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Nancy Grace

Subpoenas Issued to Doctors, Pharmacies in Houston Death Investigation

Aired February 15, 2012 - 20:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


NANCY GRACE, HOST: Breaking news tonight. We are live, LA. American songbird superstar Whitney Houston dead. LA, Beverly Hilton, Houston allegedly found submerged under water, her lungs swimming. Was Houston spotted alive just one hour before her sudden death, amid reports hundreds partied away while Houston`s body just feet above them? In fact, reports that Beverly Hilton insisting her body not be transported until the partiers were gone. The singer`s former bodyguard disallowing Houston to take baths, only showers.

Bombshell tonight. Death certificate released. As predicted here Monday night, Houston`s death now an official investigation. At this hour, subpoenas issued, Whitney Houston`s doctors and pharmacists being questioned by investigators as her personal medical records seized.

Were bottles of Valium, Lorazepam and Xanax found near Houston`s body in her hotel room? And tonight, is former husband Bobby Brown, now divorced from Houston, the legal beneficiary on Houston`s will and life insurance policy? Is Brown set to inherit millions? And will Houston`s private funeral erupt at the attendance of Bobby Brown?

As we wait for toxicology results and a final COD -- cause of death -- amid claims of over-the-top behavior, wild spending, illicit drug use, what happened to beautiful songbird Whitney Houston?

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: New details. Investigators are issuing subpoenas for medical records.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Authorities are examining bottles of prescription pills.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Cause of death is deferred.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Found inside her hotel room the day she died.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: She looked like she was going to be at the top of her game once again.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Produced more number one singles in a row than even the Beatles.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And while we know prescription drugs were found in the hotel room where Whitney Houston died.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Extremely compelling for physicians to give (INAUDIBLE) end suffering.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: But where did they come from?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Subpoenaed number of doctors, a number of pharmacists.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It has a very dark side that will kill them.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It`s still so hard for us all to believe.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Whitney Houston was pronounced dead.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: She would be dead. If anyone had told me that I would not believe it.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It`s not right. (EXPLETIVE DELETED) It`s not right. (INAUDIBLE)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: By the time that reality show aired, Houston`s career was already in tatters.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Just what the heck happened?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Judge not for your (INAUDIBLE) but for your (INAUDIBLE)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No. No way.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: To be a superstar is incredible pressure.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I`d like to dedicate it to Whitney.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I will always love you.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The hotel (ph) will live on.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GRACE: Good evening. I`m Nancy Grace. I want to thank you for being with us. You just saw video of Whitney Houston talking to ABC`s Diane Sawyer. Bombshell tonight. Death certificate released. As predicted here Monday night, Houston`s death now an official investigation. At this hour, subpoenas issued, her doctors, her pharmacists being questioned by investigators and her personal medical records now being seized.

We are taking your calls here live in LA. First of all, to CNN anchor Don Lemon. Don, what have you learned about, first of all, the hours, the days leading up to her death?

DON LEMON, CNN ANCHOR: I learned that this may be the reason why I`m holding this death certificate, is that if Whitney Houston was consuming prescription drugs that were found in her room, the behavior that she exhibited, according to a very credible source, around the pool was disturbing.

They`re saying days before her death, Nancy, that she was seen consuming large quantities of alcohol. She was overheard complaining that hotel staff was watering down her drinks and that they were putting too much ice in her drinks. She was seen doing somersaults around the pool. She looked disheveled. She was jumping in the pool. And they said that she was -- the guests became concerned about her behavior.

So again, according to this source...

GRACE: Don! Don Lemon!

LEMON: ... Whitney Houston was doing...

GRACE: We`re showing shots right now...

LEMON: ... this in the hours before her death.

GRACE: ... of what -- of what you were talking about. Liz, put that up for Don, please, the shots of Whitney Houston at the pool. What were you saying about watering down her drinks, Don?

LEMON: Watering down her drinks. I want to quote it, Nancy, because, again, this is important. You don`t want to sugarcoat it. This is a reality. And it also conflicts with what some were saying. They were saying that she was consuming considerable quantities of alcohol and that guests overheard her saying -- complaining that her drinks were being watered down and that they were putting too much ice in her drinks.

