried to revive her but were unsuccessful, according to police. Houston was pronounced dead at 3:55 p.m., they said.

Rosen told reporters that “She was pulled out by … somebody on her staff” and was outside the tub when first responders arrived.

He said homicide has not been ruled out but that so far …

… It's a normal investigation for somebody of her age who would have died in this manner.

He said, “The 911 tapes, I expect, will eventually be released to the media.”

He said the investigation is now in the hands of the county coroner's office, which has concluded its autopsy but is awaiting toxicology results, which could take weeks, to determine a cause of death.

[@dennisjromero / djromero@laweekly.com / @LAWeeklyNews]

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