we want to look at a sad scene, the beverly hilton. the beverly hills police are conducting an investigation. whitney was declared dead there. her body was removed from the beverly hilton around 4:00 p.m. today. that's also the site of the clive davis party and a lot of people are staying there for the grammys. sad night. the beverly hills police ruled out any foul play and any obvious drug use. they're continuing the investigation and we're going to be letting you know what we get from that. meantime, i want to bring back in reverend al sharpton, host of "politics nation." reverend sharpton, you spent most of your life in the spotlight, very publicly. you know what that's like. why is it some people can handle it very well and other people like whitney houston maybe didn't have a filter or didn't know when to leave the cameras. what do you think was her problem in terms of her pr? >> i think the problem was that many of those in the entertainment media were more looking for negative and sensationalism than looking for the beauty of the

people know where the entrance and exits are and now there's talk whether or not the beverly hilton will utilize the helipad, and they could take the body out by helicopter. that's the latest from beverly hills, back to you. >> tell us one thing, katy, we are looking at you, see the paparazzi across the street behind you, we are getting reports there are throngs of mourners. where are they? >> they are surrounding all areas of the hotel. the front entrance to the beverly hilton is still open. there are still cars going in and out, still people that are gathered. there's a number of entrances to the hotel. a number of mourners are back there, they have candles, are singing songs. the scene is growing. people are standing outside here, there are cars stopping on the street. it's hectic to say the least. >> sort of taking on that whole sense of a memorial. >> reporter: that's what happens in los angeles a lot when celebrities die. people start to gather where the person passed. it happened on sunset boulevard with river phoenix many years ago. people want to go, see what's going on, happene

this is the rear of the beverly hilton hotel.e front entrance and that is where you have the valet, that is where all of the big-time names pull up to be whisked into the event. and we brand new video coming in to the fox news channel of the beverly hills crime scene lab and van that was parked outside of this hotel for quite some time. we understand that it is still there, although our photographer that just shot the video left about 30 minutes ago. so it is not clear at this point if that vehicle has left. but even though we have heard reports from inside that fourth floor hotel room that there was no evidence of foul play, again, some of this speculation that she may have been found in the bath tub. nonetheless, this this is being investigated obviously because of the high profile nature. the crime scene lab van has been here on site as a number of different authorities have converged on the spot. i want to talk about the clive davis event because again this is an annual pregrammy party that happens at this hotel every year. t

a distress call at the beverly hills hilton earlier today.ice there saying detectives are investigating to determine how she ended up dead in a hotel room on the fourth floor. her body remains in that room. the cause of death is unknown. we are hours away from music's biggest night the grammy awards. showcase where whitney houston once reigned. 6 grammies and 32 billboard music awards. released seven ai albums. the most recent in 2009. at some point in her career crossed over to movies. the body guard and t

we are looking live outside the beverly hilton hotel in beverly hills, california where whitney houstond just a few hours ago on the fourth floor of that hotel. a police investigation now going on into the cause of death. they are still there at the death scene. we are told that her body is still in that fourth floor hotel room at this hour. as we continue to cover this breaking news story, a look back now at the life of 48-year-old legendary singer icon whitney houston. ♪ the greatest love of all >> from the moment whitney houston first broke into song, she was obviously bound for greatness. she first performed at age five. solo at age 11 in a local church choir. young whitney grew up steeped in music. her beauty and voice propelled the young gospel girl into the professional spot light. sang in 1980 and began modeling the same year gracing covers. her premier album spun three number one singles saving all my love for you, how will i know and the greatest love of all. the album sold over 13 million copies. shattering debut album records worldwide. more record setting was to come with h

we are looking live outside the beverly hilton hotel in beverly hills, california where whitney houston few hours ago on the fourth floor of that hotel. a police investigation now going on into the cause of death. they are still there at the death scene. we are told that her body is still in that fourth floor hotel room at this hour. as we continue to cover this breaking news story, a look back now at the life of 48-year-old legendary singer icon whitney houston. ♪ the greatest love of all >> from the moment whitney houston first broke into song, she was obviously bound for greatness. she first performed at age five. solo at age 11 in a local church choir. young whitney grew up steeped in music. her beauty and voice propelled the young gospel girl into the professional spot light. sang in 1980 and began modeling the same year gracing covers. her premier album spun three number one singles saving all my love for you, how will i know and the greatest love of all. the album sold over 13 million copies. shattering debut album records worldwide. more record setting was to come with houston's

