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Nancy Grace

Houston Death Investigation Continues, Sources of Photos Sought

Aired February 17, 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 submerged under water, lungs swimming. As predicted here, Houston`s death now a full-blown investigation, subpoenas issued, doctors, pharmacists interrogated, Houston`s personal medical records seized.

Multiple drugs found near Houston`s body, as hotel surveillance cameras seized along with footage of Houston last spotted on camera delivering a mystery note. EMTs find staffers desperately trying to revive her. And in a stunning twist, reports Houston headed back to rehab just 24 hours before her death.

Bombshell tonight. Are details of the Whitney Houston death scene changing? We now learn EMTs find Houston on the bedroom floor, not the bathroom. In fact, no official ever sees the star near the tub at all.

Stunning photos of the death scene leaked in the last hours, shots of the star`s tub still full of warm water, towels floating in it, the bathroom floor, even Houston`s last meal still room service, on a room service table and a tray, and most disturbingly, photos of Houston`s dead body being wheeled out in a body bag.

We learn Houston, quote, "off the wagon for months," to the point she flunks a medical exam just before death, her doctor refusing to perform a single procedure. Two alleged prior overdoses leaked as officials warn fans, Stay away from the star`s funeral tomorrow, fearing a fan mob scene.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We love you, Whitney!

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: How the 48-year-old singer died is still unclear.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: CNN`s also learned that investigators have put a rush on the toxicology tests that normally take six to eight weeks.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: She was a train wreck happening. I mean, no one could stop her. Everyone tried.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The champagne was flowing. It was a party. And I`ve heard so many things about people saying that, you know, she was erratic, she was this, she was that. She was none of those things.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Private funeral will be held on Saturday at the house of worship she attended as a child.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: She`s going to be surrounded by people who absolutely loved and adored her.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GRACE: Good evening. I`m Nancy Grace. I want to thank you for being with us. That`s Whitney Houston`s "I Will Always Love You" from Arista.

Bombshell tonight. Are details of the Houston death scene changing? We now learn EMTs find her on the bedroom floor, not the bathroom. In fact, no official ever sees the star near the tub at all. This as stunning photos of the death scene leak, shots of the star`s tub still full of warm water, towels floating in the tub, the bathroom floor, even her last meal, a room service table and tray, and most disturbingly, photos of Houston`s dead body being wheeled out in a body bag.

To Susan Candiotti, CNN correspondent joining us live on the scene there. Susan, what can you tell us about details of the death scene actually changing? We now learn she`s not -- not in the tub, which we first were told. She`s not on the bathroom floor. She`s actually in the bedroom, no official ever seeing her near the tub.

SUSAN CANDIOTTI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: You know, it`s interesting, isn`t it, Nancy, that in the beginning, we were led to believe certain things. When the coroners came out and made a statement, it was very, very carefully constructed and vague. And now, as you said, we`re learning more information about what the scene really looked like.

So evidently, they brought her out of the bathtub, according to sources and they -- someone tried to resuscitate her. The coroner`s office has always said that. But now we find out that, in fact, she wasn`t discovered by the authorities initially while she was still in the bathtub, nor in the bathroom, but now in another section of the hotel suite.

This is all very crucial, as you well know, as authorities try to piece together a timeline about what happened. And now things have changed. So now they have to figure out, when did this happen, and then when was hotel security notified, and then when was 911 called, and when they arrived, exactly where was she? And was everything else in the room in the same place by the time police got there? These are so many questions they would have.

GRACE: And Susan Candiotti, CNN correspondent joining us live on the scene, I`m not sure that it makes a crucial difference, but I know this. It`s never a good thing when the story, the facts begin to change or they shift.

Susan, you and I have talked about it many, many times. If additional facts are added, that`s one thing, because if you ask the right questions, you may get an elaboration on the facts. But when facts actually begin to change, that`s a whole different scenario, Susan Candiotti.

