(CNS) Posted
Tuesday February 14, 2012– 4:00pm
The body of Whitney Houston today was in her home
state of New Jersey, where private funeral services are expected to be held
later this week.
A plane owned by actor-producer Tyler Perry left Van Nuys Airport around
3:15 p.m. Monday and landed Monday night at Teterboro Airport, from where a
hearse transported the body to a funeral home in Newark, where Houston was
born.
Family members told the Newark Star-Ledger that funeral services were
tentatively scheduled for Friday at Newark's Prudential Center sports arena,
following a public viewing. But reports from New Jersey this morning quoted the
owner of the Whigham Funeral Home as saying the funeral would be held at noon
Saturday at the New Hope Baptist Church in Newark, with attendance on an
invitation-only basis.
Houston died in in a bathtub in her room at the Beverly Hilton hotel in
Beverly Hills Saturday, hours before she was to attend a party on the eve of
the Grammy Awards. The Beverly Hills Police Department said Monday she was
found in her bathtub by a member of her personal staff at about 3:30 p.m.
"She was underwater and apparently unconscious," according to police.
"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."
Police said the investigation was continuing, but "to preserve the
integrity of our investigation we cannot comment at this time regarding any
specifics of that investigation. We also cannot speculate on what may have
caused or contributed to her death.
"The actual cause of death will be determined by the (Los Angeles
County Coroner's Office) following final toxicology results."
Coroner's officials said some prescription drugs were found in the
singer's hotel room, but nothing out of the ordinary. Police said they did not
suspect any foul play in Houston's death.
The results of an autopsy performed on the singer were placed under a
security hold on the orders of Beverly Hills police.
TMZ.com quoted family sources Monday as saying that coroner's officials
told them Houston did not drown but appears to have died from the effects of a
combination of alcohol and prescription drugs, including the anti-anxiety drug
Xanax. Authorities would not confirm the report.
Copyright
© 2012 City News Service
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