a distress call at the beverly hills hilton earlier today. ce 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

she died earlier this evening at the beverly hilton. was in los angeles for the grammys, and to pay tribute to her mentor, clive davis. she was supposed to attend an event tonight honoring clive davis at the beverly hilton. she was found dead earlier this evening in her row hotel room. they say there were no obvious signs of foul play or drug use. meanwhile, they are conducting an investigation. this is all very fresh. whitney houston dead at the age of 48. i want to be to gina kim in l.a. >> reporter: we are learning her body is still at the beverly hilton as we speak. as you can imagine, police detectives are swarming the hotel. it is also the scene of a huge gala event she was supposed to attend tonight with legendary r&b pop stars arriving at the hotel in tribute to clive davis. he is the one that puts on a pre-grammy party every year at the hotel, and whitney houston was supposed to be part of that. she was staying at her room on the fourth floor when she was discovered shortly after 3:00 this afternoon pacific time. time of death,

whitney houston 48 years old.so the beverly hilton hotel now ad crime scene. cause of death but you do have criminal investigators now with a search warrant as they try to determine the actual cause of death of whitney houston. and now that we are straight up midnight, on the east coast, 9:00 p.m. straight up on the west coast, that time has a americaning meaning. the great music be mow bull drive davis set to hold his annual pregram party at the same hotel where whitney houston pass the away a few hours ago. she was set to attend the party. now, celebrities showing up on the red carpet for that party. fox news correspondent casey stegall is live at the beverly hilton to catch us up. casey? >> reporter: the party is supposed to start right now as you just said and then a show is supposed to start in about 30 minutes time at 9:30 pacific which, of course, is 12:30 eastern. and we understand the party goes well into the night until about 2:00 a.m. local time and again we need to point out that we are using the term party loosely because that is what it is intende

a distress call at the beverly hills hilton earlier today. aying 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 the preacher's wife. she is remembered all over the world and missed and loved. captioned by closed captioning services, inc. - ♪ livin' in this crazy world ♪ ♪ so caught up in the confusion ♪ ♪ nothin' is makin' sense ♪ for me and you ♪ maybe we can find a way ♪ there's got to be solutions ♪ ♪ how to make a brighter day ♪ what do we do? ♪ we've got to give a little love ♪ ♪ have a little hope ♪ make this world a little better ♪ - ♪ make it a better world - ♪ try a little more ♪ harder than before

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, happened with michael jackson last year, and that's just generally how people mourn. they heart news, they go to the scene, everyone recalls their favorite memories, have candles, and generally start to pay their respects. >> it surprises me, you said the hotel fronttrance is still open. i would think that's a security risk. >> reporter: we have been asking why is the party still going on. i couldn

>> 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

this is the rear of the beverly hilton hotel. 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. th

>> we're waiting for another update by the beverly hills plr police department. nce, they were called at 3:23 this afternoon, that is pacific time. they responded within two minutes and paramedics began working on her feverishly. up until that time apparently bystanders had also been trying to revive her, and then emergency crews got to work, but despite their best efforts for half an hour, she was declared dead about 33 minutes later at 3:55 p.m. pacific time. now detectives are still on scene at the beverly hills hotel, that is where the grammy awards are taking place tomorrow and that is where clive davis, her mentor, the man she was supposed to be paying tribute to along with everyone else at the grammy awards tomorrow night was staying, that was where he was having a grammy party and that is where everything was happening and her room was apparently on the fourth floor. it's not clear how long she had already not been breathing by the time she was discovered this afternoon, but you were talking earlier about the nightclub that she was at allegedly last night,

