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Nancy Grace
Report: Houston`s Cause of Death Drugs, Alcohol Mix
Aired February 22, 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, and as predicted here, her death now a full-blown investigation, subpoenas issued, doctors, pharmacists interrogated, her personal medical records seized, multiple drugs found near Houston`s body, and hotel surveillance cameras seized.
EMTs find Houston on the bedroom floor, not the bathroom. In fact, no official ever sees the star near the bathtub at all. Stunning photos of the death scene leaked, the star`s tub full of warm water, towels floating in it, the bathroom floor, even Houston`s last meal still on a room service table and tray, shots of Houston`s dead body being wheeled out in a body bag.
Bombshell tonight. What actually killed superstar Whitney Houston finally revealed. Reports Houston`s heart stops after a huge and deadly mix of Xanax, Valium and alcohol. This as reports Houston`s teen daughter actually getting high on drugs at her mother`s funeral.
Ex-husband Bobby Brown told to stay away from daughter Bobbi Kristina as he parties and gambles the night away at a luxury casino, including $500 hand -- single hand 500 bucks -- of blackjack just hours after Houston`s funeral.
Has ex Bobby Brown landed a six-figure tell-all book just chock full of Whitney Houston details? And not the only one set to cash in on the superstar`s death. Now even the clothes off Houston`s back, along with her beloved home, on the auction block.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Several prescription drugs found in her hotel room, Valium, Xanax.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Source also confirming that Xanax found in her hotel room.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Investigators are looking into Whitney Houston`s behavior in her final days.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Seen ordering and consuming considerable quantities of alcohol.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: She was found in the bathtub.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What medication she is on is very crucial.
BOBBY BROWN, HOUSTON`S EX-HUSBAND: I want to give blessings to my ex- wife, Whitney Houston. I love you!
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Bobby Brown left the funeral service early.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He had a fit and he left, totally causing a scene.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GRACE: Good evening. I`m Nancy Grace. I want to thank you for being with us. Bombshell tonight. What actually kills the superstar Whitney Houston finally revealed, reports Houston`s heart stops after a huge and deadly mix of Xanax, Valium and alcohol.
Straight out to Alexis Tereszcuk, senior reporter, Radaronline.com. Alexis, what do we know about what really killed Houston?
ALEXIS TERESZCUK, RADARONLINE.COM: Nancy, we learned exclusively that it was a fatal mix of Valium, Xanax and alcohol. These three things are what caused Whitney Houston`s death. She took them just before she died while she was at the Beverly Hilton hotel. And this is what she had overdosed on when the family found her unconscious.
GRACE: To Dr. Joye M. Carter, chief forensic pathologist, Marion County, Indiana, author of "I Speak for the Dead." Dr. Carter, that really doesn`t jibe with her wild and erratic behavior about 36 hours before her death, allegedly breaking out in a physical scuffle with another woman at a party, apparently over some guy, doing somersaults and flips at the pool.
How does that fit with a deadly mixture of basically depressants such as Xanax, Valium and alcohol?
DR. JOYE M. CARTER, CHIEF FORENSIC PATHOLOGIST, MARION COUNTY, IN: Well, when she took the drugs would be very important to know. And they`re going to try to quantify the drugs in her system. Something else could be in there, as well, so you have to wait for those final toxicology reports.
GRACE: OK, that`s not the answer -- that doesn`t answer my question.
To Brad Lamm, board-registered interventionist, author of "How to Change Someone You Love." Alcohol is a depressant on the system. Xanax, Valium, depressants on the system. They do not make you go into a party and pick a physical fight. They do not make you turn somersaults and cartwheels at the pool, all right?
I`m not questioning the results. I believe it. If that`s what toxicology says, a deadly and huge overdose, of Xanax, Valium and alcohol, so be it. But how does that jibe with wild and erratic, frenzied behavior 36 hours before?
BRAD LAMM, INTERVENTIONIST: Well, people take those drugs, Nancy, for all different reasons, for seizures, for anxiety. And in this case, clearly, they shouldn`t have mixed them. It says right on the bottle when you talk drugs like Xanax, do not mix with alcohol because they can cause respiratory arrest, which it seems is what happened to her.
