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Nancy Grace
Houston Reportedly Planned Return to Rehab After Grammys
Aired February 16, 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. Songbird superstar Whitney Houston dead, Beverly Hilton, LA, Houston allegedly found submerged under water, her lungs swimming. Was Houston spotted alive just one hour before her death? Amid reports hundreds partied the night away, well aware Houston dead just a few feet above them, the singer`s former bodyguard admits disallowing her to take baths, only showers.
Death certificate released, and as predicted here, Houston`s death now an official investigation. Subpoenas issued as doctors and pharmacists alike interrogated by investigators, as Houston`s personal medical records seized. Multiple bottles prescription drugs found near Houston`s body in her hotel room.
Bombshell tonight. At this hour, Hilton hotel surveillance cameras seized as cops set to comb through security footage and footage of Houston when last spotted by cameras delivering a mystery note to singer Brandy. What does the note reveal?
And tonight, we confirm Houston out of the tub and on the floor when EMTs arrive, staffers desperately trying to revive the star. And in a stunning twist, reports Houston planned to go back to rehab immediately after the Grammys just 24 hours before her death.
Tonight, the money grab, ads already running with Houston`s New Jersey mansion on the market. But is there any money left? And is there truth to claims the songbird was flat broke? But if there is a pot of gold, is the ex-husband, R&B star Bobby Brown, set to wrestle the money away from Houston`s daughter, Bobbi Kristina?
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 MALE: Breaking news on Whitney Houston`s final days.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Whitney Houston`s final days.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Authorities interrogating doctors from Los Angeles to Atlanta.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Went to a Beverly Hills doctor four days before she died.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: A source is telling CNN that Whitney Houston was seen drinking on the morning that she died.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Whitney Houston may have spent her last days drinking heavily.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Whitney Houston poolside on Wednesday. There`s a drink by her side.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Now the superstar really died.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We don`t know what Houston died of.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Houston`s death certificate. It lists her cause of death as deferred.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The manner, pending investigation.
(CROSSTALK)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: My dad. I`ll see you later. I`m going up -- I`ll see you later. Mom? Mom? Come say hi. Come say to -- come say hi to your godfather. Come say hi to your dad-dad (ph).
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GRACE: Good evening. I`m Nancy Grace. I want to thank you for being with us.
Bombshell tonight. At this hour, Hilton hotel surveillance cameras said to be seized for cops to comb through security footage of Houston. When last spotted by cameras, also delivering a mystery note to singer Brandy. What does the note reveal? And what use does hotel security footage -- how does that aid the police?
We are taking your calls. Straight out to Susan Candiotti, standing by live, Newark, New Jersey, where Houston`s funeral is set to go down. Susan, what do you know about the hotel security footage? How is that going to aid the investigation?
SUSAN CANDIOTTI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, you and I know that the cameras are always rolling, oftentimes, in hotels. We`ve seen it time and again. So they`ll be looking for evidence of what sources tell us was erratic behavior by Whitney Houston, allegedly, in the days leading up to her death, that she was seen drinking as early as 10:00 o`clock in the morning on Wednesday and Thursday, sitting poolside, at the lobby bar.
People describe her doing somersaults around the hotel pool, going in and out of the pool, wearing mismatched clothing, and again, drinking on Saturday morning, the morning before she was later found dead in her hotel room, Nancy.
GRACE: You know, we have obtained some of that footage, Susan Candiotti. Let`s see that footage of when Whitney Houston -- one of the last times she`s caught on camera alive, going into an interview where singer Brandy was being interviewed, handing her a mystery note. And at this meeting, apparently, it is said that she is wearing a swimsuit underneath a cover-up. Let`s see that footage, Liz.
But what I don`t understand, Susan Candiotti, is if there are reports that she was at the pool arguing with the waiters that her drinks had been watered down, how can it be consistent with claims she had just been doing laps in the swimming pool? I mean, how can you do laps after you`ve been drinking poolside?
CANDIOTTI: Well, that`s why investigators have to sort all this out, don`t they, fact from fiction. And in fact, if she had been drinking, how was she able to do that? In fact, what the toxicology report will show -- I presume, wouldn`t you, right -- as to whether there`s still any alcohol in her system, whether there are any drugs, anti-anxiety drugs, Xanax, which she was supposed to have been taking, according to the coroner, and how that might have interacted with any alcohol.