as well as our folks who were there at the beverly hilton tonight.efore we go to piers, i want to go to drew pinsky helping us as well. dr. drew, we want to pay tribute to whitney and remember the good things about her and the extraordinary voice and talent that she did possess. we would be remiss if we didn't talk about the possibilities, just the possibilities of what might have happened and some of the issues that whitney dealt with in her life. doctor drew? we lost dr. drew. piers morgan is standing by. i thought it was interesting when you spoke with simon cowell and i got to jump in and he mentioned the same thing that we should be honoring whitney houston. go ahead. >> i think there is a fine line when these tragic events happen. when you have somebody who had such a well-documented history of problems and terrible issues to do with substance abuse and brutal marriage and so on, there is a temptation to dwello that. this is the night that a remarkable talent has been taken from us and it is important to focus on that talent and her as a human

as well as our folks who were there at the beverly hilton tonight.efore we go to piers, i want to go to drew pinsky helping us as well. dr. drew, we want to pay tribute to whitney and remember the good things about her and the extraordinary voice and talent that she did possess. we would be remiss if we didn't talk about the possibilities, just the possibilities of what might have happened and some of the issues that whitney dealt with in her life. doctor drew? we lost dr. drew. piers morgan is standing by. i thought it was interesting when you spoke with simon cowell and i got to jump in and he mentioned the same thing that we should be honoring whitney houston. go ahead. >> i think there is a fine line when these tragic events happen. when you have somebody who had such a well-documented history of problems and terrible issues to do with substance abuse and brutal marriage and so on, there is a temptation to dwello that. this is the night that a remarkable talent has been taken from us and it is important to focus on that talent and her as a human

he's at this party at the beverly hilton. it's a tragic situation where whitney houston was found dead at the hotel. she was staying there specifically for the purpose of attending the party tonight. it's a party she always looks forward to every year. clive was telling me off camera last night it's a thing she really enjoys and he was hoping she may get to perform. it's such a devastating thing to have happened. all these great stars and the others, they're just reeling from the shock of what's happened. but they're right to go ahead with this. all the guests we've had tonight are hitting the right tone here. whatever has gone wrong with whitney houston's life, and it's been very well documented that she had many difficult issues. the reality is that she was one of the greatest singers of all time. she produced some of the greatest records of all time. and i think it's appropriate tonight to remember the incredible music, the incredible body of work and the tributes from people like lionel richie himself, one of the great st

>> i live five blocks from the beverly hilton. davis event is always the event to go to before the grammies and it was at the hilton or would have been at the hilton. i assume it is still going on tonight. and whitney was planning to have been there for the event. a lot of stars will stay at the hilton. it is a hotel where they have events almost weekly. you will go there for all sorts of different fundraisers and events and the hilton does a good job with having a location where a lot of the stars can go and kind of get away from the press, if you will. for those who haven't been to beverly hills it is on the corner where wilshire and santa monica cross. kind of the cross roads of beverly hills for a lot of people here in los angeles. when you talk about what is happening here, we do know that there have been reports that she had a great, you know, things seemed to be going great for her. also reports where things may have been having some issues. you mentioned at least the last guest mentione mentioned aboutd on her leg and it wa

we are getting reports there were calls made to the beverly hilton, she was staying at the beverly hiltonhis is week and a party her mentor, the man who discovered her, clive davis has having tonight. she was going to be at that party and tribute to him. unfortunately, she never made it. police were summoned to the hotel, the beverly hilton, her body was removed. no obvious drug use according to police, and no obvious foul play. they are continuing their investigation at this time. let's go back now to reverend joe watkins, again this story, reverend watkins, you just can't help but thinking we're sitting here talking about her voice and how it was just straight from heaven, and yet she really didn't get these accolades in recent years. it's tragic, isn't it? >> it is tragic, because i just remember how she touched so many millions of lives, and she was so popular, not only in the united states but all around the world. traveling to the netherlands te and to france and great britain and see the response of audiences all around the world as well as in the united states, and it was just som