And they said that she looked disheveled. Sometimes she was by herself. Sometimes she was with an entourage. And also, Nancy, they said she was doing this before 10:00 in the morning, sometimes as early as 9:00, 9:30 in the morning that she was ordering alcohol at the bar.

GRACE: Don Lemon, CNN anchor, joining us here in LA. We are live near the death scene. Don Lemon, you mentioned bottles of prescription drugs being found in Whitney Houston`s hotel room. What drugs specifically? Are you talking about those three benzos?

LEMON: Here`s the thing. I don`t know. The coroner won`t confirm to me the types of drugs that were found. They will just say that drugs, prescription drugs, were found, and also the information that you reported at the beginning of your newscast. That was the beginning of this broadcast.

That was my information, as well, from the coroner saying -- talking about the investigation and that they`re going from coast to coast, from here on the West Coast to the East Coast, looking for doctors and pharmacists to try to figure out who exactly prescribed the drugs to her.

GRACE: To Ellie Jostad, our chief editorial producer. Weigh in, Ellie. It`s my understanding Valium, Xanax -- what else? -- were allegedly found there. And were they found in her hotel room near her body?

ELLIE JOSTAD, NANCY GRACE PRODUCER: Right, Nancy. As Don explained, we cannot confirm this, but Radaronline has reported that Valium, Xanax and Lorazepam, which are all benzodiazepine drugs -- those were found in the hotel room.

Also, Nancy, CNN spoke to a close friend of Whitney Houston`s who said she had been taking Xanax and she was also taking some sort of antibiotic for a throat medication.

GRACE: To Dr. Marty Makary, physician and professor of public health, Johns Hopkins. Dr. Marty, thank you for being with us. Is it true that the combination of heavy drinking plus the use of benzos, or commonly known as the "pams," benzodiazepines, can result in organ failure?

DR. MARTY MAKARY, PHYSICIAN, JOHNS HOPKINS: That`s right. You know, it`s a very dangerous combination. It`s a combination that in medical school is taught to be one that is so dangerous, you do not prescribe benzodiazepines, you do not prescribe these sleep medicines, these so- called lifestyle medicines for people with any history of substance abuse, particularly...

GRACE: Wait. What`s that?

MAKARY: ... alcohol...

GRACE: What`s a lifestyle medicine? What is a lifestyle medicine?

MAKARY: Well, the vast -- these are some of the most commonly overused medicines in America. They are mostly used for sleep. So rather than deal with the stress in one`s life, many times people will resort to a benzo. And in combination with some social drinking, can be very dangerous.

GRACE: I don`t understand. Back to my original question. Is it true benzos plus alcohol can cause organ failure? And why? In a nutshell.

MAKARY: Well, the main problem is that they stop your breathing. They can cause a build-up in the liver and liver failure, but the main problem is your breathing can stop.

GRACE: OK. Back to you, Dr. Marty. Cause of death -- you know, if you`re on the outside looking in, it`s got to be three things. An order to have an autopsy is when the manner or the cause of death is in question. You don`t know why the person died.

For a 48-year-old woman, it`s very rare to be found, allegedly, submerged in water in your own bathtub, dead. So the theories are these. Number one, drug and alcohol use resulted in a heart attack, and she didn`t realize she was going under. She was probably already dead.

Number two, an OD on, as you were calling it, lifestyle drugs. And number three, that somehow, the use of these drugs resulted in some other organ failure and/or accidental death, natural cause. Weigh in, Dr. Marty.

MAKARY: That`s exactly right. You know, you can lose that gag reflex that normally makes you gasp for air. You`re at risk for drowning if you`re in a bathtub if that gag reflex is lost. Benzos can do that. Alcohol can do that. Alcohol makes people vomit. These are all possibilities.

GRACE: To Alexis Tereszcuk, senior reporter, Radaronline.com. The death certificate is released. What did we learn, Alexis?

ALEXIS TERESZCUK, RADARONLINE.COM: We learned things that we already knew. We knew her date of birth. We learned the day that she died. It says that she listed her career, her profession as entertainer for 33 years, so since she was 15 years old.

