Whitney Houston

The Los Angeles County Coroner's office reported Thursday that singer Whitney Houston's death at the Beverly Hills Hotel was an accidental drowning.  Cocaine use and heart disease were contributing factors in her death, officials said Thursday. “She may have had a heart attack” that rendered her unconscious, leading to her drowning, said Ed Winter , deputy chief of coroner investigations. Cocaine's negative effects on cardiac health are well-established.

Whitney Houston's death last month on the eve of the Grammy awards still has fans and the music industry reeling, but it holds an extra measure of resonance to those whose primary mission is helping struggling musicians put their lives back on track. The singer's death at age 48 came just a few hours after the closing notes of the Recording Academy's MusiCares Person of the Year tribute in Los Angeles, the major fundraiser for the organization's foundation created more than two decades ago to help musicians in need — many of them like Houston wrestling with substance or alcohol abuse issues.

Whitney Houston's will and estate leave no room for confusion. Everything goes to a single heir: Bobbi Kristina Brown, 19, the late singer's one and only child. And ex-husband Bobby Brown gets nothing. That's what attorney Kenny Meisalas, who represents Houston, told the Associated Press this week. Unlike other celebrity estates that may be subject to disputes and dueling survivors trying to get their hands on the riches, Houston's estate was apparently well-managed and organized.

Adele's momentum is showing no signs of slowing. After winning six Grammy Awards last week and taking the top prize at the Brit Awards on Tuesday, the young soulful star on Wednesday bested a chart record set by another vocal powerhouse, the late Whitney Houston. Adele's "21" coasted to another week at the top of the pop charts, giving it 21 nonconsecutive weeks in the pole position. That's the most by any album in the modern sales era. Buoyed by her Grammy wins and return to the stage after vocal cord surgery, "21" sold a mighty 730,000 copies in the United States for the week beginning Feb. 13, according to Nielsen SoundScan stats released by Billboard.

The National Enquirer's cover photo of Whitney Houston lying in a casket has sparked outrage in the media world. On Twitter and on Facebook, on blogs and on media websites, the pundits are harrumphing and accusing the supermarket tabloid of finally going too far. And that's why we'd like to offer a completely different view -- from Marc Cooper , an associate professor at USC and the director of the Annenberg Digital News. "To use a cliche, it's much ado about nothing," Cooper said.

The National Enquirer's photo of the late Whitney Houston in her casket was unauthorized and had nothing to do with the funeral home where the singer's body was prepared, the funeral home's owner told The Times on Thursday. Outrage has followed the publication of the photo in the latest issue of the Enquirer, as have questions about how it was obtained. That has cast suspicion on Whigham Funeral Home in Newark, N.J., but owner Carolyn Whigham insisted that the funeral home did not play a role.

In the hours immediately following the announcement of Whitney Houston's death, social media exploded in a frenzy of testimonials, declarations of undying love and boundless grief, and — predictably — a small but steadfast stream of crude, even cruel, jokes. Suffocating sentimentality and barbaric unfeelingness are, after all, flip sides of the same coin of grandstanding emotionalism. Celebrities took to Twitter to express shock and condolences. On Facebook among the general public, there was a race to post the most obscure YouTube clip and a seeming competition over who could put up the most heart-wrenching status update.

Whitney Houston 's funeral, described as a "home going celebration," is unfolding in her childhood church with gospel tributes and eulogies from celebrities, including Kevin Costner , who described her as “beautiful as a woman could be.” Gospel singer BeBe Winans said he would miss "crazy Whitney. " And Alicia Keys sang “Send Me An Angel” after telling how her friend Whitney made her and other artists feel “strong and capable and loved.” The private funeral, broadcast live online from New Hope Baptist Church, brought out thousands of family members, friends and fans to the church on what started as a gray, drizzly day. PHOTOS: Whitney Houston's funeral Amid the tears and mournful remarks from Newark Mayor Corey Booker and filmmaker Tyler Perry , there were moments of comedy.

Three hours before Whitney Houston's funeral was to begin Saturday, about three dozen fans gathered at a corner four blocks up the street from the New Hope Baptist Church, the closest police permitted them to be. Catherine Graham Ross peered through a pair of opera glasses toward the church at the flashing lights of police cars, past metal barricades and yellow police ropes, and said she understood the need to keep people back. "They're hurting and they need their time," she said, referring to Houston's family.