Legendary pop singer Whitney Houston died at a Beverly Hills, California, hotel at age 48, officials said Saturday night.
The entertainer, whose incredible talent was discovered at an early age, was pronounced dead at 3:55 p.m. (6:55 p.m. ET) at the Beverly Hilton despite resuscitation efforts, a police spokesman said.
Beverly Hills Police Lt. Mark Rosen said there were “no obvious signs of criminal intent” and that the cause of her death is being investigated.
Houston’s bodyguard found her body, said Courtney Barnes, publicist for hip-hop artist Ray J, who was dating the pop diva.
Houston died on the eve of the 54th annual Grammy Awards in Los Angeles.
According to her official website, Houston sold more than 170 million albums, singles and videos over her career. But she also struggled with addiction problems over the years.
Houston was set to appear in this year’s “Sparkle,” a remake of the 1976 hit, which was loosely based on the story of The Supremes. It was her first movie role since 1996’s “The Preacher’s Wife.”
News of her death elicited a flood of reaction on social media, from fans and fellow celebrities alike.
Music producer Russell Simmons wrote he was “deeply saddened by the death of Whitney Houston,” while singer Gloria Estefan said she was “shocked we’ve lost the immensely talented” entertainer.
Another music legend, Quincy Jones, said he was “absolutely heartbroken” by the news. “She was a true original and a talent beyond compare,” he said.
In May 2011, Houston got help for her much-publicized struggle with drugs and alcohol, her representative said at the time.
In a 2009 interview with Oprah Winfrey, Houston recalled how her mother arrived one day at her doorstep at her daughter’s house with sheriff’s officers and a court order in a drug intervention. She talked about doing cocaine and smoking marijuana.
“(My mother) says, ‘I have a court (injunction) here,” Houston said. “Either you do it my way, or we’re just not going to do this at all. We are both going to go on TV, and you’re going to retire.'”
Houston had a high-profile and tumultuous marriage to Bobby Brown, a former “New Edition” star who has had multiple brushes with the law. The couple appeared together in the mid-2000s on the reality show
“Being Bobby Brown.”
She was the cousin of Dionne Warwick, another acclaimed performer.