same place pretty much, at the staples center, at the beverly hilton, and the same places where they have the memorials for the stars, and it's like, are we going to have to do this. there are pictures, live pictures of the staples center in los angeles, and the nokia theater right near there, where the grammys are going to be held and the grammy preparty they had tonight at the beverly hilton hotel, hosted by clive davis. we heard from tony bennett. we saw some video from him earlier, his statement on camera, and behind him, i saw gladys knight, who was next in line to be interviewed and talk about whitney houston as well. another diva, another star, and i'm sure her hard is breaking as well. >> you really said it best, don, it's so fresh because of what you mentioned. it seems like this just happened, and it really did with don cornelius, another big legend in the musicist industry passing, and people are still

have casey stegal outside of the beverly hilton .ve davis, media mogul is gathering in the annual pregamy festivities. we had on someone who goes, the former celebrity stylist who goes to the party every year and said no doubt this will be most attended in the history of clive davis giving it. what is it looking like out there? >> harrison, there was talk earlier of cancelling this event altogether when this tragic news came down, and then we understand that clive davis himself said it was not going to be cancelled because whitney would not have wanted that and that is why all of the celebritis and the number of people that we have seen continued to show up here within the last hour or half. gladys knight, another ledge yend britany spears one of the newer entertainers to join the scene and tony bennett and the list goes on and on and the red carpet is abuzz as everyone is talking about this. i have a tweet from one of our viewers saying that maybe it is not fair to describe it as a party-like atmosphere. i don't know that it is part

alan duke, our entertainment producer has said that she had been staying at the beverly hilton for the last several nights in beverly hills preparing for clive davis' party tonight ant that entertainer rayjay apparently found her dead. that's according to alan duke. let's go now to dr. drew from hln. dr. drew, it's amazing to have to report this. so young, just 48 years old and we have seen -- and we know over the course of the last at least ten years what whitney houston had been dealing with. but that said we've lost a great talent. >> yeah. as with every time i have to get on television and have this conversation, it's a reminder that people that are in the public eye are human beings and some of them have very serious conditions and they can be the brunt of jokes at times but the fact is these things are potentially deadly. now obviously i'm taking great liberty in assuming or even suggesting that her substantice history has something to do with what happened here. but if i'm a betting man, that's how it goes. a reminder that these are deadly conditions and celebrities are no diffe

and a lot of celebrities on the red carpet outside of the beverly hilton. that's not where the grammies will be held. and hearsals at the staple center called off and resumed a short time later. they have stopped for the night. we have live reporteros the west coast and a live reporter in south haven, mississippi. bobby brown, exhusband was due to perform with new edition and he may not take the stage. the band, the group issued a statement. i want to go on set from in touch mag with dorothy. can you bring us up to speed with new edition . >> they released to tmz giving condollences to the entire family. the website is shuffling stories. i did have it but i don't now. they say their heart goes out to bobby christina and whitney's entire family. they have been a part of bobby and whitney's life so long, this is a friend that they have lost as well. >> some surprises tonight. you were surprised that the concert would go on, i liked how you put it, sometimes people take comfort're courteous. and you never question how anyone grives. i never do. the musician is

her body was found at the beverly hilton hotel in los angeles.e to join jane velez-mitchell and michelle kerner. clive davis is hosting what was supposed to be a celebration, a pregrammy party, but it has turned into something of a wake. jane, tell me what's going on there. >> well, it's surreal and emotional. piers, behind me, there are fans singing a medley of whitney houston songs in tribute to her. this has just happened spontaneously. it's been happening throughout the night. meanwhile, the party you referred to, the clive davis pregrammy party. it's happening a stone's throw there. we hear music emanated from the beverly hilton, and michelle turner has returned from the red carpet, stars going into the party. it's surreal, it's odd that this party is happening. at the very hotel where whitney houston was found dead. >> right, and that's kind of the sentiment that was on the red carpet tonight. most of the celebrities i spoke with going to the party said this was very odd. it's a very solemn red carpet. all of the talk was about whitney hous