But here`s the other thing about benzodiazepines like Xanax. That drug can cause very erratic behavior, and I`ve seen it. It has psychotic features if you`re taking it, if you`re abusing that drug. And I wouldn`t be surprised if we see more to that tox report as it comes public. I know this is a woman who tragically struggled with addiction for years and years and years. So nothing that I`ve heard so far is a surprise to me.
GRACE: OK, I`m just a lawyer, Brad. You`re the interventionist. You`re the addiction specialist. What do you mean, you wouldn`t be surprised if there`s more in her system? Are you suggesting that she was taking Xanax and Valium and alcohol to bring her down off something else?
LAMM: Well, that`s what a lot of people will use Xanax for, is to mellow out the other drugs. So you`re taking depressants, and when you mix them together, it definitely brings you down.
I know in my own history, Nancy -- I can speak as a former meth addict and coke addict -- that I would use both those drugs to bring me down, meaning the alcohol and the Valium or Xanax, to bring me down off the other drugs.
GRACE: Back to Alexis Tereszcuk, senior reporter, Radaronline.com -- Radaronline reporting Houston died of a fatal mix, a huge and deadly dose of drugs, alcohol. What else can you tell us, Alexis?
TERESZCUK: Well, you know, you`re exactly right. One interesting (INAUDIBLE) leading up to Whitney Houston`s death. We have sources that have told us she was doing cocaine, which would have caused this erratic behavior. She was staying up all night partying. She was doing everything that she could to really harm her body.
So this wasn`t just the very first time she`d ever done Xanax or Valium or had alcohol. It had been a three-month process. Her family even wanted her to go to rehab to stop doing these drugs. This was, as we`ve said, a fatal mix of drugs.
GRACE: To Brad Lamm, board-certified interventionist. Brad, you know, by the time I work all day, get the twins ready for bed, feed them -- you know, by their bedtime, I fall over. How does someone Houston`s age manage all-night benders, partying all night long if she`s taking Xanax, Valium and alcohol?
LAMM: Well, you`ve heard the expression that some people are just built for speed. And I think that -- in the life of somebody who`s an addict, your ups and downs are so low. I hear you. You go home and you`re ready for bed. And, like, some folks will go home and have a couple drinks, and that`s all they need to end the day.
But for a person who`s prone to addiction, you put alcohol, you put other drugs, including prescription drugs into your body, and you`re off to the races. So you can`t judge a normal person`s behavior on a couple drinks with somebody who has a history of addiction. Bets are really all off.
GRACE: Joining us, senior editor, "In Touch Weekly," Dorothy Cascerceri. We now know, according to reports, that Houston`s heart stops after a huge and fatal mix of Valium, Xanax, alcohol. What do you know, Dorothy?
DOROTHY CASCERCERI, "IN TOUCH WEEKLY": Yes, Nancy. You`re right. There are reports that this fatal mix did cause her heart to stop. We know -- sources spoke to "In Touch" and told us that Whitney, the day that she died, spoke to her mother on the phone and told her mother that she was thinking about going back into rehab.
So there was clearly and major problem going on and Whitney was well aware that things were out of control. So it`s very sad that it was kind of a realization that happened perhaps too late.
GRACE: To Dr. Joye Carter, chief forensic pathologist. Dr. Carter how is it that Xanax, Valium and alcohol can make your heart stop? None of them are illegal.
CARTER: All these drugs act to produce central nervous system depression -- alcohol, Xanax and Valium. Taken together, they can cause the heart to stop and the person to stop breathing. They lose consciousness as an adverse effect of all of these drugs being taken at the same time.
GRACE: Unleash the lawyers. Joining us, Hugo Rodriguez, former fed out of Miami, Manny Arora, renowned defense attorney out of the Atlanta jurisdiction.
Hugo Rodriguez, if the same doctor prescribed her both Valium, Xanax - - and we understand that there were other benzos there in the hotel room near her body -- is there any way to go back on the doctor or the pharmacist filling them?
HUGO RODRIGUEZ, DEFENSE ATTORNEY: Let`s break it down to the doctor - - only if it can be proved that the doctor had knowledge of her abuse of the drugs. Doctors only prescribe the medication. So if the doctor prescribes taking one or two pills, they can`t control if the client takes more than that.
GRACE: Whoa! Hold on. Hold on! Hold on! Hold on! Very quickly, Dr. Carter, is there any reason to prescribe Xanax and Valium? Don`t they both do the same thing?