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 f

this afternoon, the beverly hills police department received an emergency call from the beverly hilton hotel. >> police in los angeles were offering little clues as to what might have caused whitney houston's death. >> in the hotel on the fourth floor, they were attempting reseesation measures. there were no obvious signs of any criminal intent at this time. and it's being investigated by the beverly hills police detectives. >> like scores of entertainers and their interages, she was in l.a. for tomorrow night's grammy awards and all the glitter and red carpet treatment. >> saturday night, every radio station was paying tribute to the music diva who sold over 170 million albums and singles. >> whitney was everything. i mean, my condolences go out to her and her family. ♪ [ music ] >> whitney houston may have been the most awarded female act in history. two emmy awards, six grammy's. 30 billboard music awards. >> for me, i have been known to be involved with divas. whether it started with jim wallberg and aretha franklin and led to whitney. >> she's the only artist with seven consecutiv

that's at the beverly hilton where the party is being held on the fourth floor.e time police do not know the cause of death. houston's career soared in the 1980s and 90s and a marriage to bobby brown. much publicized struggle with drugs and alcohol made her image suffer. so many people rooted for her and we loved whitney and wanted her to come back and be the legend. she died as a legend. we hoped she would pull her life together. let's go back to the point where she was. one of the world's greatest singers, no doubt. that's what's going on now in california. that's not the beverly hilton. that's the nokia theater. piers morgan, jump in. i know you want to talk to him. smokey robinson joining us. smokey, i read your reaction and your statement. the world has lost a treasure here. >> absolutely. no question about it. i am shocked. i had so many of these shocks lately, it's been incredible. we lost don cornelius and now this is happening. i can't tell you how shocked i am about this. it's the last thing i expected to hear today. >> the last time i talked to you it

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 sta

that's at the beverly hilton where the party is being held on the fourth floor.e time police do not know the cause of death. houston's career soared in the 1980s and 90s and a marriage to bobby brown. much publicized struggle with drugs and alcohol made her image suffer. so many people rooted for her and we loved whitney and wanted her to come back and be the legend. she died as a legend. we hoped she would pull her life together. let's go back to the point where she was. one of the world's greatest singers, no doubt. that's what's going on now in california. that's not the beverly hilton. that's the nokia theater. piers morgan, jump in. i know you want to talk to him. smokey robinson joining us. smokey, i read your reaction and your statement. the world has lost a treasure here. >> absolutely. no question about it. i am shocked. i had so many of these shocks lately, it's been incredible. we lost don cornelius and now this is happening. i can't tell you how shocked i am about this. it's the last thing i expected to hear today. >> the last time i talked to you it

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 thro

i'm actually headed to the beverly hilton as we speak. and i know that the information that alan just had was that she was at the beverly hilton. i should be there in a matter of minutes. as soon as i get there and get any information, don, i will come back on the air and share this with you. but i am headed to the beverly hilton at this point. >> alan, you're still with me, right? >> i'm here. >> nischelle, we can hear the background from your phone. as you're on your way, can you just hang up and we'll call you back? when your phone is up, i can't hear as well. so alan, again, according to the person that you have been speaking to, rayjay is the one who found her at the beverly hilton? >> the person that i talked to i know is a close associate of rayjay. i've seen them together. i know them to be close friends. and he told me that rayjay is distraught and, quote, tripping right now about what has happened. he didn't give me any details other than what i told you, that they were together, you know. if you watch the tabloids on line, you'v

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

it has been odd. >> you were seeing footage of clyde davis arriving at the beverly hilton. ive davis, one of the great legends of the music business. he gave me a great interview and talking about whit me houston. how he has gone ahead. i imagine of all the places he wished to be, to be surrounded by people who love whitney houston and her music. the cream of the industry is down there tonight. i imagine he thinks that's the best place he could be. i am sure there will be a night of tributes and memories. an extraordinary occasion. >> it's not just the stars. i spoke with a woman who did the demo tracks and they do have a lesser known singer who do the song first and then the star comes in and listens and copies it. she did the demo tracks. for her, this person was a deity. she was devastated. it's the stars and the little people struggling to make it who look up to whitney as one who did make it from their ranks. >> one of the things you mentioned is we saw video of clide davis arriving. it was poignant because the image we usually see is with whitney houston on his arm. th

