What It Was Really Like The Day Whitney Houston Died

Whitney Houston's life story was incredibly tragic, and the dramatic and sudden end to that story was the saddest part of all. The diva was known for many pop hits during the '80s, and in the '90s starred in "The Bodyguard," which led to the career-defining song "I Will Always Love You." 

Despite Houston's iconic voice and unquestionable success in the entertainment industry, her life started going downhill. Houston's marriage to Bobby Brown was abusive and co-dependent, with both of them misusing drugs, and they finally divorced in 2007. While Houston had two songs that barely cracked the Billboard Hot 100 in 2009, her career seemed to effectively be over. Anyone paying attention to Whitney Houston during the last 12 months of her life could see things were not going very well for the star. 

Houston died on Feb. 11, 2012. The singer was staying at the Beverley Hilton Hotel, under her grandmother's name, Elizabeth Collins. Several times the week before, she'd been seen drinking at the bar by 10 a.m. and being abusive to the staff. It was Grammy weekend, and Houston performed live for what would be the last time at a party with singer Kelly Price. Video of their rendition of "Jesus Loves Me" shows that Houston's voice was nothing like it used to be. Two days later, she was dead. Hundreds of stars who were preparing to celebrate instead were greeted with the tragic news. This is what it was really like the day Whitney Houston died.

Whitney Houston was not the only talented singer in her family. The most famous name besides hers was undoubtedly her cousin, Dionne Warwick, and the two were close. Just hours before Houston died, Warwick called to confirm they would be sitting at the same table at Clive Davis' pre-Grammy party at the Beverley Hilton Hotel that night, and she sounded desperate to make sure Warwick would be attending the event.

Appearing on "Good Morning America" (via Digital Spy), Warwick said, "I spoke to Whitney the day that she passed. I spoke to her that morning. She said, 'You're here, aren't you? You're coming to the party, aren't you?' I said, 'Yeah, I'm going to be there,' and she said, 'Thank you, I want you to be here. You've got to be here for me.' I spoke to her that afternoon and that was it."

Despite those words sounding somewhat frightened or panicky, at least outside of the larger context of the phone call, as if Houston was afraid to be by herself, Warwick says that actually, things were finally looking up for her diva cousin. "She was so up and ready and happy. She had everything in the world to live for. She had a new film that was an absolute dream to make and do. She was getting ready to go back into the studio to record. She was getting her vocals together." Sadly, whatever Houston was looking forward to, she would never get the chance to do it.

Her cousin Dionne Warwick was not the only loved one that Whitney Houston reached out to shortly before she died. Cissy Houston is Whitney Houston's mother, and she was the last person the singer talked to on the phone before she died. Cissy described that last conversation to Oprah Winfrey on "Oprah's Next Chapter" (via YouTube) and made it sound like it was a normal, loving phone call between mother and daughter. Cissy said, "[Whitney told] me that she loved me and things. Like, that's what she always said, but she said, 'No, I love you so much.' She said, 'I'm coming to see you, okay?'" 

It's particularly shocking that Whitney seemed absolutely fine during this phone call because it took place around 3:15 p.m., less than 30 minutes before Whitney was found unresponsive. 

It wasn't just Warwick and Cissy who said Whitney was in a good mood shortly before she died. While it might have been easier to fake seeming okay over the phone, the singer saw plenty of people who knew her well in person a short time before she died. Tiffanie Dixon, Whitney's hair stylist for six years at that point, told "Today" that the diva "was happy that day we were going to go to [Clive Davis'] party. We talked about looks and what she was going to wear ... and what we would do with that evening. She seemed very happy that day."

Among other disturbing details in Whitney Houston's autopsy report was the number of drugs in her body. The toxicology report confirmed that at some point shortly before she died, Houston used cocaine. The singer was well known for her issues with drug misuse. According to her mother, one of Houston's brothers introduced her to drugs, her misuse of which increased dramatically when she was married to Bobby Brown. In a 2002 interview, Houston implied she had used drugs, including cocaine, and seven years later, she admitted to this outright in another interview, telling Oprah Winfrey that she and Brown always had a large supply of cocaine around, and that they liked to mix it with marijuana and smoke it.

