now the winds are picking up the feathers might be flying pretty good now. >> until then have a good evening. have a good evening. see you at 6:00. death of a superstar. ♪ and i >> tonight, whitney houston, a tragic end for the voice of a generation. what happened in that beverly hills hotel room? the latest on the investigation as we remember her incredible rise to fame, her troubled life, and the musical legacy she leaves behind. also tonight, a greek drama playing out in athens, a city descends into chaos as millions fear for their future. record lows. tonight, temperatures plunge across america. and record highs. gas prices skyrocket, and the pain at the pump is just getting started.

captions paid for by nbc-universal television good evening. another one of music's shining stars has been dimmed, gone too soon. barely 24 hours after singer whitney houston's lifeless body was discovered in a beverly hills hotel, fans and fellow entertainers are still struggling to find the right words that truly capture her remarkable voice and the depth of her impact on popular music. and tonight, on what should be the music industry's brightest night, the grammys, we're left to wonder if whitney houston ever overcame the demons that haunted her life and career. nbc's kristen dahlgren is outside the beverly hilton hotel to begin our coverage. good evening. >> reporter: lester, the coroner's office just confirmed the autopsy is complete on

whitney houston but it will be six to eight weeks before we get ruts of toxicology tests as investigators try to piece together the star's final moments. the call came in at 3:43, pop superstar whitney houston was unresponsive. >> when our officers arrived in the hotel room on the fourth floor, the fire department and hotel security were already attempting resuscitation measures. >> reporter: less than 15 minutes later -- >> whitney houston was pronounced dead. >> reporter: as stars gathered downstairs at the pregrammy party houston was supposed to attend, upstairs officials began their investigation into her death. >> most of the people say it was her bodyguard that found her and they found her in the bathtub. >> reporter: officials still won't reveal details, only that there were no obvious signs of criminal intent. nine hours after the 911 call, houston's body was taken to the coroner's office. >> we'll be doing a full autopsy along with toxicology to try to determine if there were any substances in her body at the

time of her death. >> reporter: houston admitted she struggled with drug use. >> if she was having a good day, you knew. if she was having a bad day, you knew. she couldn't really hide it. >> reporter: cell phone video captured the singer's last public performance on thursday, on stage with kelly price, the pop star sounded hoarse. ♪ >> she danced. she sang. she laughed. >> reporter: later that night, houston left looking disheveled. photos appear to show her leg dripping with blood. but instead of the lows, hollywood is remembering houston's high notes. as they gathered for the grammy awards, music's biggest names honored what many consider the best singer of a generation >> that voice, oh, my god, no one has ever come close to that voice. >> she's the first black superstar that you didn't see color. she made us forget about color,

like this magnificent voice. >> reporter: the celebration of her life cannot erase sadness over her death. on stage in mississippi, her ex-husband bobby brown was emotional. >> i love you, whitney. >> reporter: as he asked the audience to pray for him and his daughter bobbi kristina, who hours later was herself rushed to a hospital where she was treated for stress. the associated press is reporting that bobbi kristina has now been released from the hospital. the grammys get under way here in los angeles, and stars continue to pay tribute. lester? >> kristen dahlgren in beverly hills, thanks. whitney houston's death at only 48 years old did come as a shock to many, but sadly not as a complete surprise either. she had spent more than a decade battling substance abuse and survived a stumultuous marriage and divorce, all the while to

recapture the musical magic that once took her all the way to the top. with more, here's nbc's mike taibbi. >> reporter: whitney elizabeth houston was the soloist in a newark, new jersey, baptist church choir at age 11. but while the word star is overused and a lot of r&b singers got their start singing gospel, she was a star, right away. a prodigy nurtured by her mother cissy, her cousin dionne warwick and her godmother, aretha franklin. on her national debut on "the merv griffin show," her gift of a voice was in full flower. ♪ but it wasn't just her voice that made her a star. she was as beautiful as a model, a crossover dream girl who was among the first african-americans to grace the cover of "seventeen" magazine. the public flocked to her concerts and bought her albums in record numbers. she once had seven number one singles in a row, more than elvis or the beatles. she reached the top of the music world, six grammys, 22 american music awards, and with clive davis who discovered her paving the way, an historic recording contract. always beyond her beauty and girl next door charm, she had that voice with such range and

purity, she could hold an emotion to make you believe it. ♪ where do broken hearts go at 24, she sang that she already knew there was no easy way to her dreams, dreams that through the '90s took her into film, "the bodyguard" and "waiting to exhale" big hits. while she got some terrific reviews, she could act, it always came back to music. she even turned the national anthem into a pop chart hit with this rendition before super bowl xxv. ♪ o say does that star-spangled banner yet wave ♪ >> reporter: then the dark side, a decade of drug induced decline around her marriage to the volatile singer bobby brown who produced a daughter but constant chaos too. houston was a no show for some concerts, a disaster in others, like this one in brisbane, australia. ♪ the headlines, the tabloids were relentless.