The one thing we didn`t learn, unfortunately, is the cause of death. It says "deferred." We`ve spoken with quite a few sources who have said that, as you`ve been reporting, there were multiple prescription drugs found in the room, that she had been mixing it with alcohol. But the coroner wants to do toxicology reports, and those are going to take a few weeks to come back. So right now, all we know is that Whitney Houston is no longer with us.

GRACE: You know, Alexis, ever since I put it out there that an investigation was taking place, I caught a lot of heat for that. But the reality is, is that I, like the rest of America, cared about Whitney Houston and I want to know the truth.

It is very uncommon for a woman her age to be found submerged in her own bathtub, dead, with water in her lungs. Typically, the human reaction to going under water and breathing in water is to cough. You would wake up, if you could wake up, and get out of the water. She could not.

And for those that are unfamiliar with medical examiners` workings, coroners, autopsies, when an autopsy is ordered, and the investigation that then results, it may seem odd, but it`s not odd. The police want answers. The coroner wants answers. And as predicted here Monday night, this investigation has come to fruition, Alexis.

TERESZCUK: You`re absolutely right. The investigation has started. The coroner has issued -- they`ve issued subpoenas. They want her doctors` records. They want all of her medical records. They want prescription records. And they even want records from the pharmacies. There`s a local pharmacy in Beverly Hills, the Mickey Fine (ph) pharmacy. They gave Whitney some of these drugs.

This is the exact same one that Michael Jackson got his drugs from.

GRACE: You know, and very quickly, regarding all of the subpoenas that have issued -- to Don Lemon, CNN anchor. The subpoenas have issued to Whitney`s doctors and pharmacies, and for her personal medical records. Why?

LEMON: Because they want to know exactly what she took, how many she took. They want to know if she was doctor shopping. They want to know if she was pharmacy shopping.

And according to the coroner, at least now, it doesn`t appear that she was doing any of that. They said everything appears to be aboveboard. But they`ve still got two coasts to go to. They`ve got from coast to coast. She is an entertainer on both coasts. They want to know from the east to the west, who was prescribing what to Whitney Houston.

GRACE: And to Susan Moss, attorney, New York. Why do subpoenas issue from the coroner`s office?

SUSAN MOSS, FAMILY LAW ATTORNEY: Because they want to know what these doctors prescribed! We are very tired of doctors saying, Oh, I just prescribed Xanax or I just prescribed mezalzapan (ph). But when you put all these together, they can be a dangerous and deadly cocktail!

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: She was not high. I saw her with a couple glasses of champagne, and then our interactions were normal.

WHITNEY HOUSTON, SINGER: Being a mother, period. You kind of stop living for yourself and you start living for your children.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: She reportedly spoke with her mother. Less than 30 minutes later, a member of Houston`s entourage found her unconscious and unresponsive inside the bathtub.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Whitney Houston`s medical records are being subpoenaed...

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Authorities are following the pills found in Houston`s hotel suite to the doctors and pharmacies that provided them.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: To see that she wasn`t prescription shopping or doctor shopping.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What killed her?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: She struggled with drugs and alcohol.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I hate to say this. She had started before she had met Bobby Brown.

HOUSTON: Bobby! Bobby!

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The couple put their rocky marriage on a reality show called "Being Bobby Brown."

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I love you, missy (ph).

HOUSTON: I want to see the receipts from the drug dealer that I bought $730,000 worth of drugs from.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Brown explained to the insider why their marriage had been so volatile.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: How often would you and Whitney use together?

BOBBY BROWN, HOUSTON`S EX-HUSBAND: I used an awful lot.

HOUSTON: My mother used to always tell me, Above all, to thine own self be true. You can fool people, but you can`t fool yourself.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GRACE: We are live here in LA, bringing you the latest in what is now clearly the investigation into the death of Whitney Houston predicted here Monday night. Today we learn subpoenas issued, doctors, pharmacists that treated Whitney Houston now being questioned, while her personal medical records being subpoenaed, being seized.

With me right now and taking your calls, a special guest. Pastor Shirley Caesar in a primetime exclusive, multi-Grammy-winning gospel singer, the first lady of gospel, Whitney Houston her goddaughter. Pastor, thank you for being with us.