Again, important to stress we don`t know what caused her death. Did she have some other underlying medical condition? Did she drown? Was there a heart attack, all these speculative possibilities. But certainly, that`s why these videos and why interviews with hotel employees and members of her entourage and friends and anyone that she came into contact with. That TV crew, for example, that was with shooting the interview with Brandy might be able to shed more light on this.
GRACE: Joining me live, Susan Candiotti, standing by Newark, New Jersey, where the funeral, invitation-only, is set to go down
This leads us to claims that Whitney Houston flat broke. But on the other hand, we now know that her record sales have spiked and that whoever the real beneficiary will be is sitting on millions of dollars.
Back to Susan Candiotti. Not only are we learning that police are seizing hotel security cameras, as well as going through footage of one of her last appearances on camera, the death certificate released, but it gives no cause of death, Susan Candiotti.
CANDIOTTI: That`s right. They`re saying "deferred" because said that they`ll still need a minimum of two to three weeks before they`re able to come to some resolution, put all the facts together, do all the analysis and then release it.
So yes, we get to see the death certificate, but no indication as to manner of death just yet.
GRACE: Joining me right now, Dr. Bill Lloyd, board-certified surgeon and pathologist. Dr. Lloyd, I`ve been to several autopsies and have been on many, many death scene investigations. But I got a question to you about death certificates.
If they had seen a heart attack or failure of one of her internal organs, wouldn`t that be stated on the death certificate, and we would only wait to find out if it was drug or alcohol-induced because they`re waiting for toxicology? Would that have been present on the death certificate?
DR. BILL LLOYD, SURGEON AND PATHOLOGIST: Not on the death certificate, but in the autopsy report, the physical findings. So if there was heart disease, she would have had a markedly enlarged heart. That could have been seen in the autopsy, and the findings would have been noted right there in that autopsy report.
Other organs, tissue reports, chemical analysis, and of course, the toxicology, takes time. So they`re deferring the cause death determination until all the data is back and they can bundle it for one comprehensive report.
GRACE: Well, Dr. Lloyd, what about not just heart damage, but what if she had suffered a heart attack? Wouldn`t that be on the death certificate as a cause of death?
LLOYD: Well, certainly, we all die from cardiopulmonary arrest, regardless of what the circumstances that led us to that. So there`s more to it. Is there a drowning issue? Is it pure accidental poisoning related to the medications and all the alcohol that she was taking? Or as you`re saying, is there an occult cause that we don`t know about?
And again, the specifics to that, for example, kidney problems or other organ problems, require laboratory analysis that takes days or weeks, resulting in deferring of the absolute cause of death.
GRACE: To Dorothy Cascerceri, senior editor, "In Touch Weekly." That`s such an ironic twist, Dorothy, because just 24 hours later, she was set to go to rehab, according to reports.
DOROTHY CASCERCERI, "IN TOUCH WEEKLY": You`re exactly right, Nancy. It is an ironic twist. And "In Touch" was reporting this week close family friends said that Whitney spoke with her mother the day that she died. She told her mother that she was thinking about going back to rehab, she just wanted to get the Grammys over with and enjoy herself. And her mother really took solace in that because she knew that Whitney for so many years has been struggling.
GRACE: Ellie, I want to hear what you have learned regarding claims - - the irony of it, just 24 hours before her death, which many believe to be drug and alcohol-related -- she was planning to go straight back to rehab. Not only that, what can you tell us about the footage that Susan Candiotti was describing earlier cops are planning do comb through?
ELLIE JOSTAD, NANCY GRACE PRODUCER: Right, Nancy. Well, as Dorothy explained, we did know that she had spoken to her mother, Cissy Houston, at some point during that day. And "In Touch" has it from their sources that she told her mother she was going to go back to rehab. We know she`d been several times in the past.
Also, that video you`re talking about -- this is an E! network interview with Clive Davis, Brandy and the singer Monica. Apparently, Whitney Houston came in towards the end of the interview, wanted to say hello to them, wanted to wish the two singers good luck.
There`s conflicting reports about her behavior. Some people say she crashed the interview. However, there are other sources that say, No, the interview was over, she just wanted to come in and say hello.
GRACE: You`re seeing that video there. I want to go to Alexis Tereszcuk, senior reporter, Radaronline.com. Alexis, what can you tell us about claims that Whitney Houston was actually out of the tub, on the floor, that her staffers had been desperately trying to revive her when EMTs got there?
