(CNN) — As the music industry prepared to pay tribute to Whitney Houston at the Grammy Awards Sunday night, the world awaited answers about the last moments of the pop superstar’s life.
Houston, whose soaring voice and enormous talent were overshadowed in recent years by her battles with drug addiction, was found dead Saturday in a Beverly Hills, California, hotel, hours before she was to attend a pre-Grammy party hosted by the songstress’ longtime mentor, Clive Davis. She was 48.
Amid the outpouring of grief over Houston’s death, Beverly Hills police said Sunday that Houston’s 18-year-old daughter, Bobbi Kristina, was taken to Los Angeles’ Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, at about 11:15 a.m. Her condition was not thought to be life-threatening, authorities said. No further information was immediately available.
Bobbi Kristina Brown was born during Houston’s marriage to R&B singer Bobby Brown, which ended in divorce in 2007.
“I am deeply saddened at the passing of my ex-wife,” Brown said in a statement. “At this time, we ask for privacy, especially for my daughter, Bobbi Kristina. I appreciate all of the condolences that have been directed toward my family and I at this most difficult time.”
Questions persisted about the circumstances surrounding Houston’s death. Police and fire officials were called to her room at 3:43 p.m. Saturday after her bodyguard found her unconscious body.
Houston was found in the bathtub of the room, hotel employees and people close to Houston told entertainment news website TMZ. Pill bottles were found at the scene, TMZ reported, citing “informed sources.”
The bodyguard attempted CPR on Houston, sources close to her told TMZ.
There were “no obvious signs of criminal intent,” said Beverly Hills Police Lt. Mark Rosen. An autopsy could happen as early as Sunday, the Los Angeles coroner said.
CNN could not immediately confirm the TMZ reports Sunday.
Police were tight-lipped about the investigation Sunday, saying no updates would be forthcoming until Monday.
Officers were no longer at the Hilton hotel Sunday, said Beverly Hills watch commander Donald Chase, but would not say whether that meant the on-site investigation was complete.
The hotel in a statement on Sunday extended “profound sympathies” to Houston’s family and fans. “We are saddened by her passing and she will be missed by many,” it said, adding the hotel is cooperating with authorities.
Houston’s battles with drugs had long made headlines, but she was in the midst of a comeback, with a few shows scheduled and a movie in the works.
“I did really get the sense that she was really trying to make a comeback,” megachurch pastor T.D. Jakes, executive producer of Houston’s upcoming movie “Sparkle,” said Sunday.
“And I think that the reason that so many people are devastated is because it is not just her music, but it is her misery that attached itself to the hearts of Americans, and we watched her struggle to regain her footing after a tumultuous relationship and bouts with abuse and substance abuse.
“I think the believability of her human struggle made her song and her acting that much more powerful because we recognize that often it is the caged bird that sings,” Jakes said.
A music industry executive, who recalled hearing two loud booms from the room below hers — the room where, she later learned, Houston had died — said she had seen Houston and Bobbi Kristina swimming in the hotel pool days before.
The two looked happy, she recalled, and Houston seemed healthy and beautiful. However, it remained unknown whether the singer had won her battle with substance abuse for good.
Houston’s family said in a statement Sunday, “We are devastated by the loss of our beloved Whitney. This is an unimaginable tragedy and we will miss her terribly. We appreciate the outpouring of love and support from her fans and friends.”
Tya Conerly was among fans outside the hotel, laying roses and candles at its front and back entrances Saturday night.
“Everyone has their own demons, and some overcome them and some never do,” Conerly said.
Inside, the party went as planned, although Houston’s death cast a shadow over the festivities.
“I do have a heavy heart, and I am personally devastated,” Davis, who had known Houston for years, told his assembled guests. He asked for a moment of silence, and said, “We dedicate this evening to her.”
Houston had performed as late as Thursday night at a pre-Grammy event in the area, singing a raspy rendition of “Jesus Loves Me” with singer Kelly Price.
Entertainment journalist Kelley Carter told CNN sister network HLN that she was on the set of “Sparkle” in October, and Houston was “doing great.”
“This was a different Whitney,” Carter said. The movie was set to be released this summer.
Grammy organizers hastily retooled the ceremony to pay respect to Houston, with the help of singer Jennifer Hudson.
“It’s going to be something respectful,” said Ken Ehrlich, executive producer. “It’s not going to be a full-blown tribute. That’s too early and it’s too fresh at the moment.”
Meanwhile, Houston’s former husband was openly emotional at a Saturday night New Edition concert in Southaven, Mississippi, said attendee and CNN iReporter Moshiu Knox.
“Bobby was crying during his performance and at one point had to walk off stage,” he said.
Knox took a video of Brown at the concert, in which he could be heard saying, “I want you all to do me a favor, just say a prayer for my daughter. Say a prayer for my mother, and if you find the time, can you say a prayer for me, because I’m going to need it.”
“The crowd was emotional, and tears were flowing all over the arena,” Knox said.
Houston’s fans remembered her in her prime on Sunday, when she reigned as pop queen during the 1980s, selling some 170 million albums.
“Perhaps now Whitney can rest in everlasting life without the harsh judgment that she felt in this world,” said CNN iReporters Kimberly and Betty Kiel from Pearland, Texas.
And in the church where Houston grew up, the New Hope Baptist Church in Newark, New Jersey, members gathered to honor her.
As a young girl, Houston grew sang solos in the choir at the church. Her mother, gospel singer Cissy Houston, served as director of sacred music at the church for 54 years and is still a member there.
Whitney was born in Newark in 1963 and was soloing in the junior choir by age 11, according to the All Music Guide. “Whitney’s mother and cousins nurtured her passion for gospel music since birth,” according to Houston’s official website. Her cousins include singers Dee Dee Warwick and Dionne Warwick, and her godmother was Aretha Franklin.
The Rev. Jesse Jackson was among those attending the service in Newark.
“You can’t stop fate, and fate can’t stop faith,” he told reporters outside the church. “… You cannot explain the mysteries of death, but you can say that you look at the box score of life. Life is not judged by the home run hit in one inning, nor by the error in another inning, but the box score. When you look at the box score, Whitney is a winner. Her singing, her inspiring people around the world, it’s been a great source of joy and uplift. And so we grieve, and yet we rejoice even in our grieving.”
Jackson said he spoke to Cissy Houston on Saturday night and Sunday morning and was heading to her home after the service.
“They’re having to process this,” he said of Houston’s family. “This was not some long, debilitating sickness. This was sudden. And so when this happens, there’s no rational explanation, just you have to cling to your faith and hold on until the morning comes.”
CNN’s Denise Quan, Casey Wian, Jessica Thill, George Howell, Holly Yan, Poppy Harlow and Deb Feyerick contributed to this report.
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