the singer admitted to cocaine use, but denied the worst of the rumors to abc's diane sawyer. >> i make too much money to ever smoke crack. let's get that straight. i don't do that. crack is whack. >> reporter: in the end, her star had wobbled out of the heavens. she spoke wistfully last november about another comeback, a film version of "sparkle". >> i'm not old. i feel older. i'm mature. i'm looking forward to the years to come, that, you know, good years. >> reporter: she would only have three more months after that interview. her music, her gift, a gift they remember today in the new jersey church where it first flowered will live on. ♪ and i will always love you >> reporter: mike taibbi, nbc news, los angeles. ♪ always love you we want to bring in music journalist, author and msnbc

contributor toure from the red carpet at tonight's grammy awards in l.a. how has this changed this night and how are people reacting as they arrive? >> yeah, the grammy, the red carpet, it totally changed the night. this is usually one of the awards show that is exciting and irreverent and it is subdued this year. you can feel some of the air having been taken out of the balloon. everyone wants to talk about whitney houston and share a story about how they were their bedroom as a child, singing to the hair brush, trying to do the runs, trying to open up their voice as big as whitney houston could. and i'm not just talking about the women. i'm talking about guys too, who you may not expect are telling me they loved whitney houston and anybody who wanted to sing would be inspired by whitney houston. but, i mean, this is a major loss in terms of the woman who created the modern sense of the pop diva, the sort of queen of singing, who could be elegant and beautiful and give us a gigantic voice.

you don't know how difficult it is to just stand on the stage and sing, with no dancers, no lights show, just give us your voice and she could do that and she opens up the door for all the other women who want to do that, be that mariah carey to adele to even just jessica simpson is talking about i was inspired by whitney houston, everybody who wants to sing owes a debt to her. the greatest voice of her generation. you know, interestingly, whitney houston is aretha franklin's god daughter. she takes the baton from aretha franklin and gives it forward to the rest. >> toure, thank you for your insight tonight from the grammys. join us tonight for a special edition of "dateline," remembering whitney, that's at 7:00, 6:00 central here on nbc. there is developing news overseas tonight. the greek parliament passed a tough new austerity package late this evening, aimed at averting bankruptcy, but not before a huge and violent demonstration in athens. cnbc's julia chatterly is outside the parliament building for us tonight. what is the scene there?

>> reporter: lester, tonight's vote was an essential step for this country to secure another huge bailout and prevent a default. it comes as over 100,000 people gathered to protest in the square outside parliament. it was a display of fury and contempt, both at their politicians, but also at what many greeks here fear are the too difficult demands for further austerity required by the international lenders. the protests began quite peacefully but then violence erupted, almost immediately. some protesters began throwing stones and gasoline bombs at police who responded immediately with tear gas. more than 15 buildings have been set on fire and dozens of people were injured. for many greeks, these new measures will mean a substantial loss of income, reduction in pensions, but also job losses at a time when unemployment in this country has surpassed 20%. the question going forward,

though, is will these new reforms be sufficient to save this country from eventual default and will the people here be willing to accept the additional austerity cuts to come? lester? >> julia chatterly in athens for us tonight, thank you. there is late word tonight that the arab league is calling on the united nations to create a peacekeeping force to help end the violent government crackdown in syria. at a meeting today in cairo, arab league ministers agreed to cut off diplomatic ties to the syrian regime at international conferences. today white house chief of staff jack lew said there is no question the assad regime will come to an end, the only question, he says, is when. after nearly two weeks of weather delays, tonight crews have begun to pump half a million gallons of fuel out of that capsized cruise ship off the coast of italy. officials say it will take 28 days to complete the operation. also today, a memorial in rome for the victims of the costa concordia disaster. 17 bodies have been recovered and another 15 people are