PASTOR SHIRLEY CAESAR, FRIEND OF WHITNEY HOUSTON (via telephone): And thank you so much for having me.

GRACE: First of all, our condolences not only to her family and friends, but most importantly, to her daughter, Bobbi Kristina.

CAESAR: Yes. Yes.

GRACE: It`s -- it`s a long row to hoe, life without your mother. How is Bobbi Kristina tonight, do you know?

CAESAR: No, I don`t. But I will tell you this. I know how it feels to lose a mother. And I lost my father when I was, like, 6 or 7 years old. So I know exactly how it would feel to lose a mom or a dad. And my heart certainly goes out to little Bobbi and to Cissy, to the whole family.

GRACE: Pastor Caesar, I know that you actually counseled with Bobby and Whitney about their issues, about their addictions. What did you tell them?

CAESAR: Well, to tell you the truth, I really did not major on her addiction. I majored on her just totally committing her life to the Lord. You know, they knew, Bobby, and of course, Whitney -- you know, they knew that they had a struggle in their flesh dealing with drugs. And I wasn`t going to beat them up with that because I have family members that`s going through that.

And every time I would fuss at them and try to get them to live, you know, it didn`t do any good. So I started showing love. And that`s exactly what I tried to do for her.

GRACE: Pastor Shirley Caesar, what do you mean you tried to make them live?

CAESAR: Say that again?

GRACE: You said you tried to make them live a different way. How did you want them to live?

CAESAR: I wanted her to just totally just commit her heart to the Lord. And my thing is that you`re going to only live in this body one time.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Music`s most awarded female artist of all time.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I want to hear you again. I want you to sing a song.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Whitney Houston.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Pronounced dead at the Beverly Hilton Hotel.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Struggling to make sense of the tragedy.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Ms. Houston`s body was pulled from the bathtub.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: She struggled with drugs.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And what medication she`s on is very crucial to this coroner`s investigation.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What actually killed Whitney Houston? Was it perhaps an overdose?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GRACE: We are live here in LA, bringing you the latest in what has now turned into a full-blown investigation by the coroner`s office into the death of singing superstar Whitney Houston.

Joining us, CNN anchor Don Lemon. Don, what of her personal medical records are being seized, do you know?

LEMON: All of them. They`re trying to find all of them. They`re trying to find every single doctor who treated her at any time. Here`s the reason, Nancy. The coroner told me, they said, You go to one doctor, you may go for a neck ache. He says, Hey, that has to do with your jaw. I`m going to send you to the dentist. That doctor refers you to another doctor, so you get one prescription from the doctor, you get another one at the dentist`s.

They want to know, again, if she was doctor shopping or who was prescribing what. So one thing leads to another for everyone, and when it comes to Whitney Houston in this case.

GRACE: Unleash the lawyers. Joining us tonight, Susan Moss, New York, Alan Ripka, New York, Holly Hughes, Atlanta. You know, this isn`t the first time that a full-blown investigation, sometimes criminal, has ensued following a drug-related death. And we`re waiting for those toxicology reports.

Michael Jackson, obviously, and Conrad Murray, a homicide investigation, Anna Nicole Smith, Heath Ledger. There is quite the list of celebrities -- Corey Haim, John Belushi, Chris Benoit. It goes all the way back to Elvis Presley and Marilyn Monroe, for Pet`s sake, and even into the Winona Ryder shoplifting case.

Isn`t it true, Ellie Jostad, that the doctor that prescribed her all the drugs she had on her at the time of the shoplifting was investigated?

JOSTAD: Yes, that`s right, Nancy. She was actually, according to probation report, getting drugs from 20 different doctors. Her doctor lost his license and pled guilty to four felonies.

GRACE: What about it, Holly Hughes?

HOLLY HUGHES, DEFENSE ATTORNEY: Well, Nancy, you know, the hippocratic oath says, First do no harm. So when these doctors are giving these prescriptions ad nauseam because it`s a celebrity, they need to be called on the carpet for it.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Whitney Houston --

ANDERSON COOPER, CNN ANCHOR: Unconscious and unresponsive inside the bathtub.

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Prescription drugs found in Whitney Houston`s hotel room.