that's not the beverly hilton, that's at the nokia theater we're looking at.organ, feel free to jump in. smoky robinson joining us. i read your reaction earlier, your statement that you sent and truly the world has lost a treasure here. >> absolutely. i mean, no question about it. i am shocked. i mean, i've had so many of these shocks lately, it's just been incredible for me. just the other day we lost don cornelius, and now this is happening. it's just really -- i mean, i can't tell you how shocked i am about this. it's the last thing i expected to hear today, you know? >> the last time i talked to you with michael jackson, i asked you what would you sing? and you staid "never say goodbye" and i think that's appropriate. and "i will always love you" that's what we would all sing to her because she's an amazing talent. >> absolutely. she was like family to me. i've known her family and her forever. it's just -- i mean, it's rough. i know that she's going to be remembered well. i just hope that people think of the positive things about her and not too much is p

he's at this party at the beverly hilton.gic situation where whitney houston was found dead at the hotel. she was staying there specifically for the purpose of attending the party tonight. it's a party she always looks forward to every year. clive was telling me off camera last night it's a thing she really enjoys and he was hoping she may get to perform. it's such a devastating thing to have happened. all these great stars and the others, they're just reeling from the shock of what's happened. but they're right to go ahead with this. all the guests we've had tonight are hitting the right tone here. whatever has gone wrong with whitney houston's life, and it's been very well documented that she had many difficult issues. the reality is that she was one of the greatest singers of all time. she produced some of the greatest records of all time. and i think it's appropriate tonight to remember the incredible music, the incredible body of work and the tributes from people like lionel richie himself, one of the great stars himself

she died while a guest at the beverly hilton hotel. e beverly hills hilton in los angeles. what is the latest tonight? >> reporter: bruce, good evening to you. as you mentioned on the eve of one of the the biggest nights in music. whitney houston, a six-time grammy award winner herself is dead at the age of 48. we spoke to lieutenant with the beverly hills police department who said it was hotel staff who called 911 early this afternoon after being notified by someone in whitney's party that something was wrong. she was supposed to attend a pregrammy party. it was hosted by clive davis. the music producer that discovered houston. when paramedics arrived, it was the worst case scenario. she was declared dead at 3:55 p.m. the police department says that they have found no signs of any criminal intent in the actual hotel room, but as for specifically what was found and how she died, bruce, we don't know at this point. >> one of the things that is puzzling and there's a lot of puzzles surrounding this, what are the other guests saying? she

her body was found at the beverly hilton hotel in los angeles.jane velez-mitchell and michelle kerner. clive davis is hosting what was supposed to be a celebration, a pregrammy party, but it has turned into something of a wake. jane, tell me what's going on there. >> well, it's surreal and emotional. piers, behind me, there are fans singing a medley of whitney houston songs in tribute to her. this has tribute to her. this happened spontaneously and happening through the night. the party you refer to, the clyde davis pregrammy party is happening a stone's throw there. we hear music from the beverly hilton and michelle turner has just returned from the red carpet and the stars going into the party and it is surreal. it's odd that this party is happening at the very hotel where whitney houston was found dead. >> right and that's kind of the sentiment that was on the red carpet. most of the celebrities said this was very odd. it's a solemn red carpet. all of the talk was about whitney houston. no other talk, period. most people are having trouble dig

exactly what happened inside the iconic beverly hilton remains a mystery.ics raced to the fourth floor and found a lifeless whitney houston inside her hotel bathtub. they tried in vain to resuscitate her with cpr. >> at 3:55 p.m., this afternoon, whitney houston was pronounced dead at the beverly hilton hotel. >> the scene inside her room was chaotic. abc has learned that it appears that members of her entourage found her unresponsive body and called hotel security. but just about a half-hour earlier, her mother cissy spoke to her daughter and said nothing was out of the ordinary. houston's cousin dionne warwick also reportedly spoke to her over the phone earlier in the day and said everything seemed fine. houston was staying at the hotel to attend music industry executive clive davis' annual pre-grammy bash. it is the same event where she was introduced to the record industry nearly three decades ago. hours after the death, the part city still went on, but the screen was surreal. the beverly hills crime lab parked outside. paparazzi camped outside, waiting