missing and presumed dead. to presidential politics now. a day after mitt romney's victory in the maine caucuses, his rivals are sharpening their attacks against him. rick santorum even suggesting a straw poll of conservatives may have been rigged in order for romney to win. we get more now from nbc's ron allen. >> reporter: with a victory in maine, and a top finish in a straw poll of conservative activists, mitt romney hopes these wins will get his campaign back on track to the nomination. >> i know conservatism because i have lived conservatism. >> reporter: but as romney took a day off at his home in southern california, his rivals were warning, not so fast. >> i wished all the caucus had met today. >> reporter: ron paul who barely lost in maine to romney questioned whether romney really won at all. especially since some republicans couldn't vote because of bad weather. >> we won -- we lost by, i

guess, almost 200 votes, 190 votes. it is almost like we could call it a tie. >> reporter: today on cnn, rick santorum who seemed to have momentum after three wins in a row, insinuated that romney rigged the cpac straw poll. santorum lost by seven points. >> you have to talk to the romney campaign and how many tickets they bought. we heard all sorts of things. >> reporter: he accused the romney campaign of filling the hall with supporters, by buying them tickets. a romney spokeswoman fired back, rick santorum has a history of making statements that aren't grounded in the truth. and if romney hoped to silence the doubters, who say he can't rally the gop's base, there was this today from sarah palin. >> i don't think that the majority of gop and independent voters are convinced and that's why you don't see romney get over that hump. >> the problem is when romney has come out on top, he has not yet won a clear majority in any contest. one big reason all the gop contenders are staying in the race. ron allen, nbc news, new york.

now to the weather. tonight, temperatures across much of the country have plunged into bitter cold territory. and some folks in parts of the south could wake up to record lows tomorrow morning. kelly cass is covering it for us at weather channel headquarters. good evening. >> good evening, lester. even in parts of florida we have a freeze warning in effect and shelters have been opened up as well in the sarasota area, because in florida we have the cold air and that will set the stage for our next winter storm affecting millions of you in the south, even to areas of the northeast eventually. but for now, kansas city and st. louis, get ready for a snow day tomorrow. the pink is indicating where we're looking at a wintry mix, some sleet and freezing rain possibly for the northern parts of arkansas, getting into tennessee, even north georgia, by tomorrow night, we could actually see a dusting if not more on the ground over the north georgia mountains and eventually we'll see the system wind up in the northeast by tuesday with snow from buffalo, back towards albany and a mix across the ohio valley and there is your snow forecast, 2 to 4 inches around springfield, missouri.

back to you. >> kelly, thank you. when "nbc nightly news" continues, record prices at the gas pump. just how high will they go? and later, an nbc news investigation, is an innocent man locked away for murder? and later, an nbc news investigation, is an innocent man locked away for murder? savings. savings. savings? progressive was the first to offer online quoting. you can do better. first to show comparison rates. ding! the "name your price" tool. oh! gosh, don't mind if i do. who was the first to offer pet injury coverage? we were. and when did you know you wanted to sell insurance? i said i wouldn't cry. um... whee! it's flo time. now, that's progressive. call or click today. [ sighs ] i can't wait till morning. wait! it's morning in china! ♪ [ male announcer ] it's sweet, it's nutty... it's absolutely delicious. kellogg's crunchy nut. it's morning somewhere.

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across the country, now higher than ever before for this time of year. and if you think it is bad now, just wait. we get our report from nbc's kevin tibbles. >> reporter: it is an unwelcome sound heard around this time every year. >> gas prices killing me. i got the big v8 here, 5.4 liter and it is just not fair. >> it is too high, but not a surprise. >> reporter: grumbling around the gas pump, as prices start migrating north. this year possibly the most expensive gas ever. >> the national average stands about 40 cents higher than where it was one year ago. gas prices increasing across the board. >> reporter: after spiking almost 20 cents a gallon in the last four weeks, gas prices are now poised to skyrocket a further 60 cents a gallon by late may. this year, possibly the most expensive gas ever. by then predictions are for a national average of $3.95, but

with many cities far higher and reaching all time highs. $4.35 a gallon predicted in boston. $4.60 a gallon in atlanta by memorial day. $4.70 in los angeles. $4.85 predicted for san francisco. and the highest in the lower 48, $4.95 a gallon in chicago by memorial day. why is it happening? rising tensions in the middle east and the iranian threat to close vital shipping lanes, reduced refinery capacity, and the more expensive switch to summer grades of gasoline. dr. soda delivers soft drinks and snacks in the los angeles area. increased gas prices now take a 15% to 20% bite out of the company's bottom line. >> every single day we get price increases from our suppliers. we cannot keep raising the prices day in and day out, so we're absorbing quite a few of these hits that we're taking.