ALEXIS TERESZCUK, RADARONLINE.COM: That`s exactly right. The reports are now that they had pulled her out of the bathtub. She was on the floor. It was her aunt and the bodyguard that found her in the room. So when they found her in the bathtub, they quickly pulled her out. They called 911 immediately.
And luckily, the fire department was already in the Beverly Hilton hotel. And the police showed up within minutes, seven minutes, and tried to -- they were trying to revive her themselves when the paramedics showed up. So they were taking actions to try to save Whitney`s life.
GRACE: And Dr. Lloyd, if someone has water in their lungs, do you turn them on their stomach to pump the water out, or on their back?
LLOYD: Best of all is lay them on their side. But the first thing is establish an airway. Even if there`s water in the lung, you want to open the airway and begin those chest compressions.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
WENDY WILLIAMS, "THE WENDY WILLIAMS SHOW": She`s my Jersey girl. She was a woman like me who`s part of the subculture of our society, the addict, Whitney and I, same age, and both plagued with the demon of substance abuse. It`s been almost 15 years since I smoked last from a crack pipe. And it was 15 years since I waited on Jerome Avenue in the Bronx for my drugs. Thank you.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GRACE: You are seeing a clip from Talk WW Productions. That`s "The Wendy Williams Show." You know, it takes a lot of guts to do what Williams did right there, to jeopardize her reputation, her standing on TV, the whole thing, and admit she smoked a crack pipe. And you see her breaking down. That was just part of the hell of what Whitney Houston allegedly lived through.
And in an ironic twist tonight, we learn Houston set, planning, ready to go back to rehab right after the Grammys just 24 hours before her death.
We are taking your calls. With me right now, in addition to Susan Candiotti, CNN correspondent, Don Lemon, CNN correspondent, is with her -- with us. He has been at the medical examiner`s from the very beginning of the story, finding the very latest.
Don, we are now hearing that Whitney Houston had been taken out of the bathtub, placed on the floor, staffers trying to resuscitate her. You know, that does affect the timeline. That does give us a glimpse into the possible cause of death. What do you know, Don?
DON LEMON, CNN ANCHOR: It does. And you said at the very beginning, this is an investigation. Right now, they`re saying it`s not criminal, but it does expand this investigation, Nancy, as you said from the very beginning here, because no one, according to this source who`s close to this death investigation -- no one officially saw her in that bathtub or in the bathroom.
By the time anyone official got there, she had been removed from the bathtub, if you believe their accounts -- and they do at this point -- and from the bathroom and placed on the floor of the room on her back, face up. They said she was soaking wet, and that`s when the officials -- that`s the way the officials saw her. So it expands this investigation and only adds more questions.
GRACE: And I`m wondering -- to Dr. Bill Lloyd -- what does it all mean? Could her life have been saved if she did have the water in her lungs? I recall after a diving incident, coming to, and I was getting water pumped out of me, and I was on my back. But you`re saying she should have been on her side?
LLOYD: Well, no. The first thing is restore the airway. And lying her on a hotel floor, a firm surface, and providing CPR is the smartest thing to do. It`s not essential to get the water out of the lungs. The body will take care of that.
There are many different clues regarding possible drowning here, including the specific gravity of her blood because blood becomes dilute in a real drowning. Anyone who`s submerged will bring water into their body. The question is, did they drown, or were they dead before they went under the water?
GRACE: Tonight new details emerging in the death of superstar Whitney Houston.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Her sudden death.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Ms. Houston`s body was pulled from the bathtub.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: In her Beverly Hills hotel room.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: First aid and CPR measures were performed in an attempt to revive her.
WHITNEY HOUSTON, SINGER: I want to hear you again. I want to you to sing a song.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: But they were unsuccessful.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And battled with drug problems, bouncing in and out of rehab.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Her publicist said Houston was seeking help for her addiction.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And Whitney Houston was seen drinking, drinking heavily.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GRACE: Straight out to CNN correspondent Don Lemon. Don, so many developments in the last hours. What more can you tell us, Don?
LEMON: Well, I can tell you that -- again, a source who is close to this death investigation -- they are confirming that there was Xanax found in the room, that she had a prescription for it. They`re not sure if she took it the day of, but they`re saying staff members, family members, people who know her confirming that she did have a prescription for it.