CANDIOTTI: Well, that`s right, if that`s -- if that is what is happening. And we`re still waiting to find out more from various sources about exactly what police are learning, and where was everyone in the room and where was Whitney Houston when she was discovered, and what time was that and was anything else in the room moved or touched?

I mean, we don`t know yet whether they have the same information that they got in the beginning as they are getting now because they are holding so many of those details close to the vest. Eventually, we`ll find out. But yes, there are many questions.

GRACE: Out to Kareen Wynter, "SHOWBIZ TONIGHT." It may be simple misreporting in the drama of getting Whitney Houston out of the room that it sifted down incorrectly. But that is actually a crucial point as to where she was found because that changes the scenario.

What more can you tell us about these photos? I`m not showing them because I don`t know where they came from. And the fact that someone would actually take shots of the water in the tub with a towel swimming in it where Houston`s body had just come out of it, the bathroom floor -- there you can see her last meal still on the room service table, on plates. Some of it she took into -- I think a turkey sandwich with jalapenos she took into the bathroom with her to eat while was in the tub.

Who would take those photos, and especially of her, Whitney Houston, our Whitney Houston in a body bag?

KAREEN WYNTER, "SHOWBIZ TONIGHT": It`s actually -- it`s very disturbing, and that`s really the challenge for investigators right now. My source I spoke with just a short time ago said, you know, things have changed, you know, with the reporting. Whitney Houston`s body wasn`t found in the tub by the time we arrived at the scene. It was on the floor.

And that raises a lot of valid points. Was it a member of her entourage who moved her? Was it perhaps the bodyguard? Were there other people in the room before they arrived who may have perhaps contaminated the scene, may have perhaps taken these disturbing photos to sell or profit from in any way?

So you have those different layers right now, and I think we`re asking those questions. They`re asking that, as well, Nancy, and trying to figure out who is, in fact, leaking this, and more importantly, who was in the room before they arrived?

GRACE: Well, I`m very disturbed because does it mean that while Whitney Houston was lying on the floor possibly with a chance of still living, was somebody, instead of resuscitating her, snapping photos? I mean, of course, it could have been an EMT. It could have been crime scene tech that showed up to take photos of the scene for the medical examiners. It could have been a host of people.

What matters, though -- to you, Alexis Tereszcuk, senior reporter, Radaronline.com, that scene should have been carefully monitored. They must know who was on the scene.

ALEXIS TERESZCUK, RADARONLINE.COM: And this has made her family furious. They are so upset, obviously, that Whitney had died, and on top of it, that these pictures are coming out.

The family is launching their own investigation. They`re going to work with authorities. They want to know who is releasing these photos, who would do this to their beautiful Whitney Houston? They are just destroyed by this. They don`t understand. This is what sources have told us within the family. They don`t understand why anybody would release these photos.

Obviously, there`s a voyeuristic aspect to it. People want to know. They want to see what happened. But so quickly has upset the family.

GRACE: Well, I`m actually more concerned -- less concerned about the photos, unless they somehow touch on the resuscitation attempts on Whitney Houston, than I am about how she got her mitts on these drugs. We understand subpoenas issued, doctors and pharmacists being interrogated all the way across the country, as a matter of fact.

To Ellie Jostad. What do we know about Atlanta doctors being interrogated?

ELLIE JOSTAD, NANCY GRACE PRODUCER: Right, Nancy. Well, WSB, a TV station in Atlanta, is reporting that it`s happening there, that doctors, pharmacies have been contacted to give their records over to LA investigators, and that if -- and at this point, we have no indication that there`s anyone who is not complying. But if there is someone who will not comply, they say they`ll seek a warrant.

GRACE: Joining me right now is a special guest. This is Whitney Houston`s makeup artist. Reginald Dowdley is joining us from LA. He was with her Thursday before her death and planned do her makeup that evening.

Reginald Dowdley, thank you for being with us. What happened the evening of Whitney`s death?

