Tracing The Last Hours Before Whitney's Death

The last 48 hours of Whitney Houston's life reveal much about the star's decline - and may hold the key to how she died.

The singer was found under water and apparently unconscious when shewas discovered in the bath at her Beverly Hills Hotel room on Saturday afternoon, police have revealed.

A post-mortem examination has been carried out but investigators are waiting for the results of toxicology tests before they confirm the cause of death.

There are contrasting reports about Houston's condition and behaviour in her last two days.

Friends say she was relaxed and happy but others have described her as being erratic and argumentative and looking dishevelled.

On Thursday night, Houston had joined party-goers as guest of honour at an event for singer Kelly Price in a Hollywood nightclub.

She and Price performed Yes, Jesus Loves Me on stage. Houston's voice was described as 'raspy'.

As she left the club, witnesses said, she appeared moody, had cuts to her legs and arms and clashed with security guards trying to help her into the car.

On Friday, Houston took part in rehearsals for the pre-Grammy party being hosted by her mentor Clive Davies.

The party would eventually go ahead as she lay dead elsewhere in the same hotel.

Witnesses described the star as "looking good" during the day, very different from what they saw in the hotel bar later that evening.

There she was said to have been drinking heavily and talking loudly, to the annoyance of other guests in the bar.

During her last 48 hours, Houston spent time with her daughter Bobbi Kristina and her on-off boyfriend, the rapper Ray J.

Paparazzi photographers, who so often recorded dark moments of her decade of decline, chronicled the final chaotic days of her life.

On Saturday, it is known that Houston talked to family members on the telephone before returning to her hotel room to prepare for Davies' party.

She told staff she was going to have a bath. It was the last time she was seen alive.

Deputy coroner Ed Winter said it was less than an hour later that Houston was discovered unresponsive and attempts to revive her failed.

Investigators are reported to be examining the possibility that the alcohol she consumed mixed with prescription drugs found at the scene could have caused her death.

Winter said: "We do not know yet, and when we find out we will be in contact with the police."

He also confirmed that, with no sign of foul play, Houston's body would be released to her family for the funeral. He said: "The family is making arrangements."

Houston's final journey, back to her home in New Jersey, is certain to spark more emotional reaction from friends and fans.

They and we will have to wait to know the full story of what took her life.