Also saying, Nancy -- and you see in the video of her in the days before her death, that she was walking around the hotel, her hair was wet, her clothes were dry. They`re saying that she was disheveled. And a source close to this investigation says that, yes, hotel staff members and also guests were concerned about her erratic behavior, seeing her out by the pool, doing somersaults and also jumping into the pool, and also being overheard exclaiming loudly, My drinks are being watered down, there`s too much ice being placed in my drinks.
GRACE: Well, Don Lemon, you know, she appeared in that interview with Brandy that we`re showing you right now, just after that, and now her camp is saying that she had a swimsuit on underneath that, that she had been swimming laps. And I find that inconsistent with someone who is drinking and complaining about ice in their drinks, watering it down. I mean, who can swim a lap, number one, much less after you`ve been drinking alcohol?
LEMON: According to the source, again, who is close to this death investigation, that Whitney Houston was rehearsing with members of her own team and she had a bathing suit on under her clothing. And then she would -- her hairdresser and her stylist would get her all done up, she would and do her thing, and then she would go down to the pool, take her clothes off, and get into her bathing suit, which was under her clothes, get back into the water. And then they`d have to do it all over again. And again according to the source, it happened several times.
GRACE: And Don Lemon, why are police combing through surveillance video from the hotel? What do they hope to learn?
LEMON: They`re not confirming that there is surveillance video, but they`re saying they are asking for it, and it will show her activities on the day and during the hours and days that she died.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Just exactly what might have killed her?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Hers was a voice instantly recognized by millions.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Whitney Houston is dead.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The pop star was found dead by her bodyguard in her Beverly Hills hotel room.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There was no visible signs of trauma.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Whitney Houston --
ANDERSON COOPER, CNN ANCHOR: Prescription pills found inside Whitney Houston`s Beverly Hills hotel room.
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Whitney Houston has died.
COOPER: Are now the focus of the investigation into her still unexplained death.
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: What killed her?
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: She struggled with drugs and alcohol.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: How often would you and Whitney use together?
WHITNEY HOUSTON, SINGER: Nobody makes me do anything I don`t want to do.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Friends and family are trying to sort of figure out how she left her estate.
HOUSTON: It`s my decision.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Was it in order? Had she changed a lot of those life insurance policies from, you know, her name and Bobby Brown`s name, to Bobbi Kristina`s name, and to her mother`s name.
BOBBY BROWN, SINGER: I used an awful lot.
HOUSTON: The biggest devil is me.
BROWN: I had just gotten married. Things wasn`t right.
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Cocaine is a powerful drug.
HOUSTON: Either my best friend or my worst enemy.
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: How often did you and Whitney use together?
BROWN: I used an awful lot.
HOUSTON: What were your drugs of choice during those times?
BROWN: Cocaine. Cocaine.
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: It was a powerful drug.
BROWN: I just think I was bored. You know? I had just gotten married, you know, things wasn`t right. Unfortunately I turned to alcohol and drugs.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GRACE: That was fresh from "The Insider." Joining me right now a special guest, Derrick Handspike, author of "Bobby Brown: The Truth, The Whole Truth, and Nothing But."
Mr. Handspike, thank you for being with us.
DERRICK HANDSPIKE, AUTHOR, "BOBBY BROWN: THE TRUTH, THE WHOLE TRUTH, NOTHING BUT," FRIEND OF BOBBY BROWN: How are you doing? Thank you.
GRACE: I`m good. Mr. Handspike, tell me this, Mr. Handspike, how is Brown doing right now?
HANDSPIKE: Actually, he`s holding up pretty good. He has to do so because of Bobbi Kris. Me and his nephew spoke with him briefly yesterday. And he only spoke briefly before he put her -- Bobbi Kristina on the phone with his nephew. And he`s pretty distraught. He`s taking it really hard. I mean he just lost his mother, and his father, now Whitney. I mean, he`s pretty hurt right now.
GRACE: Mr. Handspike, Bobby Brown has stated, well, in your book that you write, that he did not use cocaine until he meets Whitney Houston.
I -- sir, I find that very hard to believe.
HANDSPIKE: Is that right? Well, that`s what he said. So I mean, you know, it came out of his mouth. So that`s -- I mean, Whitney was her own person. You know, Whitney liked to party and have a good time, too. I mean, just as well as Bobby.