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: The investigation into Whitney Houston`s death is reportedly taking a new turn.

DON LEMON, CNN ANCHOR: Subpoenas did go out to several doctors and several pharmacies.

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Houston`s doctors and pharmacies have been subpoenaed --

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Subpoenaed by police --

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Why didn`t we start evaluating and wondering who the doctors were.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And what medication she`s on is very crucial to this coroner`s investigation.

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: The exact cause of death --

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Remains a mystery.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

NANCY GRACE, HLN HOST: At this hour, the investigation has gone full steam ahead into the death of Whitney Houston as predicted here on Monday night.

I want to go straight out to special guests joining us. To Dorothy Cascerceri, standing by, senior editor, "In Touch Weekly," there at the church in Newark, New Jersey, where the funeral service by invitation only will proceed on Saturday. A lot is coming out regarding the possibility that Bobby Brown, the former husband of Whitney Houston, they`re now divorced, is still the beneficiary in the will and on life insurance policies.

It sounds like a powder keg set to explode if Bobby Brown comes to the funeral. On the other hand, the daughter, Bobby Kristina, may need him.

DOROTHY CASCERCERI, SENIOR EDITOR, IN TOUCH WEEKLY: Yes, Nancy. You`re absolutely right. He is Bobbi Kristina`s father. And the family and especially Bobbi Kristina has really experienced a loss. Bobby Brown himself paid tribute to Whitney on Saturday night at his New Edition concert.

And Bobby`s camp is denying any report that he has not been invited to the funeral. They`re saying that he`s going to be there, that he`s an important part of the family`s life, and Whitney`s life. And certainly, Bobbi Kristina`s life. So we`re going to have to wait and see what happens on Saturday. But it looks like he will be in attendance.

GRACE: Dorothy Cascerceri, senior editor, "In Touch Weekly." What is going on behind you right now?

CASCERCERI: Behind me, we just saw a group of people doing a circle of prayer. They were very, very quiet. They said some prayers and then they all clapped very loud and, you know, they`re really rejoicing in all of the gifts that Whitney shared with everyone and the beautiful music that she brought.

GRACE: Dorothy, what do you know about the service set for Saturday?

CASCERCERI: Saturday, there are 1500 seats available in the church right behind me. It`s going to be invitation only. There is a big VIP list of guests that are going to be attending. Whitney`s godmother, Aretha Franklin, has been asked to perform, and also, the family has asked Marvin Winans to officiate. He was the officiant (ph) actually at Whitney and Bobbi`s wedding. I`m sorry, they asked him to do the eulogy. He is a gospel singer and also a pastor so he`ll be doing the eulogy there.

GRACE: A lot of mixed emotions as Bobby Brown set to attend the funeral by invitation only, set for this Saturday there in Newark.

Unleash the lawyers, Sue Moss, Alan Ripka, Holly Hughes. And special guest joining us, Charles Baumer, probate and estate attorney, Los Angeles.

Susan, the reality is that it appears right now that Bobby Brown may still be listed as the beneficiary in the wills and the life insurance policies.

SUSAN MOSS, FAMILY LAW ATTORNEY & CHILD ADVOCATE: Well, those are two separate issues. One with regard to the life insurance policy. That is outside the purview of the estate. So if he is listed as the beneficiary of the insurance policy that money is going to go just directly from him from the insurance company. With regard to the will, that they may contest.

GRACE: What about it, Alan Ripka?

ALAN RIPKA, DEFENSE ATTORNEY: Well, I think at the end of the day here, she is going to leave whatever she wanted to leave to who anybody she wanted to leave it to. Her family or ex-husband. And her wishes should be kept.

GRACE: Well, Holly Hughes, doesn`t it make a difference if you`re going to leave everything to your husband and then you divorce? He`s already I guess remarried. I know he`s got a baby by another woman.

HOLLY HUGHES, DEFENSE ATTORNEY: Right. I would be really concern. She had an attorney during the divorce. Who in the world did not advise her to change all of that, Nancy? Change the policies. Leave it to your daughter, leave it to your mother. So that would have been really bad advice if those things still stand.

GRACE: To Charles Baumer, probate and estate attorney, L.A.

