Houston died from drowning, coroner says

LOS ANGELES - Whitney Houston died from drowning in a hotel bathtub, but coroner's officials said Thursday that heart disease and chronic cocaine use were contributing factors to the singer's death.

The release of autopsy findings Thursday ends weeks of speculation about what killed the Grammy-winning singer on February 11 on the eve of the Grammy Awards.

Houston was found submerged in the bathtub of her room at the Beverly Hilton Hotel and her death has been ruled as accidental. Several bottles of prescription medications were found in her hotel room, but coroner's officials said they weren't in excessive quantities.

Beverly Hills police said in a statement there was no evidence of wrongdoing in connection with Houston's death.

"We are saddened to learn of the toxicology results, although we are glad to now have closure,' said Patricia Houston, the singer's sister-in-law and manager.

Coroner's spokesman Craig Harvey says cocaine and its byproducts were found in Houston's system, and it was listed as a contributing factor in her death. He says the results indicated Houston was a chronic cocaine user.

Mourner Maria Guerrido holds up a poster of Whitney Houston in front of The New Hope Baptist Church, the site of Houston's funeral, in this February 17, 2012 file photo. [Photo/Agencies]