GRACE: How did Brown talk her into doing the reality show "Being Bobby Brown"?
HANDSPIKE: Oh, man, I don`t know. Whitney kind of just showed up on the sets and stuff. She -- it wasn`t like rehearsed or, you know, set up or --
GRACE: Or wasn`t it in their home?
HANDSPIKE: No, it was all over. It was pretty much all over Atlanta. And she would just show up on the set. And that`s pretty much how it went. It never was -- Whitney really wasn`t supposed to be a part of the show. She just kind of showed up.
GRACE: What were your thoughts when you heard the news of Whitney Houston`s death?
HANDSPIKE: Devastated. I couldn`t even believe it. And it`s still really just registering now, just sinking in. And I try not to watch too much TV, because, I mean, I was just totally devastated. It`s just unbelievable.
GRACE: You know I was thinking about what you just mentioned, that he didn`t use cocaine until he met Whitney Houston, which I find hard to believe, but in your book, you state Bobby Brown OD `d on heroin August 2001, and Whitney is the one that called 911 to save his life, is that true?
HANDSPIKE: Yes, yes. That`s what Bobby said happened. You know, that he said he was actually dead for a few minutes, and actually when the paramedics got there, they took the paddles and kind of brought him back.
GRACE: With me live in Newark, New Jersey, standing by on the scene, Susan Candiotti, a lot of developments just in the last 24 hours, regarding what was found on the scene, the way that Whitney Houston was actually found. That no officials saw her in the tub.
Susan Candiotti is joining us.
Susan, what do you make of it? And what`s going on where you are?
SUSAN CANDIOTTI, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, it`s truly, you know, a remarkable investigation. Everything we`ve been hearing over the past several days and now coming up on almost a week after this happened. You know, when we heard initially that there were efforts to revive her, the first thought was, now let`s see, did that happen in the bathroom, in the bathtub, was she brought out of the tub?
I think there was some early indication that she had been out of the tub. In any case, as you said, Nancy, you know, we still don`t know so many questions. What time did the -- was the hotel security notified? And after that, how long did it take the hotel to call 911?
These are all important factors that we still don`t know yet to try to find out more about how long it took help to get to her.
GRACE: With me, Susan Candiotti, there on the scene.
Unleash the lawyers. Joining us tonight, Bradford Cohen, defense attorney, Miami, Renee Rockwell, defense attorney, Atlanta. And a renowned probate and estate attorney Charles Baumer joining us from L.A.
Charles Baumer, we have been told that Bobby Brown is actually still the beneficiary of Whitney Houston`s, not only life insurance policies, but her will as well. Also let`s see the ad, Liz, and an extreme gaffe, a horrible decision. Renewed ads have emerged about the sale of Whitney Houston`s mansion in New Jersey, trying to capitalize on her death.
Shouldn`t all that be put on hold if everything goes to Bobbi Kristina, Mr. Baumer?
CHARLES BAUMER, PROBATE AND ESTATE ATTORNEY: Yes, possibly. We`d have to see, in addition to a will, if there is one, whether or not the divorce decree provided that he was to receive anything on her passing. It`s quite common that he could have received a million dollar life insurance policy. I have several cases like that.
But the bulk should go to Bobbi Kristina but we need to see what documents are out there. And regarding her mansion in New Jersey, I don`t know if there`s anyone, until someone gets appointed by a court, who can actually speak for the property and sign any documents authorizing the sale or anything else.
GRACE: To Bradford Cohen and Renee Rockwell -- first to you, Renee Rockwell, we know police now are set to comb through surveillance video there at the hotel. Trying to find out who is going in and out of Whitney Houston`s bedroom. What happened as best as they can tell from the footage, why?
RENEE ROCKWELL, DEFENSE ATTORNEY: Well, of course, Nancy, just because this is a death does not need to be a homicide investigation. But it seems when you have someone that`s so important and so famous that they`re going to want to make sure that nobody delivered drugs, that there were no extra prescription medications delivered.
I would imagine that after the toxicology comes back and the medical records are reviewed, that there`s going to be doctors that are questioned extensively on her medication that was prescribed to her.
GRACE: Bradford Cohen, agree, disagree?
BRADFORD COHEN, DEFENSE ATTORNEY: Absolutely agree. Whenever you have a high profile death such as this, they`re going to look at everything. They`re going to look especially at the doctors, especially what happened with Michael Jackson, what they prescribed, when they prescribed it and how they prescribed it.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HOUSTON: I`ve given a lot of my time and my love and my soul to my music.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Whitney Houston, everybody.