CARTER: Well, they do the same thing. They`re in the very same class. You want to know, actually, who did the prescribing. Was it the same doctor? How do they know what her medical history is and how (INAUDIBLE)
GRACE: So they do do the same thing, that`s my question, they do the same thing. What is it that they do?
CARTER: They actually are used for central nervous system depression, to calm a person down, anti-anxiety.
GRACE: OK. So to you, Arora, weigh in. If one doctor gives her Xanax and Valium -- and we understand there were other pill bottles there in the hotel room near her body -- waiting to confirm that -- if one doctor did that, what does that mean?
MANNY ARORA, DEFENSE ATTORNEY: Well, first thing you have to understand is, does the doctor have a proper medical file showing why she needed to take these pills? That`s the first and foremost. Then the second issue is, as the prosecutor said, is there an abuse issue? Does the doctor know about? And if it is, then he may open himself up to some type of liability, be it civil or criminal.
GRACE: Manny Arora, have you ever walked -- do you ever -- do you ever buy groceries, Manny?
ARORA: Yes.
GRACE: OK. So I assume you walk down the checkout line? Yes, no.
ARORA: Yes, of course.
GRACE: OK. Do you ever look around and see pictures of Whitney Houston falling over, coming out of a party or something? I mean, her doctors would have to be under a rock to know this -- not to know that she needs help. Her life could have been saved. Her daughter could have a mother right now.
Speaking of the daughter, reports she`s getting high there at the funeral. So you know, how could a doctor not know the condition of his patient, Manny? In fact, we know now that she failed a physical exam just days before her death. A doctor refused a simple procedure on her because she couldn`t pass the physical exam. What do you mean, did the doctor know about her addiction?
ARORA: Well, it`s just common sense. How many doctors did she have, first of all? We don`t know that just yet. We know she`s got doctors in Atlanta. We know she`s got doctors in the Northeast, doctors out in California. And it`s not the doctors` job to talk to one another. So...
GRACE: OK, that`s a good point. Point accepted.
Ellie Jostad, what do we know about the real cause of Whitney Houston`s death?
ELLIE JOSTAD, NANCY GRACE PRODUCER: Well, Nancy, we are still waiting for an official cause of death from the coroner`s office out in LA. We know at this point that it`s considered deferred, that they are looking into drugs prescribed by doctors, in other words. They want to find out what doctors are prescribing, when, where, how much of it she was taking.
GRACE: Well, Alexis Tereszcuk, Ellie Jostad says we`re waiting on the official cause of death. Why are you telling me you know the cause of death?
TERESZCUK: We have -- we have an exclusive source who has confirmed to us that it was the deadly concoction of Valium, Xanax and alcohol, and her heart stopped.
(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...
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Prescription pills found inside Whitney Houston`s Beverly Hills hotel room.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: She struggled with drugs and alcohol.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: So many things about people saying that, you know, she was erratic.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Evidence of what sources tell us was erratic behavior by Whitney Houston.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Her career and her life were cut short.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Have mixed some of these medicines with alcohol.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They don`t realize the effects of mixing medications with alcohol. Very dangerous thing to do.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He finds solace in the stage. And that`s where he`s most at home and that`s helps with his mourning.
BROWN: I want to give blessings to my ex-wife, Whitney Houston. I love you!
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We love you, Whitney!
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: ... listening to her music, actually knew her in real life (INAUDIBLE)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GRACE: That is Houston`s "I`m Every Woman" from Arista. And then just before that was ex-husband Bobby Brown, who performed the night of her funeral and actually gambled the night away, including $500-a-hand hands of blackjack at a luxury casino. Apparently, he`s got plenty of money to throw around.
But back to Alexis Tereszcuk, senior reporter, Radaronline.com. Don`t think I didn`t catch what you said, that your reports tell you she was using cocaine prior to her death. Why are you saying that?
TERESZCUK: Our sources have told us that they had -- that`s what Whitney was doing. I`m not saying the minutes before her death, but in the months leading up to her death, she was out partying, spotted multiple times using cocaine. And this is something that Whitney sought rehab multiple times over the decades, in fact. So this was something that...
GRACE: OK, you know, I`m...
TERESZCUK: ... you would not find surprising.