trace, thank you, from the beverly hills police department. ing at the top of our 2:00 hour about their reports after speaking with family members saying that they were told, reportedly, she died from prescription drugs. not alcohol and not drowning. the reports had been that they had found water in her lungs, and she was found in the bathtub. the police confirming that, but that she had died from the prescription drugs including xanax and some other medications that were believed to have been found in her hotel room. right now that's just a report, not confirmed by the beverly hills pd. listen, coming up right after this break, the catholic church has now rejected a white house compromise on contraception. what does this mean for the church and for catholic voters? a key voting bloc in 2012. we'll look at that in a few minutes. >> today we've reached a decision on how to move forward. under the rule women will still have access to free preventive care that includes contraceptive services, no matter where they work. [ male announcer ] imagine f

>> i'll just comment she was found in the bathtub that was put out by beverly hills p.d. bathtub and the paramedics did cpr on her. there was no visible signs of drama. and foul play is not suspected at this time. >> (inaudible) >> and i'm not going to comment. what-- and any prescription drugs or illegal drugs would be found in her system, so that's what we will be looking for, also. >> and you reported that-- (inaudible) >> i'm not going to comment on any of the meds or prescriptions that were be obtained. as i said, a security hold. and that's about it. no, no, we don't have dealing here at our facility. at this time we don't have -- there's no signs of foul play. >> and (inaudible). we're looking at all aspects of the case and hopefully maybe by weapons or thursday this next week, i can give you another update and there won't be anything else this evening or probably tomorrow or the next day. >> harris: let's rejoin now as we wrap up here on fox report, we're able to bring you the live news conference from the los angeles coroner's office and casey, if you can join me

houston's body was found yesterday in the beverly hilton hotel just hours before she was to attend a pregrammy party. she was 48 years old. poised to make a comeback after battling drugs for years. houston's body is in the los angeles county morgue waiting for an autopsy that is expected to be conducted some time today. the beverly hills police say they will release information on their vebts investigation as early as tomorrow. we have a team of correspondents following this developing story. casey wian is covering the police investigation and entertainment reporter kareen wynter is covering the reaction from the music industry and the mood at the grammys today and tonight and deb feyerick in new jersey getting reaction in whitney's hometown. careen, to you first, there's been a lot of discussion about a real change to the grammy awards tonight. the tone, the tenor will be a lot more subdued. >> a lot of presenters, a lot of nominees, anyone really, fred, hitting that stage, this night will not be about them. they're going to be focusing on the great whitney houston, probably making s

have casey stegal outside of the beverly hilton . e 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 party

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

it has been odd. >> you were seeing footage of clyde davis arriving at the beverly hilton. one of the great legends of the music business. he gave me a great interview and talking about whit me houston. how he has gone ahead. i imagine of all the places he wished to be, to be surrounded by people who love whitney houston and her music. the cream of the industry is down there tonight. i imagine he thinks that's the best place he could be. i am sure there will be a night of tributes and memories. an extraordinary occasion. >> it's not just the stars. i spoke with a woman who did the demo tracks and they do have a lesser known singer who do the song first and then the star comes in and listens and copies it. she did the demo tracks. for her, this person was a deity. she was devastated. it's the stars and the little people struggling to make it who look up to whitney as one who did make it from their ranks. >> one of the things you mentioned is we saw video of clide davis arriving. it was poignant because the image we usually see is with whitney houston on his arm. that picture

it has been odd. >> you were seeing footage of clyde davis arriving at the beverly hilton. ive davis, one of the great legends of the music business. he gave me a great interview and talking about whit me houston. how he has gone ahead. i imagine of all the places he wished to be, to be surrounded by people who love whitney houston and her music. the cream of the industry is down there tonight. i imagine he thinks that's the best place he could be. i am sure there will be a night of tributes and memories. an extraordinary occasion. >> it's not just the stars. i spoke with a woman who did the demo tracks and they do have a lesser known singer who do the song first and then the star comes in and listens and copies it. she did the demo tracks. for her, this person was a deity. she was devastated. it's the stars and the little people struggling to make it who look up to whitney as one who did make it from their ranks. >> one of the things you mentioned is we saw video of clide davis arriving. it was poignant because the image we usually see is with whitney houston on his arm. th