REGINALD DOWDLEY, MAKE-UP ARTIST (VIA TELEPHONE): Hey, well, I got a call that morning of her death saying that she indeed wanted me to come back to her home at about 5:50 to start hair and makeup for Clive Davis`s pre-Grammy party at the Beverly Hilton.

GRACE: And?

DOWDLEY: And you know, I got the call and it said that she had passed, like, around 4:00 o`clock, you know, like, 4:00 o`clock, 5:00 o`clock. And I`m, like -- I couldn`t believe it. I was totally shocked (INAUDIBLE)

GRACE: Reginald, you were with her the Thursday before her death. What was her demeanor? What, if anything, did you observe?

DOWDLEY: Like, nothing. I mean, she was totally fine. She was listening to gospel music. She was upbeat. She was joyful. You know, so there was no indication that, you know, she was somehow, you know, drinking or ill or anything like that.

GRACE: Well, Reginald Dowdley, who was with her? Who was in the room? Who came in and out? Who did she speak with?

DOWDLEY: Well, when I got there to do her makeup that night at the hotel, she opened the door herself. So no one was there. It was just, you know, she and I for about a good hour-and-a-half.

GRACE: And you`re saying she was in good spirits. What did she talk about? What were her plans?

DOWDLEY: She was in great spirits. She mentioned a candle (ph) mine (ph) that she was, I guess, going to do. She mentioned I guess she was going to look for furniture that night. I guess someone was going to, like, keep the store open for her so she could shop for furniture before she went to the party that she was going to sing at that night. So you know, that`s all that I can know -- I mean, that`s all that I can say as of now because I don`t know much else.

GRACE: Reginald Dowdley is with us. He`s a well-known makeup artist in the LA area, with Whitney Houston just before her death, seemingly in high spirits. What went wrong? Whitney Houston found dead there at her hotel room. Now crucial facts changing about the death scene. Why?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Prescription pills found inside Whitney Houston`s Beverly Hills hotel room.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Evidence of what sources tell us was erratic behavior by Whitney Houston.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Whitney Houston may have spent her last days drinking heavily.

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

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They said she was soaking wet.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Well, it`s truly, you know, a remarkable investigation.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Now the focus of the investigation.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Investigators are also requesting surveillance video from the Beverly Hilton.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Investigators are issuing subpoenas for medical records.

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

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GRACE: Crucial facts regarding the Whitney Houston death scene are now actually changing. We learned the star not in the bathroom. As a matter of fact, officials never see her even near the tub, according to reports.

Joining me right now is a special guest. This is Anna Nicole Smith`s long-time love, the father of her beautiful daughter, Dannielynn. We all feel like we know Larry Birkhead and Dannielynn after watching Anna Nicole for years and seeing him go through all the drama surrounding her death, now raising the child on his own.

You know, Larry, I thought of you yesterday. Here in LA, there is a giant Guess billboard back up of Anna Nicole Smith. She`s absolutely the most beautiful Guess girl that there ever was. Just there`s never been another one like her.

When you heard about Whitney Houston`s death, the allegations about prescription drugs -- losing someone you love in the public eye like this, a mother, now leaving a daughter behind to be raised without her mom, did it bring back part of what you lived through following Anna Nicole`s death?

LARRY BIRKHEAD, ANNA NICOLE SMITH`S FMR. BOYFRIEND: You know, Nancy, it did. It`s kind of, you know, a mirror in some ways of -- of the tragedy and how it`s played out in the media, and just a lot of different aspects. The same with, you know, obviously the prescription drugs of what we`ve heard involved in Whitney Houston`s death. But you know, just the same type of tragedy, and you know, children left behind, millions of fans in mourning, and just a whole big spectacle.

GRACE: You know, Anna Nicole, like Whitney Houston, so many people, of course, they didn`t -- we didn`t -- feel that they know them because you see them all the time. You know, Anna Nicole had the reality show. You know, she was so out there and was so approachable to all of her fans.