GRACE: ... I`m trying to isolate the days, the hours before her death. You know, I appreciate you, Alexis, going back decades, OK? But I`m trying to focus on a cause of death.
To Dr. Joye Carter. Dr. Carter, how long does cocaine stay in your system?
CARTER: Usually just four to six hours.
GRACE: So unless the autopsy were performed four to six hours later, it would not be in her bloodstream? Is that what you`re telling me?
CARTER: It may not be. And you`d have to know when she took the cocaine, and then also took the other mixture of drugs.
GRACE: OK. Because it`s my understanding that evidence of cocaine can be found in your blood system up to 36 hours post-mortem.
CARTER: Yes. That`s evidence of past use of cocaine. It would have been metabolized or broken down in the system, not acute cocaine.
GRACE: To Brad Lamm, board-registered interventionist. You, in fact, overcame not only cocaine but methamphetamines. Weigh in.
LAMM: Well, it`s really hard to stop, but you can do it with the support of others. That`s the biggest thing I tell families. What can you do to help them? It`s help them let you help them. Folks don`t quit alone.
GRACE: Tonight, amidst reports of her teen daughter getting high at the funeral, the real cause of Whitney Houston`s death apparently revealed -- we are still waiting on an official COD -- a deadly mix of Xanax, alcohol and Valium.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Whitney Houston.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Pronounced dead.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Whitney Houston is dead.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: In her final days.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: She was upbeat, she was joyful.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Drinking, drinking heavily.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Overwhelming in my spirit and my soul.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Valium, Xanax.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Prescription pills found inside Whitney Houston`s Beverly Hills hotel room.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Bobby Brown.
BROWN: I want to give blessings to my ex-wife.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Left the funeral service.
BROWN: I love you!
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: But when he couldn`t be accommodated, he chose to leave.
OPRAH WHITNEY, TALK SHOW HOST: You are Bobby Brown, and really, you`re in the shadow. You`re in the shadow.
WHITNEY HOUSTON, SINGER: Yes. He supported me. He loved me. We fought hard. We loved hard.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GRACE: You just saw not only Oprah, but Houston on Harpo Productions, as well as Warner Brothers` sound of her singing.
We are taking your calls. Also to Rob Shuter joining us from HuffingtonPost. Rob, you`re reporting that the ex, Bobby Brown, has got what, a six-figure deal in the works for a tell-all book?
ROB SHUTER, HUFFINGTONPOST: Yes. He`s been trying to write this book for some time. He pitched it originally in 2008. This is a period that Whitney wasn`t necessarily the hottest commodity.
GRACE: OK, hold on just a moment. I want to get to the heart of this. To Dr. Joye M. Carter, chief forensic pathologist. Dr. Carter, explain to me -- because there`s millions of Americans that use Xanax, that use Valium, that may take a drink of wine or whatever with those medications. Why would Xanax, Valium combined with alcohol make her heart stop?
CARTER: All of these medications and alcohol cause central nervous system depression. And the heart works through the brain. If the brain is intact, the heart will be beating. But if you take too much of these drugs, you`re going to end up with death.
GRACE: To Gary Catona. This is Whitney`s vocal coach -- one of the greatest voices we`ve ever heard, Whitney Houston. Gary Catona, thank you for being with us. Gary, as I recall, she had the most -- one of the most beautiful voices I`ve ever heard. But in the days leading up to her death, is it true she was told she would no longer be able to hit the high notes due to drugs and alcohol?
GARY CATONA, HOUSTON`S VOCAL COACH (via telephone): Well, you know, when I went to see her in 2005, her voice was completely gone. She was -- her speaking voice and her singing voice were both hoarse. So it`s not just her high notes. It was her low notes. All her notes were in bad shape.
GRACE: Why, Gary? What was the cause of her losing her voice?
CATONA: Well, you know, I think it`s fairly obvious. And I think her lifestyle choices leaded (ph) to the destruction of her voice. But it wasn`t permanent. And when I first -- when I first saw that, I was concerned about that. But as I began working with her, her voice began returning. So that was very exciting. And every time I saw her thereafter, her voice got better each time.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Several prescription drugs found in her hotel room, valium, Xanax.
DON LEMON, CNN ANCHOR: The source also confirming that Xanax found in her hotel room.