we begin here with abc's cecilia vega outside the beverly hilton tonight. cecilia?reporter: good evening, david. the los angeles medical examiner's office is investigating whitney houston's death at this hour. an autopsy and toxicology tests are under way, this as questions continue to mount about what happened here at the beverly hilton. abc news has learned a variety of pill bottles were found inside houston's fourth floor room at the legendary hotel. separate reports say they were pills like sedatives, anti-anxiety drugs and sleeping aids. ♪ i decided long ago >> reporter: the once fresh faced, golden voiced music legend was reportedly found by her hairdresser in a bathtub, her face underwater. authorities have not confirmed these reports or offered details since announcing her death yesterday. >> at 3:55 p.m. this afternoon, whitney houston was pronounced dead at the beverly hilton hotel. >> reporter: and today at the same hotel where houston died one day earlier, the singer's 18-year-old daughter, bobbi kristina, rushed to the hospital for an anxiety attack. li

her body was found at the beverly hilton hotel in los angeles.e to join jane velez-mitchell and michelle kerner. clive davis is hosting what was supposed to be a celebration, a pregrammy party, but it has turned into something of a wake. jane, tell me what's going on there. >> well, it's surreal and emotional. piers, behind me, there are fans singing a medley of whitney houston songs in tribute to her. this has just happened spontaneously. it's been happening throughout the night. meanwhile, the party you referred to, the clive davis pregrammy party. it's happening a stone's throw there. we hear music emanated from the beverly hilton, and michelle turner has returned from the red carpet, stars going into the party. it's surreal, it's odd that this party is happening. at the very hotel where whitney houston was found dead. >> right, and that's kind of the sentiment that was on the red carpet tonight. most of the celebrities i spoke with going to the party said this was very odd. it's a very solemn red carpet. all of the talk was about whitney hous

this afternoon whitney houston was pronounced dead at the beverly hilton hotel. she has been positively identified by friends, family and co-workers that were with her at the hotel. and the next of kin have already been notified. there were no obvious signs of any criminal intent at this time, and it's currently being investigated by the beverly hills police detectives. that's all i have right now for a prepared state. >> was she a guest here at the hotel or was she here for the party? >> she was a guest here at the hotel. >> was she alone? >> she had an entourage with her. >> was she in the room? >> yes. >> was there any signs of drug use or drug overdose? >> it's still under investigation. our detectives are upstairs right now. >> hotel security was trying to recess tate her? >> they did initially begin ree resuscitation efforts but they were not successful. >> who made the call? >> somebody in her entourage. >> was she staying with rayjay? >> i do not know that. >> what happens at this point? >> it is currently under investigation. our detectives are going to

fifth >> with a he is and was pronounced dead at the beverly hilton hotel. >> there will never be another voice like that. >> she was incredible. >>grant: the 40 year-old superstar was pronounced dead at 3:55 p.m. at a hotel in beverly hills. when police got there she was unconscious and it tends to revive for were unsuccessful. as of right now there are no obvious signs of drug use or foul play. at the height of her career fact she was as good as it gets. it came on the eve of the grammys. producers are now making last-minute changes to our whitney houston. >> one of the greatest singers i have ever heard. it is terrible. >> she made us all feel so good erato we heard her sing. >> there will never be another voice like that. >>grant: earlier today kron4 spoke with the music director for 97.3 who talked about how whitney houston was the voice of a generation. >> her legacy cannot be overstated in terms of the barriers that she broke down. before the video for how will i know and then each one after that, there simply were not that many african- american artist besides my the jackson to be

is coming together what might be on the horizon there. >> one thing that we should point out beverly hiltonel is right there in beverly hills. a number of events are held there, it's very famous and again all of the biggest names in the music industry converge on this area for the grammy awards. again, the whole outline of the program wasn't very well-known. we don't know if whitney houston was slated to perform tomorrow or not but have to wonder what the show producers themselves in addition to dealing with the utter shock of this news, but you wonder what the show producers are doing at this point at this hour what they're sort of scrambling to do if they have to rearrange the show. i think that safe to say they're going to see a very different format of the grammys tomorrow night and virtually every singlary takes the podium and goes to the microphone will have something to say because as you alluded to, some of the more popular names now, christina aguilera a number of others say that it was in fact whitney houston that inspired them to get in to music. to make their own albums and what