Houston had been to rehab once after her mother staged an intervention, and the singer returned to in-patient treatment the year before she died. Despite this, a source told CNN that Houston was "partying the night before her death in the bar" of the Beverley Hilton Hotel. Allegedly, Houston and her group were so rowdy that they were noticeable even though it was loud and crowded in the hotel that night.

Houston's friend and mentor, Clive Davis, admitted she had a problem. "Yes, she became afflicted and it led to her premature passing with drugs," he told People. "But those of us that knew Whitney, those of us who were aware of who she really was, and what her talent represented – it's so unique."

No one was present when Whitney Houston died in Room 434 of the Beverley Hilton Hotel, so there is some ambiguity about how exactly it happened. The autopsy showed that while the singer drowned in the bathtub, what caused her to drown was less clear-cut. "There was water found in her lungs that indicated to us that she was alive when she was submerged underwater," coroner chief Craig Harvey told People. "According to our tests, the level of cocaine was not necessarily a lethal level of cocaine. But her death was complicated by chronic cocaine use and heart disease."

Coroner Assistant Chief Ed Winter explained what this meant in more detail. "She could've passed out first due to the intoxication from the cocaine, or she could've had a heart attack and then drowned," he told the outlet. "It's probably one of those two scenarios." Whatever happened, it occurred quickly, as there was less than a 30-minute window of time where Houston was alone.

There's no indication Houston wanted or expected to die. Photos of the hotel room published by TMZ showed that the singer had ordered room service, including a hamburger, fries, a turkey sandwich, and jalapenos. She had already eaten the burger and fries — Houston's last meal — and then brought the rest of the food into the bathroom with her to eat either during or after her bath.

There is still some confusion over how long Houston was alone in her hotel room and who found her. However, once someone did find her body, there was pandemonium. Her personal bodyguard, Ray Watson, told the Sunday Mirror, "I saw Whitney in the bathtub and I panicked. I couldn't tell if she was alive or dead. I got her out of the water and tried to revive her. Then it was all crazy. It was the worst thing that has ever happened in my life. I never will forget it. Never." Houston's hair stylist, Tiffanie Dixon, was also there and remembers being told to call for help.

Both Houston staff members also concentrated on protecting the singer's daughter. Watson said, "Bobbi Kristina was there when Whitney died. She was stunned, upset. But Bobbi didn't see her mom in the bathtub. She never came into the room. I wouldn't let her into the room." Dixon says she comforted the girl in the hallway.

Because there was already an increased police presence at the hotel in preparation for the pre-Grammy party happening that night, once the emergency services were called they were able to get to Houston almost immediately. But it was too late. Beverly Hills Police Lieutenant Mark Rosen told People, "I can confirm that Whitney Houston was pronounced dead at 3:55 p.m. at the Beverly Hilton Hotel. We received a call at 3:43 p.m. from hotel security and Beverly Hills fire and police responded minutes later."

As soon as it was determined Whitney Houston was dead, an investigation into her sudden death began. This was not as suspicious as it sounds, though. A Beverly Hills Police Department statement (via People) explained, "Beverly Hills detectives and crime scene investigators were called to the scene to conduct a death investigation. This is a common practice whenever a death occurs which is unattended and unexpected."

Because there were some drugs in plain view, the police decided to get a search warrant in order to find anything else that might have contributed to the singer's death which was not immediately visible. This meant sealing up the hotel room for a short time while they waited for the warrant to be approved. Meanwhile, Houston's body had not been removed from the scene. "Our detectives are still in the room, and her body is still here as well," Beverly Hills Police Lieutenant Mark Rosen told People. As for whether there were suspicious circumstances, Rosen said, "We don't know yet. Her death is under investigation."

The investigation continued for another two months. They looked at footage of Houston from hotel security cameras the days before she died. While there were many prescription drugs in the room, it was determined they had nothing to do with her death. When the investigation was closed, the police released another statement (via CNN) saying, "Based on the findings of our investigation and our review of the coroner's report, we have determined that this is not a criminal matter."

In their statement to the public about Whitney Houston's passing, the Beverly Hills Police Department said (via People), "Ms. Houston's daughter and mother were notified of her death."

Cissy Houston told Oprah what that moment was like, using the family's nickname for Whitney: "Well, my son called me and he was screaming ... I said, 'What is wrong, what's wrong?' He just said, 'Nippy, Nippy.' I said, 'What's wrong with Nippy? ...and I was getting annoyed because he wasn't telling me anything ... I said, 'Is she dead? He said, 'Yeah, Mommy, she's dead.' I don't remember too much else after that." In her book about her daughter, Cissy wrote (via Today), "I was told later that I screamed so loudly that the whole building must have heard me, but my mind was absolutely blank, except for one thought: My baby was gone."