I`m just wondering how you respond to the knowledge that doctors -- they don`t seemingly know -- right hand doesn`t know what left hand is doing. You know, or maybe they do. And they`re willing to give celebrities and to others, frankly, all sorts of drugs that can end in their death.

BIRKHEAD: You know, it is true that, you know, prescription drugs are a problem. I mean, you know, the problem is, I think, the doctors face is, you know, you do have these celebrities and people that actually have ailments, but then you have the people that actually don`t follow directions, don`t take as directed, and it becomes a bigger problem than the actual health problems that they had.

GRACE: Larry, tonight what is your advice to Whitney`s family trying to raise Bobbi Kristina?

BIRKHEAD: I think, first and foremost, they have to put the needs and -- of Bobbi Kristina first and foremost. You know, put aside, you know, the will, the who`s supposed to be at the funeral, and just put her first.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: How great is the music?

WHITNEY HOUSTON, SINGER: You`ll hear it.

(LAUGHTER)

HOUSTON: You`ll hear.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We love you, Whitney!

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Sources telling CNN this hour investigators have put a rush on the toxicology testing for Whitney Houston.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Investigators are looking into Whitney Houston`s behavior in her final days.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GRACE: We are taking your calls live here in LA, where it seems crucial details regarding the scene of Whitney Houston`s death seem to be changing. Why? This as stunning photos leak, photos that had to be taken by someone in Houston`s inner circle, photos of the bathtub itself with warm water still in it, towels floating in it, the bathroom floor, a room service table with a tray of her last meal still sitting on it, and most disturbingly, a photo of Houston`s body in a body bag being wheeled out on a gurney.

We are taking your calls, but I want to go to Dorothy Cascerceri, senior editor, "In Touch Weekly." We understand that even in the few days, the week before Houston`s death, Bobby Brown, her ex-husband, allegedly is cashing checks of hers?

DOROTHY CASCERCERI, "IN TOUCH WEEKLY": Yes, Nancy, that`s what we`re hearing. You know, Bobby Brown has been dealing with the situation in kind of an interesting way. You know, he flew to LA to be with Bobbi Kristina back on Sunday. But then again last night, he was back on tour in Maryland, on stage with New Edition.

And sources are saying that while he has been invited to the funeral tomorrow morning and he most likely will be attending, that he also has plans to still continue to Connecticut tomorrow night to perform with New Edition.

So you know, he certainly is being there with Bobbi Kristina in one respect, and then in another, kind of, you know, continuing on with his normal routine. Sources say that he finds solace in the stage and that`s where he`s most at home, and that helps him with his mourning.

GRACE: Question. I`m trying to figure out, why is he cashing Whitney Houston checks.

CASCERCERI: Yes. Everyone is trying to figure that out. You know, the two of them have been very intertwined even since they divorced many years ago. And so you know, in terms of her financial affairs, perhaps he`s still involved in some way. But we`re going to have to wait until the will is released to find that all out.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Our reports know that she was very distraught in the hours immediately after her mother was found dead.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Whitney Houston was found in a bathtub.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Her publicist said Houston was seeking help for her addiction.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Once you`re struggling with addiction, it doesn`t care how talented you are, how rich you are, how special you are, how elegant you are. It wants your life.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We remember Whitney Houston, and we dig for more answers into her shocking death.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: However, there were prescription medications, medications for anxiety and sleeplessness, as well as a throat infection.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Still unexplained death.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The sudden loss of Whitney Houston.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The investigation requires us to keep confidential about anything that we`re investigating.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: She struggled with drugs and alcohol. Rumors started to surface about possible drug use and a troubled marriage.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What may have contributed to her untimely passing.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Whitney Houston was seen drinking - drinking heavily.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Prescription pills found inside Whitney Houston`s Beverly Hills hotel room.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Ms. Houston was apparently discovered in her bathtub.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Houston may have mixed some of these medicines with alcohol.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Her career and her life were cut short.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Let`s continue to lift each other up not only in our triumphs but when we`re going through our trials and our tribulations.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

GRACE: We`re live here in L.A. and taking your calls as crucial details regarding the Whitney Houston death scene appear to be changing. This, as stunning photos are leaked. Apparently by someone in Houston`s inner circle of her room. The death scene. Even her body being wheeled out in a body bag.