she was found at the beverly hilton.s were called to the scene but were unable to resuscitate her. they were not able to determine the cause of death. houston was just 48 years old. she was scheduled to attend the annual clive davis pre-grammy party in the evening. it's one of the premier parties before the grammys. music's biggest night, davis, the mega producer who helped launch houston's very successful career. he asked for a moment of silence at the party and said he is personally devastated by the loss of someone so dear, so close to him for so many years. as you can imagine, ted, reaction from many in the music business has been pouring in. many expressing deep sorrow about the loss. for example, tony bennett. he said houston was the greatest singer he has ever heard. christina aguilera said houston's notes soar to places most singers dreamed of reaching. she will be missed. and eddie lavert from the ojays has said the loss has left a hole in our souls. the recording academy plans to pay tribute with jennifer hudso

times" was covering a pre-grammy press event at the beverly hilton when the singer raised eyebrows atl. >> one of the conversations i had with a grammy staffer was that security was getting calls from guests that she was doing handstands by the pool. i was like, oh, that's pretty bizarre. >> and then there was this. kennedy says houston smelled of cigarettes and alcohol when she burst in on her mentor clive davis. >> come say hi to your godfather. >> hi. >> come say hi to your goddad. >> i am like, oh, my god, you are a mess right now and you are embarrassing yourself. i'm embarrassed for you. >> the pop star appeared anything but disheveled or disoriented later that night. >> whitney houston attended a pre-grammy party at this hollywood nightclub. and as she walked the red carpet, witnesses say she had it together and was on her best behavior. adam ambrose is a publicist for "true hollywood". >> she walked along here, holding hands, in fact, with bobbi kristina, and they both looked radiant. when they arrived, they were looking fantastic. >> houston was even up for a little impromptu

grammy awards will honor whitney houston who was found dead yesterday afternoon in her room at beverly hiltonshe had been fighting addiction for years we still don't know what caused her death at age 48. cecilia vega reports the latest from beverly hills. >> exactly what happened inside the iconic beverly hilton remains a mystery. foe they found a lifeless whitney houston in bathtub. they tried in vain to resuscitate her with cpr. >> at 3:55 she was ploufd dead. >> the scene was chaotic. we have learned that number of entourage found her unresponsive body and called hotel security. half-hour earlier, the mother spoke to her daughter and nothing was out of the ordinary. the cousin dionne warwick and said everything seemed find after speaking to her earlier in the day. she was staying at the hotel to attend the annual pre-gram ri mi bash. it's the same event she was introduced to the record industry nearly three decades ago. the party still went on, but the scene was surreal. the beverly hills crime lab parked outside. paparazzi waited for the body to emerge. inside a star-studded line-up of sp

responded to the beverly hilton hotel. already on the scene were the fire department and hotel security. they found whitney houston there unresponsive. now cpr was attempted and, of course, it failed. police are conducting their investigation and they tell me that all of the beverly hills police department investigators were off site from the hotel as of early this morning. what they will not say is if that means that their physical investigation at the hotel has been completed. as you mentioned whitney houston's body was moved after midnight last night to the los angeles county morgue. a coroner's autopsy is pending. the coroner's office tells us that it could happen today, it could happen tomorrow. they don't schedule these things. it just depends on the number of cases they have coming in. once that autopsy is complete, they could have information to release as soon as tomorrow, or it could take several weeks depending on what is found. there are additional details being reported by celebrity news site tmz. let's go thr

her life came to an abrupt end here at beverly hilton.he was pronounced dead in her room on the 4th floor. >> we have no obvious signs. too fresh and currently being investigated. our detectives are upstairs right now. >> houston was scheduled to attend a pregrammy party. hosted by clive davis, the music director who discovered her. >> whitney first started singing in church, later doing backup vocals for artists like germaine jackson. ♪ [ music ] 1985 self-title debut album was a hit factory and sold millions. the song, saving all my love for you, got houston her first grammy for best female pop vocal. she went on to become one of the top artists. with more than 55 million records sold in the u.s. alone. houston gave a rousing rendition of the star spangled banner in 1991. her talent even expanded to the big screen. movies like the body guard, which featured her hit remake, i will always love you. but houston's professional successes were tempered by personal turmoil, like her marriage to bobby brown. the pair divorced in 2007 and share