BREAKING NEWS: Troubled U.S. music legend Whitney Houston is found dead in Beverly Hills hotel room after drugs battle, aged 48

Whitney Houston, who reigned as pop music's queen until her majestic voice and regal image were ravaged by drug use, died this afternoon. She was 48.

Publicist Kristen Foster said today that the singer had died, but the cause and the location of her death were unclear.

She died at the Beverly Hilton hotel. She was apparently found by her on-off boyfriend Ray J in her hotel room, though other reports dispute that account.

 

A spokesman for the local police department said that emergency services had been called to the hotel at 3.43 this afternoon, arriving minutes later.

Officials rushed to the room on the fourth floor where she was staying as a guest, where they found security staff and firemen attempting to revive her using CPR

Life-saving attempts proved unsuccessful after 20 minutes, and she was pronounced dead at 3.55pm.      Full Read