We are taking your calls. Unleash the lawyers, Charles Bomber, Kirby Clements, Atlanta, Lauren Lake, New York.

First of all, to you, Lauren Lake. I`m actually more concerned about whether doctors were giving her too much medication knowingly. That`s my big concern tonight. Whether anyone was a party to that. We know subpoenas have issued. Doctors and pharmacists are being interrogated all the way from California to Atlanta is set down to occur.

But what do you make of someone on the inner circle taking these photos and what does it mean to you, Lauren Lake, that apparently no officials saw her near the tub. Her body was not where we thought it was originally.

LAUREN LAKE, DEFENSE ATTORNEY: You know what, Nancy. In this case, it`s like the more we find out, the more we realize that we didn`t know anything at all in the beginning.

When I first got the news, it was that she drowned in the tub. Now, we`re figuring out that the body is nowhere near the tub when authorities finally get there. I think what we have to do now is merely wait. It is difficult. I know as an attorney, you want to speculate. You want to make the facts fit what you think your theory is.

But, I`m going to be honest with you. So many things could have transpired here. She could have been dead and fallen into the tub. You never ever know. We have to wait for toxicology.

GRACE: You know, Kirby Clements, you and I have been on a lot of death scenes. What I want to find out is why police think it is so important to review the hotel security surveillance video. What are they looking for? If her death is accidental, what do they hope to learn from surveillance video?

KIRBY CLEMENTS, DEFENSE ATTORNEY: I think in the surveillance video, it helps you to confirm what people have been saying. If someone says they were there and you see them coming in after, afterward, you`ve been saying you weren`t there. If someone says you weren`t there and you see them coming in earlier, you can say why are you lying to me?

So, surveillance video helps you to give a complete vision of the scene and what happened.

GRACE: To Charles Baumer, probate and estate attorney joining us in L.A. Charles, thank you for being with us. A lot of speculations going on regarding on potential money grab of Whitney Houston`s assets.

If the will is probated in New Jersey, how will that affect her California assets? Also, her New Jersey home? Let`s see the ad, Liz. It`s already been a source of advertisement saying things like own a piece of Whitney Houston. A conversation topic forever. They`re talking about her New Jersey mansion. Shouldn`t everything be put on hold determining based on the determination of the will? Wouldn`t the new owner of the home, that being Bobbi Kristina and or possibly Bobby Brown himself have the right to pull the house off the market?

CHARLES BAUMER, PROBATE, ESTATE ATTORNEY (via telephone): Well, if the - if there is a will and it is probated in New Jersey, which is still a question, because there are rumors out there that Georgia is where she resided, and maybe even California, it would have to wait until the will is entered into court and the court appoints someone to be in charge of her estate, that`s the executor.

The executor, under most state rules, including New Jersey, would have the right to sell the property upon notice to the beneficiaries that it was taking such action.

GRACE: Right. And what about - to you Kirby Clements -- go ahead Charles.

BAUMER: I was just going to say, if she also has assets in California, there may have to be a second probate that`s called an ancillary probate of the assets here in California.

GRACE: You know, you were just talking about her estate. Do I still have Susan Candiotti? You know, Dorothy Cascerceri, you have been throughout this there in New Jersey. A lot of questions right now about where she actually legally resides. There`s Atlanta, New Jersey, California. What, if anything, do you know, Dorothy?

DOROTHY CASCERCERI, SENIOR EDITOR, IN TOUCH WEEKLY: You`re right, Nancy. That is a big question that we`re asking right now. And it`s very, very unclear. I think that we have to wait and see how this develops a little bit further.

GRACE: We are taking your calls out to Chenna in Connecticut. Hi Chenna, what`s your question?