While Whitney Houston and ex-husband Bobby Brown's relationship was famously dysfunctional, he was distraught at the news of her death. However, he decided to go ahead with a performance he and New Edition were scheduled to do that night. On stage, he told the audience, "Just say a prayer for my daughter, say a prayer for her mother, and if you find the time please say a prayer for me because I am going to need it."

Bobbi Kristina was in the vicinity when her mother's body was found. Sometime that evening, she had a panic attack and was hospitalized for a short time.

Once the news that Whitney Houston was dead was official, confirmed by the Beverly Hills Police by late afternoon, it seemed like the whole world went into mourning for the diva. 

Twitter saw over 1,000 tweets per second posted about Houston's death, and around the world, almost all the trending hashtags were in reference to her. Celebrities posted about their grief at hearing the news, including some of the biggest names in music, like Beyonce, Aretha Franklin, and Mariah Carey. Dolly Parton, who wrote and performed "I Will Always Love You" long before Houston made it iconic, tweeted (via CNN), "Mine is only one of the millions of hearts broken over the death of Whitney Houston. I will always be grateful and in awe of the wonderful performance she did on my song and I can truly say from the bottom of my heart, 'Whitney, I will always love you. You will be missed.'"

It was not just Americans or entertainment icons who were deeply affected by the news. On her Substack, the author and journalist Sarah Kendzior recalled going into the chatroom of exiled Uzbekistani rebels as part of her dissertation research after the news broke that Houston was dead. To her shock, the news of the singer's death was reverberating even there: "'Uitni Xyuston vafot etgan!' the Uzbek revolutionaries wailed. Whitney Houston was dead! They couldn't believe it either," she wrote. 

Whitney Houston was at the hotel where she died because it was Grammys weekend, and she was attending events around that. This meant that when the news broke that one of the most iconic singers of the past three decades had died tragically right on the award show's doorstep, the organizers needed to figure out what to do, and fast. "Your almost natural instinct right at the beginning was to throw the [originally planned] show out and make the show a tribute to Whitney Houston," Grammy producer Ken Ehrlich told the New York Post. "But that wouldn't have been the right thing to do. So it was trying to find the blend between honoring her memory and then doing a Grammy show right."

LL Cool J was hosting the Grammys that year, and he had an idea on how to open the show: not with a song or a monologue, but with a prayer. "To be honest with you, I wasn't so sure that was the right thing to do," said Ehrlich. "But basically, they were his words." 

There also needed to be a musical memorial to the icon. Ehrlich reached out to singer Jennifer Hudson to ask if she would be willing to prepare something that quickly. "She was getting dressed on her way to Clive's party when we finally reached her. And she agreed to do it, very reluctantly. But obviously, [Houston's death] had a profound effect on her."

Whitney Houston was supposed to be attending Clive Davis' pre-Grammy party that night, which was being held in the same hotel where she died. Amazingly, the party went ahead, with the singer's body still in her room upstairs. Davis gave a speech, saying in part, "Whitney was so full of life. She was so looking forward to tonight ... Whitney would have asked that the music go on. And her family said the show should go on" (via People).

This difficult decision was supported by Rickey Minor, Houston's music director of many years. "I was grappling over what to do," he told the New York Post. "My input was that everyone will be grieving and mourning. So we celebrate her life separately or together — and we're here. And if the artists are willing to do it, I mean, it's a healing thing." However, journalist and author Gerrick Kennedy couldn't believe what was happening. "I thought it was completely disgusting," he said. "I have never gotten over the fact that this party happened. She's upstairs, and the coroner is waiting to go up there and get her. It's appalling to me. It felt like this weird Shakespearean tragedy unfolding where it's like, this woman who was granted so little dignity in her lifetime can't even die in dignity." Houston's body was finally removed from the hotel at 1:35 a.m.

If you or anyone you know needs help with addiction issues or is dealing with domestic abuse, contact the relevant resources below:

• The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration website or contact SAMHSA's National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357).

• The National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1−800−799−7233. You can also find more information, resources, and support at their website.