Charles, does the simple act of a divorce change the wording of a will?

CHARLES BAUMER, PROBATE AND ESTATE ATTORNEY: It should. Most divorces, at least here in California, provide that the former spouse is no longer able to inherit which would affect or act as the person in charge of the will, that is the executor. So it would certainly be effective as to what her divorce decree provided.

Further, in California anyway, when there is a divorce, generally the divorce attorney will have the person execute a new will. Changing the disposition we do it several times in conjunction with a divorce.

GRACE: I`m hoping that`s the case here, Charles Baumer. I`m not sure if that will is going to be probated in L.A. or Newark. There in New Jersey.

To Woody Tripp, former police commander. Woody, a lot has been made regarding the fact that there is an investigation going on regarding her death. And I`ve caught a lot of heat by suggesting there should be an investigation.

Woody, you have seen cases just like this. The reality is, you`ve got three choices. You`ve got accident, you`ve got natural causes, and you`ve got foul play. Now when you don`t know cause of death, you and I have been together at the morgue, at the medical examiner`s, on many occasions and homicide cases, you have an autopsy when you`re concerned. When you don`t know cause of death or when you`re concerned about foul play.

They immediately stated there was no trauma to the body. Translation, we looked for trauma to the body. We looked to see if she had been forced under water. And there were no signs on her body of that. Would you agree or disagree?

WOODY TRIPP, FORMER POLICE COMMANDER, POLYGRAPH EXPERT: I would certainly agree. When you look at victimology, and you look at her history, the historical aspect of this, as to her prior drug use I certainly agree with you, Nancy.

GRACE: The reality is that those that are not familiar with medical examiner investigations, or the criminal justice system, when we say there is an investigation ongoing, that`s actually SOP. Standard operating procedure. When a death is -- a cause of death is undetermined, people want answers. And in this case, at her age, for her to go under water. Her natural involuntary instinct should have been to start coughing and wake up.

What about it, Woody?

TRIPP: Absolutely. And I really think, Nancy, as we look at this, you know, we also look, part of the autopsy, was there water in the lungs? If so that means that she was breathing as she went under water which would indicate again that she was unconscious. The gag reflex had went away. She breathed the water in. Accidental drowning. It`s pretty simple.

GRACE: You know, you`re right. But you would also think with her just going under water and inhaling water, she would have woken up.

Woody, what is going on right now with these -- the investigative subpoenas being issued? The subpoenas duces tecum which are subpoenas for documents? What is happening right now, Woody. I mean, in all the homicide cases I ever prosecuted, I`m not saying this is going to be a homicide case. I don`t want everybody to get crazy.

But in every case I`ve ever prosecuted, the medical examiner or coroner does a large bulk of the investigation as we see happening here, Woody.

TRIPP: You`re right, Nancy. And I think that even if this is not criminal, it may lead into civil litigation. I mean you`re talking about trying to match up her medical history with the prescription drugs that she has, and if in fact they don`t correlate, then there`s obviously some doctor shopping going on. Some other things that -- and again as Holly Hughes brought out, do no harmful. And I think that`s been overruled by make more money.

GRACE: Well, another thing -- Dr. Charles Sophie is with us, addiction expert and author of "Side by Side." Don Lemon has reported and others that we don`t think doctor shopping was happening in the traditional sense. In other words, what I`m interpreting that to mean, that was her name on all those prescription bottles. But that doesn`t mean that various doctors maybe unwittingly were giving her basically the same kind of drugs, opiate and benzodiazepine.

DR. CHARLES SOPHY, ADDICTION EXPERT, AUTHOR OF "SIDE BY SIDE": Right. Absolutely. I mean it doesn`t mean who`s name is on that bottle, it means who`s picking it up and who`s getting it delivered to them. And that`s at the end of the day, but we need to understand, who wrote these prescriptions? Did they know who they were writing them for and what were they treating? Did they examine a patient before they wrote these prescriptions?

Please, we`ve got to get those answers.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HOUSTON: I`ve given a lot of my time to my love and my soul, to my music.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Questions and sorrow over the death of Whitney Houston.