CHENNA, CALLER, CONNECTICUT: Hi Nancy. This is a dream come true. I`ve been watching you since Cochran and Grace. Rest in peace, Johnnie Cochran.

I just want to say, you I re-watched Whitney`s interview with Oprah and, you know, she claims she was drug-free but would have a drink every now and then. And I was just wondering what your experts have to say about alcohol in prescription medications being mixed? I mean, Amy Winehouse didn`t die of hard drugs either, it ended up being alcohol poisoning. It seems like they supplement recreational drugs with alcohol and prescription pills.

GRACE: You know what, let`s throw that to the expert joining me out of Atlanta. Dr. John Salinas. Dr. Salinas, thank you for being with us. The mixture of prescription drugs, particularly the benzos. With alcohol, it`s my understanding, I`m just a lawyer. Can actually make some of your internal organs shut down.

DOCTOR JOHN SALINAS, M.D, PHYSICIAN: Well, true, Nancy. You know, when you`re mixing alcohol with benzodaze, it means you are actually potentiating the effect of benzodism (ph) means very, very bad mix.

Unfortunately, we`ve had this problem with many stars. You know, they don`t realize the effects of mixing medications with alcohol. Very dangerous thing to do.

GRACE: You know, Dr. Salinas, the pill bottles allegedly found in her hotel room are undergoing testing right now. What kind of tests do you think are being conducted and in my mind, more importantly, how is it easy to trace a doctor who prescribed the medication from that pill bottle?

SALINAS: Well, Nancy, the -- luckily, most prescriptions nowadays are scanned into a system where there`s a database, you know, with a DEA especially a narcotics, class III drugs, class II. They`re basically very monitored. So, the physicians that wrote prescriptions that is going to be easily tracked. The problem is that a lot of physicians are shop -- shopped by patients. There may be multiple prescriptions out there.

GRACE: When you say shots, you mean one patient go to multiple doctors to get same kind of drugs or different drugs that they don`t necessarily need.

SALINAS: Right. So, a lot of physicians are unaware of the actual usage sometimes.

GRACE: I want to go back to Anna Nicole Smith`s long time love, the father of her daughter Dannielynne. Larry Birkhead.

You know, we always hear about cocaine, heroin, marijuana, the illegal drugs. People seem to discount the dangers of prescription drugs, especially mixed with alcohol. Now reports that Whitney Houston fell "off the wagon" months before her death. In fact, a medical doctor reportedly turning down a procedure on her because she failed her exam. What do you make of it, Larry?

LARRY BIRKHEAD, FORMER BOYFRIEND OF ANNA NICOLE SMITH, DEAD FROM DRUG OVERDOSE: Well, I think people a lot of times, you know, tend to think if a doctor prescribes it, it`s OK. And, you know, I was guilty even in my relationship with Anna and trying to figure out what was going on with her prescriptions today, Ok, if a doctor did it, it was OK. But you have to take it as direct. It`s not just the street drugs. It`s a growing problem with the prescription drugs and there needs to be some kind of reform or a nationwide system where people get checked. Not just an optional system where doctors selectively check to see if a patient is using, you know, you know multiple drugs or whatever. It needs to be mandatory, not an option.

GRACE: You know, there`s so many red flags, Larry Birkhead. So many red flags. I mean, you`ve got a doctor telling her she fails a medical exam. He won`t perform a procedure on her just before her death. Her inner circle, what could they do? What can you do, Larry, when you see somebody using all these drugs? Can you really do anything without alienating them?

BIRKHEAD: With Anna`s case, you know, she did had these illnesses, she had pains and swellings and seizures and things like that. So, you have to go with what they say. At the same time, you can only do as much as the person wants to get help. If they don`t want to stop and do things, they ultimately do what they want. Whitney Houston, Michael Jackson, Anna Nicole, any of them.

