- NEW: Singer Kelly Price says Whitney Houston was in "good spirits" two days before her death
- NEW: Celine Dion: "I'm scared of show business. I'm scared of drugs."
- Houston's ex-husband, Bobby Brown, arrived in Los Angeles to a throng of media
- Performers, from LL Cool J to Jennifer Hudson, paid tribute to Houston at the Grammy Awards
Share your thoughts about the passing of musical superstar Whitney Houston.
Los Angeles (CNN) -- A singer who participated in an impromptu duet with Whitney Houston at a party two days before Houston's death said Monday she noticed nothing amiss and the superstar was "upbeat and joyful."
"She did not seem disheveled. She was dancing, she was laughing ... we were having a good time," said Kelly Price.
"What I saw on Thursday night was not erratic behavior. I didn't see someone who was high."
Price said the party was held to celebrate her Grammy nominations. During the party, Houston took the stage unexpectedly and sang a hoarse rendition of "Jesus Loves Me" with Price.
Price said Houston's voice is "naturally raspy," but "she sounded good on Thursday night."
She acknowledged that Houston did have champagne, which "was flowing" at the party and said she was glad to see her friend happy. "It was a genuine moment of celebration," she said.
"She was in good spirits leaving the club," Price said. "Yes, she was a little messy, as I was, as every other person was at 2, 3, 3:30 ... in the morning after having sung half the night, danced half the night."
Price said she never expected to receive the call Saturday that Houston, 48, was found dead in her suite at the upscale Beverly Hilton, just hours before she was to attend another pre-Grammys party at the hotel.
"It doesn't resonate to anything that happened on Thursday," Price said.
There were more questions than answers Monday about Houston's sudden death, as authorities were offering few details. The singer's soaring voice and impressive talent had taken a back seat in recent years to her struggles with drug addiction.
An autopsy was completed on Houston Sunday, but "there will be no cause of death at this time because it is pending toxicology reports," Ed Winter, assistant chief of the Los Angeles County Coroner's office, told reporters.
Winter declined to release the coroner's initial finding of cause of death, saying lab results were expected in six to eight weeks.
Whitney Houston was found dead Saturday by her bodyguard on the fourth floor of the Beverly Hills hotel where only hours later she was to attend a pre-Grammy bash hosted by her longtime mentor, Clive Davis. She was 48. Here, Houston performs at a pre-Grammy event a year ago in Beverly Hills. Following is a a look at the singer's life through the years.
"I Wanna Dance With Somebody" was a hit single from Houston's second album, titled "Whitney."
Whitney Houston poses with her American Music Award in 1986 backstage at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles.
Houston poses with her mother, Cissy Houston, in March 1987.
Whitney Houston strikes a glamorous pose for a photo in 1987.
Houston performs in May 1988 at Wembley Arena in London.
Whitney Houston flashes her radiant smile in January 1991.
Houston sings "The Star-Spangled Banner" before Super Bowl XXV in Tampa, Florida, in January 1991, during the Persian Gulf War.
Houston gestures as she sings the national anthem before the start of Super Bowl XXV in 1991.
Whitney Houston performs in July 1991.
Houston performs in October 1993 in the Netherlands.
Houston waves to the crowd at the 36th Annual Grammy Awards in New York in March 1994, after she was honored for Record of the Year, "I Will Always Love You," and Album of the Year, the soundtrack from the film "The Bodyguard."
Houston appears with her husband at the time, Bobby Brown, at the Soul Train Music Awards in March 1995. Houston received the Sammy Davis Jr. Award for entertainer of the year.
Houston stars in the 1996 movie "The Preacher's Wife."
Whitney Houston appears in New York, 1997.
Houston performs during an AmFar Benefit Concert in New York City in December 1998.
Houston received the Best R&B performer award during the 1999 MTV Europe Music Awards in Dublin, Ireland.
Houston appears at the Grammy Awards in Los Angeles in February 2000.
Houston performs at the MTV Music Video Awards in 2000 at Radio City Music Hall in New York.
Whitney Houston performs in 2001.
Houston poses with her cousin Dionne Warwick and producer Clive Davis during the15th annual Ella Awards in Beverly Hills, California, in September 2006.
Houston arrives at the Beverly Hilton Hotel for a charity function in October 2006.
Houston performs during the German TV show "Let's Make a Bet" in 2009.
Houston performs at the American Music Awards in Los Angeles in 2009, where she won the International Favorite Artist award.
Houston performs at 02 Arena in London in April 2010.
Houston performs during a concert at the O2 World in May 2010 in Berlin.
Houston performs at Mediolanum Forum in Milan, Italy, in May 2010.
Houston attends the Rainforest Foundation Benefit Concert at Carnegie Hall in New York City in 1994.
Houston and her daughter, Bobbi Kristina Brown, arrive at a gala event honoring David Geffen at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in February 2011.