>> reporter: and analysts say the sky high prices may be here to stay. as consumers cringe every time they pull up to the pump. kevin tibbles, nbc news, chicago. when we come back, a puzzling murder mystery. one man's desperate struggle to prove his innocence. puzzling murder mystery. one man's desperate struggle to prove his innocence. since i was a kid. [ mike ] i always wondered how did an airplane get in the air. at ge aviation, we build jet engines. we lift people up off the ground to 35 thousand feet. these engines are built by hand with very precise assembly techniques. [ mike ] it's gonna fly people around the world. safely and better than it's ever done before. it would be a real treat to hear this monster fire up. [ jaronda ] i think a lot of people, when they look at a jet engine, they see a big hunk of metal. but when i look at it, i see seth, mark, tom, and people like that who work on engines every day. [ tom ] i would love to see this thing fly. [ kareem ] it's a dream, honestly.

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back now with a murder mystery and a man locked away for 25 to life for a crime he swears he didn't commit, convicted based largely on eyewitness accounts. the story has taken some twists and turns over the course of a ten-year nbc news investigation. and we get our report from nbc's luke russert. >> reporter: if you walk through any maximum security prison, you're likely to hear the same thing over and over again. i'm innocent. but every once and a while you hear an inmate's story that makes you wonder, maybe this time it's true.

>> i should not be here because i didn't commit this crime. >> reporter: meet new york state inmate number aa-2303, jon-adrian velazquez, convicted of killing a retired new york city police officer during a botched robbery in harlem, a conviction he's always claimed is unjust. >> it was a tuesday, january 27th, 1998. >> reporter: attorneys bob gottlieb and celia gordon represented velazquez for the last two years. >> there was a number spot, an illegal gambling joint in harlem owned by a retired police officer by the name of albert ward. >> reporter: two men barged in. there was a struggle and then gunfire. 59-year-old albert ward was killed. shot once in the head. the eyewitnesses gave detectives similar descriptions of the shooter and his accomplice. >> the gunman was a light skinned male black with braids. >> lo and behold when they have the lineup, you have jon-adrian velazquez, who is hispanic. >> reporter: did you ever have

dreadlocks? >> absolutely not. >> reporter: has there ever been any physical evidence to link you to this crime? >> none whatsoever. >> reporter: you were nowhere close to the scene. why is it that you were picked out? >> luke, that's probably the best question in the world. i don't know the answer. >> reporter: velazquez was found guilty of second degree murder. >> i know i heard my mother. i heard her scream. i don't think i looked back. i don't think i had the heart to look back in my family's eyes. >> reporter: his sentence, 25 years to life. from behind bars, velazquez went to work trying to prove his innocence. "dateline" first heard from velazquez ten years ago when he began writing us letters. >> i needed to be heard. i needed somebody to look into this. i needed somebody to prove what i've been trying to prove all along. i didn't do this. >> reporter: no physical evidence has ever linked velazquez to the murder. his conviction came solely from eyewitness identification,

something used by many prosecutors all over the country. while velazquez makes a persuasive argument for his innocence, there are many layers to his story and many questions not easily answered as you'll see in our full report tonight. lester? >> luke, thanks. we'll look for your story later on "dateline." we're back in a moment with the angelic voice of a generation. not easily answered as you'll see in our full report tonight. >> we're back in a moment with the angelic voice of a generation. eathe, i thought those days might be over. so my doctor prescribed symbicort. it helps significantly improve my lung function, starting within 5 minutes. symbicort doesn't replace a rescue inhaler for sudden symptoms. with symbicort, today i'm breathing better, and that means... game on! symbicort is for copd, including chronic bronchitis and emphysema. it should not be taken more than twice a day. symbicort may increase your risk of lung infections, osteoporosis, and some eye problems. tell your doctor if you have a heart condition or high blood pressure before taking it. [ whistle ] with copd, i thought i might miss out on my favorite tradition.

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that's "nbc nightly news" for this sunday. i'll see you shortly for a special edition of "dateline." we want to end this broadcast with the incredible gift of whitney houston, her angelic voice which sometimes got lost in the headlines. here she is in her prime, singing one of her greatest hits, no instruments, just that incredible pure sound with her mom cissy houston singing backup. good night. ♪ look into my eyes take me to the clouds above ♪ ♪ oh, i lose control can't seem to get enough ♪ ♪ when i wake from dreaming ♪ ♪ tell me is it really love ♪ ♪ how will i know don't trust your feelings ♪