(WHITNEY HOUSTON VIDEO CLIP PLAYING)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

WENDY WILLIAMS, TALKS SHOW HOST: She`s my jersey girl. She was a woman like me who is part of the sub culture of our society. The addict.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GRACE: You`re seeing a clip from talk WW production. That`s the Wendy Williams show describing part of the hell that Whitney Houston had endured. We learn that Houston just falling off the wagon just before her death with plans of going back to rehab. Take a listen to what Simon Cowell had to say. Houston in line to be the new mentor on the "X Factor."

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SIMON COWELL, CELEBRITY JUDGE, X FACTOR: We were ironically going to meet on Monday and, of course, one of the names we were going to be talking about in that meeting as a possible mentor on the new series of "X Factor" was actually going to be Whitney Houston.

I have no idea genuinely whether she was that interested or whether she would have. Given the choice, I would have liked to take her under my wing as well because she would have been the ultimate, ultimate mentor to any contestant coming on the show.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GRACE: To Dr. Patricia Saunders, clinical psychologist, joining us out of New York. Patricia, so much to look forward to. Why?

DOTOR PATRICIA SAUNDERS, CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGIST: We have to look at addiction as a disease, Nancy. It`s not really a choice or a matter of will as in this country we`re biased towards Puritanism thinking well, she could choose to stop. It isn`t. It`s a brain disease. And it takes over. I don`t think that Whitney had proper treatment. A month, two months of rehab is not enough. The hard reality is that addicts need a year or so of inpatient treatment and constant and continuous support, outpatient support groups afterward. She didn`t have it. It`s a lifelong disorder.

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

ALEXIS TERESZCUK, SENIOR REPORTER, RADARONLINE.COM: We learned that in the months leading up to Whitney`s death she was on a binge. We understand from sources that she was drinking. She was taking prescription pills and that she was doing cocaine. That`s what the sources have told us at radar.

It was not just the three days before her death. This was months. Everybody around her knew this. Everybody could see it. There was a terrible tragedy that nobody stepped in to help her. She went to rehab last year, which was wonderful. She seemed so much better when she got out. She produced a movie, she starred in it. She was working on new music. Her album was going to come out. Everything seemed to be going well. But in the last couple of months, she fell off the wagon again and was really, really struggling with her addictions.

GRACE: To Reginald Dowdley, Whitney Houston`s makeup artist. You know, what a lot of people don`t understand, those of us who have always had a regular job, you know, worked long hours, but you have regularity, a celebrity or star slide, including makeup artists very, very different. You may work until midnight or 1:00 or 2:00, one night and then the next day you don`t work.

You get off kilter, sleep during the day, work at night, the days and the nights merge together because of your work hours. Alexis Tereszcuk talking about Whitney Houston just did this movie, "Sparkle." Your hours get crazy. You`re not on a regular schedule. Describe a star`s schedule, Reginald Dowdley.

REGINALD DOWDLEY, WHITNEY HOUSTON`S MAKE-UP ARTIST (via telephone): The schedule can be like you said, long hours, you know short mornings or whatever. You know, you do have to be able to manage that with everyone around you.

GRACE: To Kareen Wynter, "SHOWBIZ TONIGHT." What about it Kareen?

KAREEN WYNTER, ENTERTAINMENT CORRESPONDENT, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT: Well, we do know that, you know, Whitney Houston was partying heavily. This isn`t just from sources that I`ve been touching base with, but so many people in her circle saying, you know, she was trying to have a good time. This was her favorite party of the year.

And we talk a lot about not just what happened in the room that night but in the days leading up to Whitney Houston`s death. I want to share with you, Nancy, just from someone close to the death investigation that I`ve been in touch with. They really would like to speak Bobbi Kristina, yes, Whitney Houston`s daughter who is grieving. She`s not in Los Angeles right now. She`s with family members.

And we know that Beverly Hills police, they were able to speak to Bobbi Kristina very briefly once they learned that Whitney Houston had died. But they said that she was so distraught, they didn`t get much out of her. And Bobbi Kristina, she would be crucial to the case. I`m being told by the source, because Whitney Houston and her daughter, Bobbi Kristina, they were like a couple, you know. They were not only together at that pre-Grammy party, Nancy, on Thursday. But they were also lounging together by the pool on Saturday. So she could be of crucial, crucial part of this puzzle and perhaps help investigators kind of piece all of this together. What her behavior was like. What she may have consumed, et cetera -- Nancy.