Houston performs at the Beverly Hilton in February 2011.
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Whitney Houston through the years
Bobby Brown breaks down at concert 
Whitney Houston's final performance
World saddened by Houston's death"I know there are reports that she maybe was drowned or did she overdose, but we won't make a final determination until all the tests are in," he said. Winter ruled out foul play and said there were no injuries to her body.
Winter confirmed reports that Houston was found in the bathtub of her hotel room. "I believe somebody removed her from the bathtub and the paramedics did CPR on her," he said.
Entertainment news website TMZ, citing "informed sources," reported pill bottles were found in Houston's room. CNN could not immediately confirm the TMZ report and Winter declined to comment.
Beverly Hills police have requested a "security hold" on the coroner's report, a common practice in high-profile cases that limits what can be revealed about a probe while it is ongoing.
"So there will be no additional information put out as far as what was discovered in the room, any details of that nature," Winter said.
As late as Monday morning, remembrances continued to pour in from around the world.
In a statement, Nelson Mandela extended his condolences to Houston's family and friends over her death. He recalled how she dedicated her performance of "Greatest Love Of All" to him during a White House dinner in his honor in October 1994.
"May she rest in peace," the statement said.
Songstress Celine Dion, speaking on ABC's "Good Morning America," admitted she stays away from the "show business" scene because of its risks.
"It's just very unfortunate that drugs and, I don't know, bad people or bad influence, took over," said Dion. "It took over her dreams, it took over love and motherhood ... when you, you know, you think about Elvis Presley and Marilyn Monroe and Michael Jackson and Amy Winehouse, I mean, to get into drugs like that for whatever reason ... What happens when you have the love, the support, family, motherhood, you have responsibilities of a mother and then something happens and it destroys everything?
"There's something that happens that I don't understand," she said, "and that's why I'm so scared. I'm scared of show business. I'm scared of drugs. I'm scared of hanging out. And that's why I don't do parties, and that's why I don't hang out. That's why I'm not part of show business, because we have to be afraid."
Whatever the exact cause, the grief over the death of Houston was evident Sunday at the Grammy Awards.
Host LL Cool J began his Grammy monologue by acknowledging "we've had a death in our family" and offering a prayer thanking God "for sharing our sister Whitney with us."
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Davis: I'm devastated by loss of Whitney"Although she's gone too soon, we remain truly blessed to have been touched by her beautiful spirit and to have her lasting legacy of music to cherish and share forever," the rapper and actor said.
Toward the end of the show, under a bright, solitary spotlight, Jennifer Hudson took to the stage at the Staples Center to perform Houston's mega-hit "I Will Always Love You."
Accompanied by a piano, Hudson delivered a searing, heartfelt performance that brought the audience to its feet, ending the song with one new line: "Whitney, we love you."
Earlier, on the red carpet, gospel singer Kim Burrell told CNN she'd exchanged voicemails with her good friend Houston shortly before her death, describing her as being "in great spirits, as always." She always thought of Houston as a "fighter" and a "survivor," which made the idea of her passing all the more difficult to comprehend.
"She's my sister and she'll always be my sister," said an emotional Burrell. "I love her dearly."
Burrell said she'd flown to California to join Houston in attending a pre-Grammy party Saturday night hosted by the songstress' longtime mentor, Clive Davis. Houston died a few hours before the party took place.
Amid the outpouring of grief, Beverly Hills police said Houston's 18-year-old daughter, Bobbi Kristina, was taken to Los Angeles' Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Sunday morning. Details of her condition were not disclosed.
A source close to the family told CNN that by late Sunday afternoon the teenager was out of the hospital and would be heading back to New Jersey possibly as early as that night. She was expected to go to the home of her grandmother, gospel singer Cissy Houston, in New Jersey, said the source, who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitive nature of the issue.
Burrell said she was with the teenager late Saturday, admitting the girl had felt "overwhelmed" while expressing confidence that "she'll pull through."
Bobbi Kristina Brown was born during Houston's marriage to Bobby Brown, which ended in divorce in 2007.
Her father, Brown, was swarmed by media when he arrived at Los Angeles International Airport Sunday night after pulling out of a performance with New Edition in Nashville, Tennessee, in the wake of the death.
Brown did not take any questions, and was quickly whisked into a waiting limousine.
The night Houston died, he was openly emotional during a concert in Southaven, Mississippi, said attendee and CNN iReporter Moshiu Knox, at one point asking people to say a prayer for his daughter, for his mother and "for me, because I'm going to need it."
"Bobby was crying during his performance and at one point had to walk off stage," Knox said.
Houston's family said in a statement Sunday, "We are devastated by the loss of our beloved Whitney. This is an unimaginable tragedy and we will miss her terribly. We appreciate the outpouring of love and support from her fans and friends."
Funeral arrangements for Houston were pending.
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