Raffles Van Excel, the man who some have suspected of selling Whitney Houston's photo in the casket and susposedly wiping down the room the day Whitney died is presumably free and clear of any suspicions or removing cocaine. A few weeks ago, it was reported that van Excel told a Dutch newspaper that he did clean the room the Whitney died but didn't say what was removed.
Apparently TMZ is reporting that van Excel is not under any investigation for removing cocaine from the room as some cocaine was found in the room. Some reports had surfaced last week that cocaine was removed and van Excel was being tagreted by police. It is not the case. He will go to the Beverly Hills PD next week with a lawyer to clear up everything.
White, powdery remnants were recovered at the scene of Whitney's death. TMZ is reporting:
As for the quantity of cocaine that was found, official documents show one of the items police recovered was "white, powdery remnants." Sources tell us the powder was tested and it's cocaine.
We're told Beverly Hills detectives are NOT investigating rumors that someone removed cocaine from the room, because they're convinced it wasn't removed.
Sources directly involved in the investigation told TMZ early on … no illegal drugs were recovered from the room. We have circled back with these sources who now tell us they were unaware at the time that cocaine was present.
Cops are not investigating anyone who may have taken cocaine from the room because they are in possession of it and they are in the final stages of the investigation of Whitney's death.
As for her mother, she has done an interview exclusively with New York's My9 News which will air Monday. The New York Daily reports:
“She accomplished a whole lot in the short time that she had here,” the renowned gospel singer said in an exclusive interview with Brenda Blackmon for My9’s “The 10 O’Clock News airing Monday. She goes on to say, “She was a wonderful person.”
Of her daughter, she said, “She was very special to me.” She continued, “She was my only daughter, and a good one.”
“They think they know everything,” she said. “These people don’t know anything about her. The media doesn’t know what they are talking about.”
She also denied reports of Whitney being in debt. She said, “Whitney did not die broke. She’s not broke. She’s not anything … None of that crap.”
Room 434 of the Beverly Hilton Hotel, the room in which Whitney Houston passed away is no longer bookable. The room was taken out of circulation and the numbers were removed from the door. Reps for the hotel tell TMZ that the numbers were removed because the room is no longer available to book and there are no plans to allow the room to be booked by anyone in the future.
If you haven't heard, Whitney Houston's official cause of death was "accidental drowning" with contributing factors of cocaine and heart disease. Coroner Chief CraigHarvey did a press conference and said the cocaine in Whitney's system was "acute", meaning she used cocaine before her death. The toxicology report indicated she was a chronic user. Harvey said there was a 60% hardening of Whitney's arteries– a direct result using cocaine on a long-term basis.
He says Whitney had constriction of the arteries which led to a cardiac episode. Other drugs were found in her system: Marijuana, Benadryl, Flexeril, and Xanax. They were at normal expected levels and had no overwhelming contributing factors in her death.
TMZ reports that Cissy Houston was saddened by hearing the cause of her daughter's death and feels its like reliving her death all over again. Sources close to Cissy, who spoke with her, say she was shocked to learn that her daughter was using cocaine again and feels it may have been triggered by anxiety of her comeback. She doesn't feel she used during the filming of "Sparkle".
People are also coming forward telling the entertainment blog that an individual removed all traces of cocaine from the scene. The person who removed the cocaine was also the person who supplied her with the cocaine. Other items were removed including bedsheets. The Beverly Hills PD says the case is still open.
Update: The man who some have accused of taking the photo of Whitney Houston in her casket, Raffles van Excel, is telling Dutch newspaper, The Telegraph, that he did clean Whitney's room that she died in so that it wouldn't lead to any suspicion of illegal activity, but he didn't admit what was removed.
He told The Telegraph, "The room had to be emptied," He called himself "a highly respected entertainment consultant".
The coroner confirmed that there was cocaine in the singer's system which contributed to her demise.
Radaronline is reporting that singer Ray-J has agreed to get counseling to help him deal with the death of Whitney Houston. Whitney Houston, who was found deceased in the Beverly Hilton Hotel on February, 11, was Ray-J's on-again/off-again girlfriend. The pair never publicaly acknowledged the relationship. Since the singer's death, Ray-J has had a very difficult time coping with it. Ray-J is saying Whitney was the love of his life and he apparently can't come to terms with the loss.
Brandy, his sister, has been a shoulder for him to lean on during this time, but she can only help him so much. Ray is saying he doesn't know if he can ever listen to her music again, especially the song, "I Will Always Love You". Since he is having such a difficult time dealing, Brandy has asked him to seek counseling and he has agreed. He is surrounded by family. He doesn't refer to Whitney in the past tense and doesn't know what to do with this void in his life.
Whitney Houston's, 19-year-old daughter, Bobbi Kristina Brown, is already making adult decisions for herself. TMZ is reporting that she wants to change her name to Kristina Houston. She has reportedly been telling friends that she wants the name change because of its association with her father, Bobby Brown. She has been telling friends that she had been wanting to make the change since her parents split, but Whitney would not allow her to do so.
Now that her mother is gone she feels that now is the time to make the change. She has made this decision with a clear mind and there is no word when she will officially make the change.
Last night the contestants on American Idol paid tribute to two singing giants. The guys paid tribute to Stevie Wonder and the girls paid tribute to the late, great, Whitney Houston.
There were some amazing performances sang by the contestants, but one that stood out was Jessica Sanchez. She chose to sing "I Will Always Love You", which was Whitney's best selling song.
Many people, who audition for singing competitions, often want to sing and aspire to sound like Whitney Houston but that is the one song that if you can'tbelt out, they often say don't touch if you can't belt it out.
Well, Jessica sang an amazing rendition, wowed the audience, and made the judges giddy with joy! Jessica is the youngest talent on the show, age 16!
Essence Magazine pays tribute to Whitney Houston in their April 2012 edition. In the edition they talk about her rise to fame and how she influenced younger performers such as Mariah Carey and Alicia Keys. There are photos and messages from friends and family. This is one of many magazines who have paid homage to the late singer who passed on February 11, 2012.
Some other rumors and allegations surfaced such as her supposedly having a year long affair with Jermaine Jackson in 1984. Sources say she also dedicated the song 'Saving All My Love For You' to Jermaine.
Jermaine is said to have hinted at his feelings for her in his book, You Are Not Alone Michael: Through a Brother's Eyes. He wrote:
"As much as I wanted to lose myself in all these feelings, I told her to wait. Ultimately, we had to go our separate ways and it killed us both."
He is also to have said Michael warned him off having an affair and reminded him of Hazel and family.