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Whitney Houston may have spent her last days drinking heavily.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The champagne was flowing. It was a party.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: She was a train wreck happening, and no one could stop her. Everyone tried.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: But there was no indication that she was somehow, you know, drinking or ill or anything like that.
LT. MARK ROSEN, BEVERLY HILLS POLICE: Miss Houston`s body was pulled from the bathtub.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Obviously the prescription drugs from what we`ve heard involved in Whitney Houston`s death.
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Doctors, pharmacies have been contacted to give their records over to L.A. investigators.
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: This is where she started.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GRACE: Tonight the cause of songbird Whitney Houston`s death revealed. A huge and deadly mix of Xanax, valium, and alcohol. This as we learned her teen daughter actually getting high there at her mother`s funeral. This after ex-Bobby Brown comes in with an alleged entourage at the funeral and told to stay away from his daughter. Now set to land a six-figure tell-all book deal.
This as the clothes off Whitney Houston`s back along with her beloved home being put on the auction block.
I want to go to you, Ellie Jostad. What can you tell me about the clothes off her back being put up for auction?
ELLIE JOSTAD, NANCY GRACE CHIEF EDITORIAL PRODUCER: Nancy, there is a Hollywood Legends Auction that is coming up. And among the items that are being auctioned is that black dress, once worn by Whitney Houston. A vest that she wore in the movie "The Bodyguard" as well as a pair of pearl earrings of hers.
GRACE: And what can you tell me about her home? The home that she loves so much? I found a very distasteful flyer regarding the sale of her home, it being on the auction block. Stating something like, "You too can have a piece of Whitney."
JOSTAD: Right.
GRACE: "A piece of the singing legend by buying her home." Where is the home? Why is it on the auction block? And wouldn`t all this go to Bobbi Kristina? Isn`t it her decision on whether to put the home on the auction block?
JOSTAD: Well, correct. We do believe that any proceeds would go to Bobbi Kristina. But the real estate company says it`s no different than the record company capitalizing on her death by reminding everybody her records are for sale.
GRACE: Let`s me go to Alexis Tereszcuk. My question was, Whitney Houston`s home is on the market. Somebody`s going to make millions of dollars. It`s being advertised as getting a piece of Whitney Houston, which I find very, very distasteful.
My question, Alexis, is since her only child is Bobbi Kristina, wouldn`t this be her decision?
ALEXIS TERESZCUK, REPORTER, RADAROLINE.COM: It absolutely should be her decision. It was for sale before Whitney died because as I reported a few weeks ago Whitney has had major financial troubles lately. Unfortunately, she has not managed her money as well as she should have.
Here`s the thing. Following her death, there`s been a windfall of money for Bobbi Kristina. Immediately following her death, her iTune sales skyrocketed. The record company even upped the price of the songs for sale. So Whitney in her death is giving her daughter a huge amount of money.
GRACE: You know what, Alexis? I certainly hope so. Because according to some reports ex-Bobby Brown is still the one on the will and the life insurance policy. I hope that`s not correct.
I want to go back to a special guest joining us, Gary Catona. He`s a renowned vocal coach joining us out of Las Vegas. He was Whitney Houston`s vocal coach. And again, one of the greatest voices we have ever seen, Gary.
GARY CATONA, WHITNEY HOUSTON`S VOICE COACH: Yes.
GRACE: You`re telling me her voice totally shot.
CATONA: Absolutely.
GRACE: When you worked with her, what was the range she had left on her voice?
CATONA: Well, when I first -- when I first went to see her, she had no range. She had maybe one or two notes. That`s about it. And it was very distressing, as you can imagine. I mean having one of the greatest voices of all time. Not only was her voice amazingly athletic -- excuse me, but it was also very beautiful. And to have this voice reduced to ravages was a horrifying experience. But as I said --
GRACE: Back --
CATONA: Go ahead, I`m sorry.
GRACE: Good ahead, dear.
CATONA: I`m saying as her voice -- as we began working together, her voice began coming back. Her tones began getting more pure. The hoarseness began to disappear. The range began increasing. The volume of her voice began increasing. So it was a very exciting experience watching her voice return.
GRACE: Well, Gary Catona on a recent interview on one of the broadcast networks` morning shows, she absolutely could not hit a high note and blamed it on an interview she had with Oprah, just because she was talking to Oprah. Now that was very recently. Weigh in.
