惠特尼•休斯顿死因：意外溺亡

洛杉矶地方验尸官办公室本周四宣布，美国著名歌手惠特尼•休斯顿死亡原因为意外溺水，同时，吸食可卡因以及心脏病也是其死亡诱因。48岁的惠特尼于今年格莱美颁奖典礼前夜在洛杉矶比弗利山庄内的希尔顿酒店去世，她生前一直在与毒瘾斗争。惠特尼遗体的毒性测试显示，其体内还有大麻、抗抑郁药品、肌肉舒缓药物以及治疗过敏症的抗组胺药物。不过验尸官办公室表示，这些药物并不是构成惠特尼死亡的诱因，也没有任何惊吓或恶作剧的迹象。正式的尸检报告将于两周内公布。

Pop star Whitney Houston died of accidental drowning due to the effects of cocaine use and heart disease, a Los Angeles County coroner's spokesman said on Thursday.

The 48-year-old singer, who spent years battling addiction to drugs including cocaine, was found submerged in the bathtub of her Beverly Hills hotel room on February 12, the eve of the Grammy Awards.

An autopsy into Houston's death found that the cause of death was accidental drowning with atherosclerotic heart disease and cocaine use listed as contributing factors, Los Angeles County Coroner's spokesman Craig Harvey said.

Harvey said toxicology tests also turned up marijuana, an anti-anxiety medication, a muscle relaxant and an anti-histamine in Houston's system.

Those drugs were not found to have contributed to her death, and no trauma or foul play were suspected, the coroner's office said. A final report was expected to be made public within two weeks.

"We are saddened to learn of the toxicology results, although we are glad to now have closure," Patricia Houston, the pop superstar's manager and sister-in-law said in a statement on Thursday.

Houston soared to the top of the pop charts in the 1980s, best known for a string of hit songs including "I Will Always Love You." But her career declined as she battled personal issues that included drug addiction.

Patricia Houston told Oprah Winfrey in an interview this month that she had believed the pop star's worst days of drug abuse were behind her.

Members of the family told Winfrey that Houston was found face down and naked in the bathtub, and that attempts by her staff to revive her proved fruitless.

Houston was last in rehab in May 2011. But celebrity media reported that she was seen drinking heavily and behaving erratically in the three or four days before her death.

Sales and downloads of Houston's best-known songs, including "Saving All My Love for You" and "My Love is Your Love" soared around the world after her death.