GRACE: Speaking of piecing together the puzzle, Steve Kardian, a former police detective, now lead instructor at a university. Steve, details regarding the death scene are changing. What does that say to you as a former detective?

STEVE KARDIAN, FORMER POLICE DETECTIVE, SELF DEFENSE EXPERT: Well, we expect misinformation to come out. So law enforcement is supposed to run a death investigation like this and keep it close to the vest. Things leak out. Misinformation leaks out. When the investigation is all said and done and the medical examiner has all the toxicological information back, we`re going to get answers. Until then, leave it an open case.

GRACE: Now, CNN heroes.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NANCY ZUCK, CHAMPIONING CHILDREN: Morgan was a very happy child. Had friends and then one day when she was two years old, Morgan was diagnosed with leukemia. We were devastated. To make it worse, because of the chemotherapy, she had no immune system. She could not be around other children.

I was driving Morgan to the hospital and all of her friends were going to the preschool and I thought, we need to start a program for children with cancer where they can socialize and have friends and learn and play. My name is Nancy Zuck. I give children battling cancer a preschool experience.

Exposures to a simple childhood cold or illness can become life- threatening to these children. We provide a safe and clean environment to have individualized supply boxes.

Tell us about the special doll.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE KID: I have no hair. Just like me.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE KID: The doll is just like you.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Everything that you hoped for your children, it`s like you have to rebuild that. And it`s really difficult to do.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It`s wonderful to see my daughter like a normal kid.

ZUCK: They love school because they`re around other kids which they are not used to. We live in isolation, we can`t do anything.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We can`t go in.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE KID: Why?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Too many people in there. Before we found the Morgan center, the hospital was the only place my kids would go.

ZUCK: Part of me lives worrying about their treatment, every new child I meet, every parent telling me their story. To see the smiles on their faces and reclaiming their childhood, that feeling is such joy it is indescribable.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(WHITNEY HOUSTON`S VIDEO CLIP PLAYING)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

(WHITNEY HOUSTON`S VIDEO CLIP PLAYING)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Approximately 3:55 p.m. on Saturday, Whitney Houston was pronounced dead at the Beverly Hilton hotel.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: By now sadly you`ve all learned of the unspeakably tragic news of our beloved Whitney`s passing.

(WHITNEY HOUSTON`S VIDEO CLIP PLAYING)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I remember sitting in those seats, just being amazed at how many records she sold. Yes, it`s tough.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Whitney in her prime, there was nobody with a voice like that.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It`s just surreal to me. I feel like she was way too young, and it makes me very sad.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It is amazing to hear a voice, incredible.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: One of the best that ever existed in the world.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We talked for over an hour, and laughed and talked about life and I was so happy.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I sing because I try to, you know, follow in her footsteps.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

GRACE: Let`s stop and remember marine staff sergeant Donnie Leo-Ford Levens, 25, Long Beach, Mississippi. Navy achievement medal, national service defense medal. Second tour, also served in Iraq.

Dreamed of being a pilot since age eight. Loved mission trips. His car club. Volunteering at a local elementary school.

Leaves behind parents, Margaret and Grady, sister Sabrina, brother Matthew. Donny Leo-Ford Levens, American hero.

Thanks to our guests but especially for being with us tonight. And a special good night from the New York control room. Good night, Bret, my love, Liz, Rosie, Dana, and the whole back deck.

And as we head into our eighth year of our program, a special thank you to my executive producer and friend, Dean.

Happy birthday to Indiana friend Carolyn. Loves reading, puzzles, four children, eight grands, one great. Two dogs. Happy birthday.

Everyone, I`ll see you tomorrow night, 8:00 sharp eastern. Until then, good night, friend.

END