CATONA: That`s not true. That`s just an excuse. I mean she also smoked, you know, which was remarkable. She smoked which really inhibits the voice. But for me, and the fact that she was getting better over time from what I can see, it gave room for -- to be optimistic. Addicts, you know, when they improve a little bit, it`s a big improvement. So -- and everybody around her, her handlers, her family, they saw her getting better over time. And her voice was getting better over time. So there was reason to be optimistic.
GRACE: Right.
CATONA: And -- you know what I mean? So it`s difficult to --
GRACE: Yes.
CATONA: -- expect her to be absolutely perfect overnight.
GRACE: To Alexis Tereszcuk, Radaronline.com, what can you tell me about ex Bobby Brown performing that evening, the evening just hours after her funeral, and then gambling $500 hands of Blackjack at a luxury casino that evening?
TERESZCUK: You`re exactly right. After causing a complete scene at the funeral, storming out after 20 minutes, he kisses the casket and leaves, really disrupts the entire beautiful, loving proceeding, he goes -- he performs with his band on stage. He gives a tearful tribute to Whitney on stage. Then he heads up a restaurant where he`s hanging out with friends, and then he goes gambling. He`s actually at a table, putting down $500 a hand.
That is one of the highest levels, especially in a casino, that you can do. And it doesn`t seem like Bobby was too concerned about Whitney`s death. He was out in a public place, partying, basically.
GRACE: To Dr. Leslie Seppinni, clinical psychologist. Leslie, weigh in. Gambling the night of the funeral?
LESLIE SEPPINNI, PSY.D., CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGIST: Despicable. There is nothing else I can say. Absolutely despicable. Total lack of respect for his ex-wife. And also a lack of respect for his family.
GRACE: I thought you were going to say he was working through his grief.
SEPPINNI: Working through his grief, my ass, I`m sorry about that. But as far as this -- you know, I really want to say that, you know, her voice was volcanic. It ignited a nation. But it was also volcanic in that it burned her as a person because she couldn`t find balance. And she was constantly trying to fulfill herself. And drugs seemed the only way that she could do it.
GRACE: Dorothy Cascerceri, "In Touch Weekly," what happened at Whitney Houston`s funeral? I`m most concerned about reports that her teen daughter was getting high immediately after and did not want to go to the burial?
DOROTHY CASCERCERI, SENIOR EDITOR, IN TOUCH WEEKLY: Yes. There were reports, Nancy, you`re exactly correct, that Bobbi Kristina disappeared after the funeral, and sources told "In Touch" that she kind of hid her face after the funeral. And then the next day, you know, until the burial, she just really didn`t want to deal with people very much.
There were reports that she was in fact getting high. We also heard from Whitney`s lawyer who shined light on a very, very big part of what happened with Bobby Brown at that funeral, and the fact that he had an agreement with the family that he was not to approach Bobbi Kristina in any way. And so there is a lot here.
GRACE: So he was not supposed to approach his own daughter. But why did he leave? What was the truth behind why he left? And everyone keeps talking about his entourage. But weren`t those his children with him?
CASCERCERI: Yes. I mean, it`s a he said-she said right now because Bobby Brown released a statement, kind of acting like the victim in a way where he felt like he was unfairly treated and asked to move several times. But then we heard from Whitney`s lawyer who said that in fact it was much more complicated than that and it had to do with Bobbi Kristina.
GRACE: With me is Grammy-winning singer and songwriter, a dear friend of Whitney Houston`s, Gordon Chambers, who has been grieving since the death of Whitney Houston.
You have known her for years, encouraged her, supported her, been with her through all of her ups and downs. What was her demeanor the last time you saw her, Mr. Chambers?
GORDON CHAMBERS, GRAMMY AWARD-WINNING SINGER, SONGWRITER, FRIEND OF WHITNEY HOUSTON. ATTENDED FUNERAL: The last time I saw her was two years ago when she was getting ready to go to Clive`s party. And she was actually staying at the Beverly Hilton Hotel, ironically enough. And she was upbeat. She was getting dressed. She was picking between two dresses. And she asked me what I thought, the gold dress or the blue, I liked the gold.