he's at this party at the beverly hilton. ic 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,

one of the world's greatest singers has died. whitney houston, found dead in a beverlyills hotel room at the age of 48. on this morning before the music world's biggest celebration, shock and sadness as the world reacts to this sudden loss. >>> so many questions this morning about ha caused her death. we have the latest on the investigation and her constant battles with her addictions. new details about her struggles over the last 48 hours. ♪ how will i know if he really loves me ♪ >>> and we honor her amazing talent. her incomparable voice, called a natural treasure. every song, unforgettable. that made her one of the best-selling artists, ever. this morning, we celebrate the life and the legacy of whitney houston. ♪ and i will always love you >>> the unmistakable voice of whitney houston. still so hard to believe. good morning, everyone, george and i are here with dan and bianna. they have been working throughout the night covering this story, the death of a music legend. >> that's right, whitney houston only 48 years old. we don't have a lot of details on what happen

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

other factors, such as drowning will be looked into as the beverly hills police department told reporters that houston's body was found submerged in a bathtub by one of her staff. >> reporter: a public memorial is expected to draw thousands of fans including the reverend ron christian. >> i think not just the city of newark but the state of new jersey but across the kun be try. >> reporter: sarah edwards, nbc news. >>> in washington the tug of war over the nation's finances continues. president obama rolling out his election year budget. while house republicans single a full reversal in their position on expiring payroll tax cuts. nbc's tracy pots joins us with more from washington. tracy, good morning. >> reporter: lynn, good morning. let's start with this budget. 3.8 trillion, it is the biggest that this country has ever seen with 1.5 trillion in new taxes primarily on the wealthy, oil companies and big banks. there's new spending in this budget. president obama calls it investments in our future, roads, college, energy, manufacturing, and there's well over a trillion dollar deficit for

in the fourth floor hotel room at the beverly hilton hotel. ey said no signs of foul play and no obvious signs to indicate a cause of death. >> obviously, the important thing to remember is that there is a lot of speculation out there because drugs, a big part of her life, but we don't know yet what caused her death. so it would be irresponsible to speculate any further on whether or not show you may have been intoxicated or drinking or whatnot in the hours or minutes leading up to her death in beverly hills. >> some worry, and we may have the photos ready to go, she was seen leaving a hollywood night club on thursday. >> right. >> and she's in los angeles for the grammy and set to perform at clive davis' pregrammy party. that is the man, the music mogul who founded her. she was set to perform at the beverly hilton hotel where she was found dead. >> right. >> and she was seen and photographed leaving a club on thursday. her condition didn't look good. >> yeah. >> she was sweaty and stumbling according to witnesses, she had scratches and small a

county coroner leaving the beverly hilton with the body of whitney houston.covered saturday in the late afternoon west coast time. nbc's kristen dahlgren is live with the latest. good morning, kristen. >> reporter: good morning, alex. houston's death came on the eve of music's biggest night the grammy. she was supposed to be here to attend clive davis' famous pre-grammy party last night. instead, this is where she died and where some of music's biggest names gathered last night to mourn. >> the stars arrived at the beverly hilton hours after pop legend whitney houston's death. >> we'll miss her. we'll miss the sound and her presence. >> we're very sad. >> as they comforted each other, police continue their investigation. >> approximately 3:43 p.m. this afternoon a 911 call was placed to the beverly hills police department by hotel security. it was a medical emergency call. >> firefighters in the hotel rushed to houston's room on the fourth floor and tried to resuscitate the 48-year-old. minute later, she was pronounced dead. around the world houston's death b