COOPER: Authorities looking for any signs of illegal or prescription drugs in Houston`s body.

ED WINTER, L.A. COUNTY CORONER`S OFFICER: The case is still pending.

LEMON: The prescription drugs we know from the coroner were in the room.

COOPER: Houston had a well known struggle with drugs --

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GRACE: We are live here in L.A. and the investigation to the death of American songbird Whitney Houston.

Out to the lines. Linda, Oklahoma. What`s your question?

LINDA, CALLER FROM OKLAHOMA: Hi.

GRACE: Hi, love.

LINDA: I was wanting to know, why it is that they always blame the doctor on things like this. Because I went to many doctors when I was younger and got all that kind of stuff you`re talking about. And it almost killed me. But it`s the hardest thing I ever did was to get off of them. But -- and also, did Whitney, could she have had cirrhosis of the liver because her stomach was all puffed there in one of those pictures, two or three of them? Because that`s a sign of --

GRACE: Good question. Let`s go to Dr. Marty Makary.

Dr. Marty, just we have to wait for the rest of the autopsy report. But I don`t think that cirrhosis which is fairly, I think, slow acting, would have resulted in this type of a death.

DR. MARTY MAKARY, PHYSICIAN, PROF. OF PUBLIC HEALTH, JOHNS HOPKINS: No. Cirrhosis is a longstanding problem. It takes decades for it to work and it`s only in the very late stages of cirrhosis will somebody get that fluid that makes their stomach look big.

GRACE: To Dr. Janet Taylor, psychiatrist joining us. Dr. Taylor, her first question, Linda, Oklahoma, why are you blaming the doctors? And she said she took years to beat an addiction herself. Here`s the deal. Doctors should know better. All right? You can`t -- an addict really can`t help themselves. It`s really hard for them to do. I mean it has been done but the doctors are in the position to know better.

DR. JANET TAYLOR, PSYCHIATRIST: Well, there`s two issues. The benzodiazepines when effectively prescribed can help people who have panic disorder or anxiety disorder. And the responsibility is with the doctor to prescribe it and the patient take it responsibly. But there`s no question when a patient is an addict, you have to -- you cannot prescribe to them.

GRACE: Well, absolutely. Let`s go back through the list we just went through, Michael Jackson, Anna Nicole Smith, Heath Ledger, Corey Haim, John Belushi, Chris Benoit. It goes all the way back to Elvis Presley and Marilyn Monroe, for Pete`s sake. And then we threw in for good measure, Winona Ryder. She just had a shoplifting offense. Not that big of a deal in the big scheme of things, but the reality is, is her doctor came under suspicion because of all the drugs she had on her at the time of the shoplifting.

So it`s not uncommon for actual charges to result after a death like Whitney Houston, according to many court watchers.

Out to the lines. Karen in California. Hi, Karen. What`s your question?

KAREN, CALLER FROM CALIFORNIA: Hi, I have a comment and a question.

GRACE: OK.

KAREN: My brother is not -- he`s not a celebrity. He has been an addict for 21 years. We finally got him into rehab. I have a list of the different medications, doctors, prescription numbers, pharmacies. And I called the DEA in Los Angeles and they told me that anyone is allowed to go to any doctor they want and I guess they can get any medication from the doctor that the doctor, you know, feels fit to give them.

GRACE: Yes.

KAREN: I just want -- and --

GRACE: So what is your question, Karen?

KAREN: Well, my question is, why would the DEA not be able to help me and they have said that I had to call the medical board?

GRACE: To Dr. Charles Sophy, addiction expert, author of "Side by Side." There`s a fairly simple explanation, Dr. Sophy. Go ahead.

SOPHY: Because it`s the disciplinary action that would have to happen on that physician. It`s not about the DEA regulating drug use, it is the physician`s individual behavior by their medical board.

GRACE: And also, as we saw with Conrad Murray, it can finally erupt into a criminal investigation.

To Joe in Pennsylvania, hi, Joe, what`s your question?

JILL, CALLER FROM PENNSYLVANIA: Hi, Nancy. It`s Jill.

GRACE: Hi, Jill. Sorry about that.

JILL: It`s OK. Bombshell tonight, you are the bomb. You are a true advocate for the children, for the missing, and I just want you to know that. You are a voice for the voiceless.