(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 OFFICE: The case is still pending.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The prescription drugs we know from the coroner were in the room.
COOPER: Houston had a well known struggle with drugs and alcohol.
DIANE SAWYER, ABC NEWS: Is it alcohol? Is it marijuana? Is it cocaine? Is it pills?
HOUSTON: It has been at times.
SAWYER: All?
HOUSTON: At times.
COOPER: Friends say she was taking medication for a throat infection and the drug Xanax for anxiety.
DR. DREW PINSKY, ADDICTION SPECIALIST: People with addiction do not put pills in their mouth without being in harm`s way.
DON LEMON, CNN ANCHOR: And we know that she was drinking Thursday night.
PINSKY: Seeing Whitney with a champagne in her hand should have been an alarm sounding.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GRACE: You saw Houston speaking to Diane Sawyer, ABC News.
We are taking your calls. Hi, Carla, what`s your question?
CARLA, CALLER: My question is, why are you not going after the people serving alcohol and alcohol makers? Alcohol kills more people than anything.
GRACE: Well, you know what, you`re right. But I suggest instead of asking me, you tell it to Congress and to your state legislature or assembly because they`re the ones that make the law.
To Brad Lamm, what about it, board registered interventionist, author of "How to Help Someone You Love?" What about it, Brad?
BRAD LAMM, CERTIFIED INTERVENTIONIST, AUTHOR OF "HOW TO HELP THE ONE YOU LOVE": Well, look, there are people that say you should legalize drugs, there are people that say you should outlaw all drugs.
Alcohol, yes, is a drug, and it certainly had something to do with Whitney Houston`s lifelong alcohol and addiction story. I think one of the things you see here, too, is the family gets warmed down over time when somebody struggles with addiction for so long. It`s not as simple as oh, my god, she`s in trouble, we have to help. They get tired and there`s fatigue associated with that.
I mean my heart breaks. But what the Houstons face, what many American families face, they see somebody struggle for long enough, and they don`t think that they can do anything any more.
GRACE: Out to Bethany Marshall, psychoanalyst, author of "Dealbreakers."
Bethany, we`ve all been waiting to hear you weigh-in. Go ahead.
BRAD LAMM, CERTIFIED INTERVENTIONIST, AUTHOR OF "HOW TO HELP THE ONE YOU LOVE": Well, I think you said earlier that Whitney Houston was in hell. And that is accurate, Nancy. Addicts suffer inordinately. And they suffer particularly when they`re about to go out on the road, undertake a big performance or go into rehab.
Isn`t this what we saw with Michael Jackson? When did he overdosed? He overdosed as he was about to undertake a big venture. So what addicts do just prior to performing is that they know they have to clean up and get sober so they start to dose or pace their drug use. So what she may have done, and this is just conjecture, is try to sober up for a day or two and go off the Xanax.
But then as she was through from that then she started to drink to substitute one drug for another. As she started to drink, that might have created more anxiety if she had an anxiety disorder.
For people with anxiety disorders, alcohol tends to spike their anxiety.
Then she could have started to use the benzos to calm herself down. And you see what I`m saying? Then all of a sudden, there`s a big mess, a big cocktail going, and then instead of a period of sobriety prior to a performance, what she`s really created is binging prior to a performance.
Maybe like the person who tries to go on a diet, but the more they try to restrain their impulses, the more they start to binge. So she was at enormous risk if she was, you know, preparing to go on stage, to see Clive, her mentor and friend, and most importantly, if she was planning on going into rehab.
GRACE: Joining me, Don Lemon, CNN correspondent.
Don, according to your reports at the hotel pool loudly complaining or overheard, overheard complaining that her drinks weren`t strong enough, that they were watered down with ice. You know what, Don, we all know, unless you`ve been living in a cave, know that Whitney had a problem. But nobody did anything.
LEMON: Yes, everyone knows it. I mean, admittedly, she admitted it on national television, and several times. And I think there are, as you know -- I think there are. We know there are enablers around most stars in Hollywood, but here`s the thing. We`re all sad for Whitney Houston and her family, don`t get us wrong, but Whitney Houston was a grown woman at the end of the day, she`s responsible for herself and her own well being.
