Happy Birthday Marilyn Monroe! Today would mark the 86th birthday of the bombshell who made being blond iconic. Marilyn, born Norma Jean Baker, was a actress, model, and singer who could easily be called America's first major "sex symbol." Even though she had a larger than life persona, many described her as a shy, somewhat wounded soul, yearning to be accepted in a world that only looked at her for what she looked like. She passed away on August 5, 1962. Her death was deemed a "probable suicide", but murder and accidental overdose have never been ruled out. Many conspiracies exist about what may have happened to the great Marilyn! May she rest in peace.
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.”
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.
Whitney Houston's death has been declared as "accidental drowning" by the coroner. The coroner just released the report of her official cause of death and even though it is declared as an accidental drowning, the coroner report indicated that there was cocaine in her system and she had heart disease, both being contributing factors. Sources close to the situation says it is very possible Whitney had a heart attack which caused her to become unconscious and then drown.
TMZ reports that the heart attack may have been triggered by the hardening of the arteries as a result of cocaine use. There was no cocaine found in the hotel room. There is no foul play suspected even though family members have suggested.
The family has released a statement:
"The Houston family has released a statement which says, “We are saddened to learn of the toxicology results, although we are glad to now have closure.”
The coroner the did Whitney Houston's autopsy has yet to release the official cause of the death of Whitney Houston. There has been much speculation that Whitney may have died of a deadly mix of prescription pills and alcohol. Some reports were stating that her death would be ruled an "accident".
Now the L.A. Coroners Office is receiving calls and emails from people claiming to be Whitney's family and some claiming to be from Bobby Brown's family claiming that Whitney may have been murdered. TMZ says at least one person says they have information to support the murder theory.
The person claims that a family member may have been the cause of Whitney's demise, but had no proof to support the claim. The Coroner's office hasn't confirmed if the calls came officially from Whitney's family
The Coroner has previously said there were no signs of foul play. An official cause of death can't be determined until toxicology reports are returned.
Apparently a card Greeting Card Maker had a greeting card that poked fun of the late Whitney Houston. TMZ reports the card was being sold at TARGET and the card had been on sale before Whitney's death.
The card mocks the singers past alleged addiction problems. Due to the current situation, TARGET feels the cards are too insensitive for now and are in the process of removing the cards for sale.
Ms Cissy Houston has been going through so much. She lost her husband in 2003. She just lost her beloved daughter Whitney Houston at the age of 48. Now the 78-year-old she be dealing with Bobbi Kristina's rough patches she has endured and will have to endure with losing her mother.
Ms. Houston has declared "that she will not be burying her granddaughter." Sources close to the family are saying that she is calling the shots and she wants Bobbi Kristina to get better and she is fully committed to helping her. They tried with Whitney and even though she lost her life, they don't want the same path for her.
With all this going on, some very beautiful words she wrote in Whitney's program have surfaced. They were loving, touching and moving.
She talks about how when Whitney was born "the Spirit" revealed Whitney was not going to be with her long. Also revealed, on the day that Whitney died, before she found out, a doorbell kept ringing and no one was there and she summoned the doorman who said no one was there. She says it was Whitney coming to visit her. Read the full note from program:
Whitney Houston family has meticulously gotten everything out of Room 434, the room that Whitney died in at the Beverly Hilton Hotel. They removed bedsheets and bits of trash. They removed basically anything that someone could get there hands on and try to make some money. Everything was disposed of discreetly.
Meanwhile, the estate struck a deal to sell the video footage of the funeral. They family said they charged customized fees to some media outlets. They say it will help maximize the estate for the benefit of Bobbi Kristina.
Some of what Whitney wore in the Body Guard will be up for auction next month.
The items, which celebrity auctioneer Darren Julien obtained following the singer's Feb. 11 death, will be included in the Hollywood Legends auction, which will be held at Julien's Auctions in Beverly Hills on March 31 and April 1.
Also, among the Houston items that will go on the auction block: Several dresses, including a floor-length, black velvet dress owned by the singer and valued at $1,000-$2,000. The vest and faux-pearl earrings that Houston wore in her breakthrough film "The Bodyguard" are valued at $400-600 and $600-$800, respectively.
