Toronto Star

Powder in Houston’s hotel room

- ANTHONY MCCARTNEY

LOS ANGELES— Detectives found white powdery substances and a spoon with white residue in the hotel room where Whitney Houston died, according to the final autopsy report released Wednesday.

Houston had cocaine throughout her system when she died, the report said, and a “spoon with a white crystal-like substance in it, a rolledup piece of white paper from off the top of a counter along the east wall of the bathroom” were found. The report does not identify the substances as cocaine, although the drug was found in toxicology tests in Houston’s heart and extremitie­s.

Beverly Hills Police Lt. Mark Rosen said their investigat­ion is still open and he could not comment on the findings.

On her final day alive, Houston complained of a sore throat and an assistant suggested she take a bath before preparing for a pre-grammy party, according to the report.

The Grammy-winning singer died Feb. 11 after drowning in a bathtub at the Beverly Hilton Hotel. Her death has been ruled as accidental, and coroner’s officials cited heart disease and cocaine use as contributi­ng factors.

Toxicology results also showed Houston had marijuana, Xanax, the muscle relaxant Flexeril and the allergy medication Benadryl in her system.

The singer also had a buildup of plaque in her arteries that can restrict blood flow. Winter has said the condition is common in drug users.

The singer had battled addiction for years, but friends and family have said she appeared committed to making a comeback in the months before her death.

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