GRACE: Thank you.

JILL: And I have a comment and a question. Also. She was making a big comeback. I don`t understand why they`re going to subpoena her medical records. She loved Bobby Brown, she got clean because they were toxic. She got clean, she was going to make a comeback. And maybe she was taking those pills for anxiety because she hasn`t been on the scene in so long. And which leads up to my question, maybe she could have OD`d but that leads to my question.

When she died in the tub, they found water in her lungs. OK? Wasn`t -- when this first broke out, didn`t they find her head above the water?

GRACE: To Alexis Tereszcuk, senior reporter, Radaronline.com. Weigh in, Alexis.

ALEXIS TERESZCUK, REPORTER, RADAROLINE.COM: There have been so many reports about. And Whitney was actually half in and half out of the tub. So she wasn`t completely submerged, you know, like taking a bath and lying down. It was like she`d almost fallen halfway into the tub.

It was a really not a typical scene that you would expect. It wasn`t as if she had just slipped under the water. It was more of that she had collapsed into the water.

GRACE: Don Lemon, CNN anchor, who`s been there at the coroner`s office. What else do you know, Don?

LEMON: Let -- can I -- we have to remember here, Nancy, I`ll tell you that we have to remember, this is a person who has a history of drug use, admittedly, admittedly. So you have to take that under consideration when answering that lady`s question. The coroner`s office, so we know, it is an investigation. They want to know what she consumed so they know how she died.

GRACE: Back to a special guest, Pastor Shirley Caesar who sang with Whitney Houston at the Grammys.

Pastor Caesar, thank you for being with us. It`s our understanding that at one point you were so concerned about Whitney Houston. You actually followed her and Bobby Brown backstage and started counseling them about addiction, about drugs, about living a different kind of life.

PASTOR SHIRLEY CAESAR, CALLED WHITNEY HOUSTON HER GODDAUGHTER: Ma`am, let me just say this before I speak on that. Everybody, including all of you all, you are facing some kind of problems, the only difference in you all and Whitney is that Whitney was a star. But you see, we are -- we are beating up on that because of the fact now she`s no longer with us. You`ve got to keep in mind there`s a young girl that`s motherless, keep in mind that there is a mother who`s sick and no daughter.

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(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Cissy, in particular, is taking this incredibly hard, and so is Bobbi Kristina.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GRACE: Let`s just make something clear. No one is beating up on Whitney Houston. I think that there`s not a single soul, including myself, on our panel tonight, that didn`t love her, that hasn`t danced to her songs before, that hasn`t gotten chills up their spines at her voice, that worried about her when she was married to Bobby Brown, was happy when she had Bobbi Kristina. A lot of people felt as if they knew her and took part in her struggles.

To Don Lemon, CNN anchor.

Don, what happens now?

LEMON: Well, they wait to get more information from the doctors and from the pharmacies, and they say at this point everyone is cooperating that they`ve reached out to, and as far as those toxicology results, they have expedited them, Nancy. Instead of six to eight weeks, they are hoping four to six weeks, and maybe sooner, to get the results.

GRACE: Don Lemon, thank you.

Let`s stop and remember, Army Corporal Steven Koch, 23, Milltown, New Jersey, killed Afghanistan. Bronze Star, Purple Heart, Army Commendation, Afghanistan Campaign Medal. Buried, Arlington. Determined, made others laugh. Family grieving the loss of his sister Lynn. Leaves behind parents William Jr. and Christine, brother William, widow Amy, daughter Zoe.

Steven Koch, American hero.

Thanks to our guests, but especially to you for being with us. And a special goodnight to Oregon friend Ashley. We met in Scottsdale, Arizona, at Childhelp Drive the Dream gala. Here we are with the founders, Sara O`Meara and founder Yvonne Fedderson and Kathie Lee Gifford. Ashley also shares a relationship with her father Tom.

And happy birthday to North Carolina friend Jean. Loves painting vintage windows, husband Keith, daughter Olivia, grandson Gareth.

Everyone, I`ll see you tomorrow night, 8:00 sharp Eastern. And until then, good night, friend.

END