And Tyler Perry was calling to say he`d meet her later on. And she was the diva having -- getting ready to have a wonderful time. And, you know, as busy as she was in that moment, she was extremely gracious to me in her hotel room and she was warm and she was kind.
GRACE: CNN is reporting no valium in the room, just Xanax. Source says any reports about cause of death are speculative. This in contrast to Radar`s reporting of valium, Xanax and alcohol.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
WHITNEY HOUSTON, SINGER: My mama taught me to say, I love, love the lord.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We also looked. Part of the autopsy, was there water in the lungs? If so that means that she was breathing as she went underwater.
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: What she was doing in the hours before her death.
LEMON: It is saying that the days before her death, she was seen ordering and consuming considerable quantities of alcohol before 10:00 a.m. in the morning.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I would really come out and say that Whitney Houston was a junkie.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: There is no question when a patient is an addict, you have to -- you cannot prescribe to them.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GRACE: Detective Lieutenant Steve Rogers is with us.
Steve, thank you for being with us. What do you make of police seizing -- medical examiners seizing hotel footage that reportedly shows Whitney Houston`s hotel room, the entrance and exit to her hotel room the night that she passed away?
DET. LT. STEVE ROGERS, NUTLEY, NEW JERSEY, POLICE DEPARTMENT: Well, they`re going to want to determine if anyone was with her in that room during a period of time that she may have passed away. And they`re going to look at the footage in front of the hotel, probably in the car doors, looking to see if in fact, Nancy, anyone was with her during the time of death. And that could have a great impact on this investigation.
GRACE: We are taking your calls, out to Barbara in Ohio. Hi, Barbara. What is your question?
BARBARA, CALLER FROM OHIO: Hi, Nancy. First of all, I just wanted to say I appreciate you so much. And my heart goes out to this family because I know what it`s like. I too lost my daughter to a drug overdose.
GRACE: You know what, Barbara.
BARBARA: And I hope --
GRACE: I am sorry to hear that.
BARBARA: Thank you. I just hope that every one of these doctors that are feeding our loved one`s addiction pays for this. It`s got to stop somewhere. GRACE: You know, let`s follow up.
Hugo Rodriguez, Manny Aurora, will a doctor -- I mean we saw a doctor go to trial for his hand in Michael Jackson`s death.
Manny Aurora, the likelihood that there will ever be charges is extremely low. We saw investigations in Anna Nicole Smith, Benoit, Michael Jackson, there is quite a list. But it`s extremely rare that happens, sadly. In response to Barbara`s question, Manny?
MANY AURORA, DEFENSE ATTORNEY: I don`t think there`s a chance of prosecution. Unlike Michael Jackson, where you could put all the pills on one doctor that knew what was going on, it appears, at least at this point, there`s lots of different doctors all over the country. They probably didn`t talk amongst each other. So I think it`d be hard.
GRACE: Agree Hugo?
HUGO RODRIGUEZ, DEFENSE ATTORNEY, FMR. FBI AGENT: I disagree. Here in South Florida, the federal government has been going after pain clinics, and there have been many doctors that have been indicted, pled or been convicted. If they can show a pattern or they can show knowledge in the doctor`s part that she was addicted, they gave voluminous scripts, they knew about it and they could have a nexus that could possibly be a prosecution.
GRACE: Sandy in Missouri, hi, dear, what`s your question?
SANDY, CALLER FROM MISSOURI: Yes, my question is -- well, first, I love you and I love your show. And my question is.
GRACE: Thank you.
SANDY: Valium and Xanax are the same class of medications, right? Is the doctor -- did they know the same doctor prescribed both medicines?
GRACE: We don`t know, do we, Ellie?
JOSTAD: No, we don`t, Nancy. We don`t know.
GRACE: As a matter of fact, Elle, CNN is saying no valium in the room. That`s in contrast to Radar`s reporting that there is Xanax, valium and alcohol in her bloodstream, which are two different things all together.
So we don`t know, Sandy. Still waiting for the report. To John in Massachusetts.
Hi, John in Massachusetts. Hi, John, what`s your question?
JOHN, CALLER FROM MASSACHUSETTS: Hi, Nancy. How are you? I got a few questions for you if you don`t mind.
GRACE: OK.
JOHN: I love your show as well.
GRACE: Sure.