GRACE: You know, I hear you, Don, I do. But I feel like addicts are in such a mess and such hell, it`s like Bethany Marshall was just saying, like you heard Wendy Williams saying. You know you do -- it`s like you can`t stop yourself, no matter how much you know you should.
To Lisa Lockwood, on a different note, former police detective, author of "Undercover Angel."
Lisa, now we are learning no official saw Whitney Houston in the tub. We`re learning that when EMTs get there, she`s not in the tub. We`re also learning police set to comb through hotel surveillance video. What do you make of this?
LISA LOCKWOOD, FORMER POLICE DETECTIVE: Well, again not being there on the official scene, but if there`s evidence of her body being wet, the first thing you`re going to do in a drowning situation is get the body out of the tub so that you can administer CPR just like the doctor had said earlier. So to me, that`s not something that I would look at as a faulty investigation or anything of that matter.
GRACE: Whoa. Lisa, Lisa, Lisa, Lisa. We already have been told drowning was not the COD. We`ve been told that, we don`t know yet. But we`ve been told drowning is not the COD. We`ve also been told just a couple of hours before she was spotted wet. So how do I ever know she was ever even in the bathtub, all right?
LOCKWOOD: Correct.
GRACE: So you`re the former police detective.
LOCKWOOD: Exactly, you`re going to do an interview and based on the interviews that were there, allegedly, her aunt was the one who found her submerged in the tub. So that`s what you`re going to go with initially until you have the toxicology.
GRACE: OK. And we don`t know for sure drowning is ruled out. No cause of death listed on that death certificate.
Kimberly in South Carolina, hi, Kimberly, what`s your question?
KIMBERLY, CALLER SOUTH CAROLINA: Hi, Nancy, I want to say first my condolences to the Houston family. I`m a big fan of Whitney. My brother was a heroin addict, and he was also found on the floor of his bedroom here in South Carolina.
My questions is this, is why would with any physician, knowing the addict is their own worst enemy. Why would a physician give a valium which is a controlled substance to anyone for anxiety. There are other -- there are other medications like Buspirone. There`s this other medications you know that an addict --
GRACE: OK, what about it, Brad Lamm, you`re the interventionist?
LAMM: Because a person goes to their therapist, and either diminishes or minimizes their story of what else they`re doing. A doctor says are you drinking, how much do you drink, and the addict, myself included, clean and sober many years, but I would say, I don`t drink, I don`t think, when in fact I was drinking a lot every day. So, you know, you`re depending on the accuracy of the person you`re talking to. Addicts are not very dependable.
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GRACE: You are hearing "I Will Always Love You" from Arista Records, originally written and recorded by Dolly Parton.
We saw earlier Wendy Williams speaking about the hell she went through as an addict. It gives us a glimpse into what Whitney Houston may have been suffering. And it`s hard, hard for someone to admit what Williams admitted to. But she did it.
Hopefully so someone could learn and benefit from it and tragically, Houston set to go into rehab right after the Grammys, just 24 hours before her death, according to reports.
Unleash the lawyers. Bradford Cohen, Renee Rockwell, Charles Baumer.
Bradford Cohen and Renee Rockwell, Charles, the fact that video surveillance is set to be analyzed is very intriguing to me, Renee, because it signals that they are still trying to determine what happened just before her death.
ROCKWELL: Well, Nancy, of course they`re trying to determine what happened, because if somebody needs to be charged and investigated, they don`t want that to disappear.
GRACE: Bradford?
COHEN: I think it`s part of an investigation that they`re going to do very easily. I mean, they`re definitely going to see who went in the room. They`re going to want to know when they went into the room, when they went into the room and what they were doing in the room.
GRACE: Everyone, let`s stop and remember Army Staff Sergeant Briand Williams, 25, Sparks, Georgia. Killed in Iraq. Bronze Star, Purple Heart, Iraq Campaign Medal. Served Afghanistan, loved football, wrestling. Touched so many lives with military service. He died doing what he loved, serving his country. Leaves behind parents Tonya and Fred, grandmother Patricia, sisters, Tyra, Tenecia (ph), Tiana (ph), a daughter Brianna, sons Antonio, Carmelo born one month after his death.
Briand Williams, American hero.
Thanks to our guests but especially to you for being with us. See you tomorrow night, live here in L.A. 8:00 sharp Eastern. And until then, good night, friend.
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