Collect Amazing Fantastic: Death of an American icon: Troubled singer Whitney Houston is found dead in Beverly Hills hotel room after drugs battle, aged 48

By HUGO GYE, LYDIA WARREN and RICK DEWSBURY

Last picture: Whitney Houston is sweating and looks worse for wear as she leaves Tru Hollywood nightclub on Thursday night

Legendary singer and film star Whitney Houston has died in her hotel room after a long battle with hard drugs and alcohol that blighted her career. She was 48.
The star was found by her bodyguard drowned in a bathtub in a room containing prescription pill bottles, according to sources.

Paramedics battled to revive the singer but she was pronounced dead at 3.55pm yesterday afternoon.
Her frantic daughter Bobbi Kristina, 19, is said to have got into a 'furious screaming argument' with police who refused to let her into the Beverly Hilton hotel in Los Angeles to see the body of her dead mother.

A coroner's van leaves the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Los Angeles, California, this morning where Whitney Houston was found dead. She is said to have 'drowned in the bathtub'

The cause of death is not yet known. There were no illegal drugs in the fourth floor hotel suite but the previous evening she had 'partied heavily, drank and chatted loudly' with friends at the hotel bar, claims TMZ.
As the singer's body was wheeled to an ambulance, just yards away stars including Britney Spears and Kim Kardashian were taking part in the pre-Grammy Awards party at the hotel. Miss Houston had been due to attend the event which was organised by her mentor Clive Davis.

The corridor on the fouth floor of the hotel close to the room where Miss Houston died. Right, mourners gather at a makeshift memorial on the corner of Santa Monica and Wilshire Boulevards

The cause of death is not yet known. There were no illegal drugs in the fourth floor hotel suite but the previous evening she had 'partied heavily, drank and chatted loudly' with friends at the hotel bar, claims TMZ.
As the singer's body was wheeled to an ambulance, just yards away stars including Britney Spears and Kim Kardashian were taking part in the pre-Grammy Awards party at the hotel. Miss Houston had been due to attend the event which was organised by her mentor Clive Davis.

Hotel: Houston was found dead in a room on the fourth floor of the Beverly Hilton hotel in Los Angeles, California

Scene: A police van pulls up outside the Hilton after Houston's death. Right, officers gather outside the hotel as an investigation begins into the causes of death

Relationship: Houston performs with singer Bobby Brown, left. Their turbulent marriage was the subject of tabloid gossip for years

Film: In 1992, she became a star in the acting world with 'The Bodyguard'. The story of a singer guarded by a former Secret Service agent was a success

After her death, the executive in charge of the awards issued a statement expressing sadness at the star's death.
'Six-time Grammy winner Whitney Houston was one of the world's greatest pop singers of all time who leaves behind a robust musical soundtrack spanning the past three decades,' Neil Portnow, president of the Recording Academy, said.
'Her powerful voice graced many memorable and award-winning songs. A light has been dimmed in our music community today, and we extend our deepest condolences to her family, friends, fans and all who have been touched by her beautiful voice.'

Troubled: Houston gets into a car, left, amid frantic scenes during her last public appearance hinted at her decades-long battles with substance abuse. right, the star is sweating profusely and clearly suffering from her problems.

The I Will Always Love You singer suffers a waldrobe malfunction on the X Factor in 2009 in what was supposed to be the start of her comeback tour. Many of the subsequent shows were later cancelled

Concerns: Miss Houston gives an erratic performance on the X Factor in 2009 after which there were worries about her health

Danni Minogue, left, Simon Cowell, Whitney Houston and Cheryl Cole, right, backstage on the X Factor. Whitney's performance raised concerns for her health with Cowell saying the warning signs were clear

At her peak in the 1980s and 90s, Houston was the golden girl of the music industry and one of the world's best-selling artists.
She wowed audiences with effortless, powerful, and peerless vocals that were rooted in the black church but made palatable to the masses with a pop sheen.
Among her hits were How Will I Know, Saving All My Love for You and I Will Always Love You. She won multiple Grammys including album and record of the year.
Her success carried her beyond music to movies like The Bodyguard.
But by the end of her career, drug use took its toll as her record sales plummeted and her voice became raspy and hoarse.
Her image became tarnished by her well-documented troubles, including her turbulent marriage to singer Bobby Brown.
By the end of her career, Houston became a stunning cautionary tale of the toll of drug use.

Relatives: In this January 1998 photo, singer Houston, left, celebrates her win at the American Music Awards with her mother, Cissy, and brother, Gary, in Los Angeles

Her album sales plummeted and the hits stopped coming; her once serene image was shattered by a wild demeanour and bizarre public appearances.
She confessed to abusing cocaine, marijuana and pills, and her once pristine voice became raspy and hoarse, unable to hit the high notes as she had during her prime.
'The biggest devil is me. I'm either my best friend or my worst enemy,' Houston told ABC's Diane Sawyer in an infamous 2002 interview with then-husband Brown by her side.
However, she will be remembered not for the troubles she encountered in her last decade, but for her extraordinary voice and star charisma.
Houston was discovered by record label boss Clive Davis, who once said: 'The time that I first saw her singing in her mother's act in a club... it was such a stunning impact.
'To hear this young girl breathe such fire into this song. I mean, it really sent the proverbial tingles up my spine.'

Family: Houston, centre, poses with her former husband, singer Bobby Brown, right, and their daughter Bobbi, left, at Disneyland in Anaheim, California, in August 2004

With Ray J: Houston had another on-off relationship with the singer over the last few years

Before long, the rest of the country would feel it, too.
Houston made her album debut in 1985 with Whitney Houston, which sold millions and spawned hit after hit. Saving All My Love for You brought her her first Grammy, for best female pop vocal.
Another multiplatinum album, Whitney, came out in 1987 and included hits like Where Do Broken Hearts Go and I Wanna Dance With Somebody.
Her moving 1991 rendition of The Star Spangled Banner at the Super Bowl, amid the first Gulf War, set a new standard and once again reaffirmed her as America's sweetheart.
In 1992, she became a star in the acting world with The Bodyguard. Despite mixed reviews, the story of a singer (Houston) guarded by a former Secret Service agent (Kevin Costner) was an international success.

Child: Houston, pictured in 1965, was the daughter of gospel singer Cissy Houston, the cousin of 1960s pop diva Dionne Warwick and the goddaughter of Aretha Franklin

Duet: Houston sings with Jermaine Jackson during rehearsals for a TV performance in 1984

Odd friendship: Winfrey and Brown met with Israel's prime minister Ariel Sharon on a trip to the Middle Eastern country in 2003

But during these career and personal highs, Houston was using drugs.
She blamed her rocky marriage to Brown, which included a charge of domestic abuse against him in 1993. They divorced in 2007.
Houston would go to rehab twice before she would declare herself drug-free to Oprah Winfrey in 2010. But in the interim, there were missed concert dates, a stop at an airport due to drugs, and public meltdowns.