JOHN: Are they sure it was prescription drugs that killed Whitney Houston? And do they know, like, maybe it might have been death from withdrawal? And do you think Bobby Brown was a drug and alcohol enabler to Whitney and Bobbi Kristina?
GRACE: To Brett Lamm, interventionist, "How to Change Someone You Love." Let`s start with Brown.
BRAD LAMM, CERTIFIED INTERVENTIONIST, AUTHOR OF "HOW TO HELP THE ONE YOU LOVE": Well, I think both of them struggle with years and years and years, decades even, with addiction. I know the physical and mental costs added up. And when you have two addicted parents in a home, the odds go way up, Nancy, that the child is also going to grow up to addicted. That`s one of the biggest tragedies here. And it`s one what a lot of your viewers can relate to I`m sure right now at this moment, too.
GRACE: Alexis Tereszcuk, to John`s question about cause of death. Weigh in.
TERESZCUK: This is what our sources told us is going to be the cause of death. Obviously the toxicology reports are going to be released officially in a few weeks. But we`re confident that this is what killed Whitney Houston.
GRACE: I want to go back to reports, Dorothy Cascerceri, "In Touch weekly," regarding now I think 18-year-old Bobbi Kristina reportedly getting high following the funeral, and refusing to go, not wanting to go to the burial?
CASCERCERI: Yes, Nancy. Bobbi Kristina has understandably so, you know, been taking this very difficult. And there are reports that she just wanted to kind of, you know, crawl up into a hole for the time between the funeral and the burial, as we can assume most people would want to do. And her family really had to, you know, stick by her and be a huge form of support to her.
We also know that she went to the hospital two different times within the 24 hours after she found out that her mother was dead. So this has been a really, really tough time for her.
GRACE: To Rob Shuter, "Huffington Post," "Naughty But Nice" columnist. You`re reporting about ex Bobby Brown`s tell-all book. He`s got $500 a hand hands of Blackjack the night of her funeral at a luxury casino? What, has he already gotten an advance on a Whitney Houston book?
I mean, for Pete`s sake, Shuter, her home is up for sale. The clothes off her back are up for sale. Now he is shopping a tell-all book. As he already gotten an advance?
ROB SHUTER, NAUGHTY BUT NICE COLUMNIST FOR HUFFINGTON POST, HAS MET WHITNEY HOUSTON: No, he hasn`t gotten an advance. He hasn`t even sold this book. What sources are telling me in the publishing world is that this book might be a very hard sell. People at the moment are very, very angry with Bobby Brown. And I`m not sure they really want to hear his side of the story.
Also, that gambling. Quite often when celebrities play concerts at casinos, the house often gives them chips to gamble with. So it might not have been his money.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Just exactly what might have killed her.
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Hers was a voice instantly recognized by millions.
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Whitney Houston is dead.
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: The pop star was found dead by her bodyguard in her Beverly Hills hotel room.
ROSEN: There was no visible signs of trauma.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
GRACE: The tragic and sudden death of superstar Whitney Houston. Tonight we remember America`s beautiful songbird.
(MUSIC)
HOUSTON: I don`t have hit records, I have a career. What I have done, I`ve done for my heart and I`ve done with love.
I`ve given a lot of my time to my heart and soul, to my music. All I want to do is sing.
I truly know what I was singing then and what God had planned for me in today in my life, you know what I`m saying, it carried me through a whole lot of stuff.
The greatest love of all is learning to love yourself. It`s the greatest love of all, it truly is.
We live in a very cynical world, but I stay prayed up, and that means a lot to me in my life. When I look at that mirror, and I called God, I feel confident. I want to go, yes, I like this. This is me, it`s good, it`s a good thing. It`s all good.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GRACE: Let`s stop and remember Army Sergeant Kurtis Arcala, 22, Palmer, Alaska, killed Iraq. Bronze Star, Purple Heart, Draper Armor Leadership Award. Loved outdoors, fishing with his brother, hunting, had a smile that lit up a room. Remembered for standing up for what he believed in. Leaves behind Gold Star mother Angela. Step father John, sisters Aurora and Caitlyn, brother Jason.
Kurtis Arcala, American hero.
Thanks to our guests but especially to you for being with us. I`ll see you tomorrow night 8:00 sharp Eastern, and until then, good night, friend.
END
