Whitney Houston died from mixing a cocktail of Xanax and other powerful prescription drugs with alcohol, it has been reported.

Her family has allegedly been told by Los Angeles County Coroner officials there was not enough water in her lungs to conclude she had drowned in her luxury hotel bathtub and in fact died before her head went under water, said gossip website TMZ.

The revelations come as it emerged that her daughter Bobbi Kristina, 18, allegedly fell asleep in a bathtub in the same Beverly Hilton hotel just 24 hours before her mother died. TMZ claims security was called to unlock the door and to help the 18-year-old on that occasion.

Relatives now fear Bobbi Kristina has become suicidal - after she was rushed to hospital twice in the 24 hours following the discovery of her mother’s dead body in the bathtub of a Hollywood hotel.

LOS ANGELES - Whitney Houston, who ruled as pop music's queen until her majestic voice and regal image were ravaged by drug use, erratic behavior and a tumultuous marriage to singer Bobby Brown, died Saturday. She was 48.

Beverly Hills police Lt. Mark Rosen told reporters outside the Beverly Hilton that Houston was pronounced dead at 3:55 p.m. in her room on the fourth floor of the hotel. Her body remained there and Beverly Hills detectives were investigating.

"There were no obvious signs of any criminal intent at this time," Rosen said.

Houston's publicist, Kristen Foster, said Saturday that the cause of her death was unknown.

Rosen said police received a 911 call from hotel security about Houston at 3:43 p.m. Saturday. Paramedics who were already at the hotel because of a Grammy party unsuccessfully tried to resuscitate the singer, he said.

Beverly Hills Police Department later issued a statement:""Whitney Houston was pronounced dead that the scene by members of her entourage which included friends, co-workers, and family. Ms. Houston's daughter and mother were notified of here death."

The statement also added that "the investigation is currently being conducted" and that "there is no additional information at this time."

"The actual cause of death will be determined by the L.A. Co. Coroner's Office," it said.

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Houston's death came on the eve of music's biggest night -- the Grammy Awards. It's a showcase where she once reigned, and her death was sure to cast a heavy pall on Sunday's ceremony.

Her longtime mentor Clive Davis was to hold his annual concert and dinner Saturday, and a representative of the show said it would proceed.

Houston was supposed to appear at the gala, and Davis had told The Associated Press that she would perhaps perform: "It's her favorite night of the year ... (so) who knows by the end of the evening," he said.

Producer Jimmy Jam, who had worked with Houston, said he anticipated the evening would become a tribute to her, and he expected there to be one at the Grammys as well.

Move over Oprah, Beyonce may be poised to be the WEALTHIEST female entertainer in the world. According to an EXTREMELY RELIABLE insider, Simon Cowell has offered Beyonce $500M - to be a judge on the hit TV series X-Factor.

According to MediaTakeOut.com's insider, who is the same person that EXCLUSIVELY gave us the news that Jennifer Lopez was joining American Idol,Simon Cowell DESPERATELY wants to revive X-Factor and he believes that Beyonce is the one to do it.

The insider explained, "He wants a big name female star on the panel. Mariah [Carey] is good, but she's not that hot today. He wants Beyonce because that would immediately give him the bounce needed to beat American Idol."

And Simon is willing to PAY to land Beyonce. Our snitch tells us that he's offered Beyonce $500M, or $100M per year for 5 seasons. If Bey accepted, she and Jay Z would IMMEDIATELY be worth over $1 BILLION combined.

So we know what you're wondering - is Beyonce interested. Our snitch in the Beyonce camp is tight lipped, but told us to expect a very "MAJOR" career announcement from Beyonce in the next month or so.

Typically we would say that it was a BAD move for Beyonce to be a judge on X-Factor . . . but for $500 MILLI . . . take that money GIRRRRRL!!!

Yesterday, MediaTakeOut.com told you that 75 year old Soul Train Founder DON CORNELIUS committed SUICIDE. Well we just got word from a usually RELIABLE friend of ours, the people over at Humormill.com.

Here is what they are reporting:

We hear that Don was having a very bad bout with cancer, and while this was going on, he was in a bitter dispute with his wife over the insurance money that would be delegated to her upon his death from the deadly disease.

Our sources state that Don wanted the money to be given to his son Tony, but because of his marriage and his failing health the insurance was to be given to his wife. Don made the decision to take his own life since his doctor stated he had weeks left to live.

Don probably suspected that Life insurance DOESN'T PAY ANYTHING if someone commits SUICIDE!!! But California is different, if you had the policy more than 2 years - the policy pays for a suicide. And Don's policy was MORE than 2 years old.

Wow, that is a really SAD story.

There's an inevitable rhythm to January 1 at my house. I take down the tree, vacuum up pine needles, and start making my New Year's resolutions. The list usually looks like this: Lose weight. Swear off TV and saturated fat. Eat salads. Call Dad more. Write that novel. Floss. By midday I'm worn out, intermittently dozing in front of a football game and swiping my husband's million-calorie nachos.

It's not that I totally lack discipline. It's just that I don't sufficiently appreciate what's going on in my brain, explains Joseph Shrand, M.D., an instructor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School. Self-restraint is a rational desire, which means it lives in the front of the brain, the section that's most recently evolved and most vulnerable to being overruled by survival instincts. Pleasure resides in the brain's most primitive part, which has spent millions of years learning to reward us with a deeply satisfying jolt of dopamine when we give in to these kinds of urges. And while that brain circuitry evolved to encourage life-prolonging desires like eating and sex, says Dr. Shrand, we now get a rush from giving in to anything we want, whether it's an illicit drug, chocolate, or buying expensive purple peep-toe boots, even when the more evolved part of our brain tells us we'll quickly regret it.

So how do you help the rational (i.e., your New Year's resolutions) triumph over the pleasure-seeking? You need to outsmart it with these research-proven strategies.

1. Give It a Workout

I'd always thought of willpower as a steady, steely resolve that made some women triathletes and some (not my real name) couch-nappers. But it's more like a muscle, says Marvin D. Seppala, M.D., chief medical officer at Hazelden, the well-known addiction treatment center. That means the more we use it, the stronger it gets — and quickly. In an experiment at the University at Albany — State University of New York, researchers asked 122 smokers who were trying to quit to exert extra self-control for two weeks, either by avoiding sweets or by squeezing on a grip strengthener for as long as they could twice a day. In the following month, 27 percent of those who were diligent about practicing their self-control exercise successfully kicked their cigarette habit, compared with just 12 percent of volunteers who'd been given a task that didn't call for self-control.

To try this at home, squeeze a grip strengthener (available at sporting-goods stores for under $10) or a rubber ball till it becomes uncomfortable, then hold as long as you can. Repeat at least twice a day. Or, flex your self-control emotionally by trying not to tear up during a sad movie.

Just don't expect to become the Wonder Woman of Willpower, advises psychologist and study author Mark Muraven, Ph.D. As with a muscle, push too hard or under conditions that are too challenging, and your resolve (like an overworked hamstring) will collapse. "If you're very hungry, I can't imagine that any amount of willpower will keep you from eating a cupcake," Muraven says.

2. Make One Change at a Time

Once you understand that you have only a limited amount of willpower, it's easy to understand why multiple resolutions aren't likely to work, says Ian Newby-Clark, Ph.D., a psychologist at the University of Guelph in Canada. Most resolutions actually require many behavior changes. Sure, some are straightforward, like remembering to take a calcium pill every day — but a successful weight-loss program, for example, calls for more than just a decision to eat less. You have to shop and cook differently, start or ramp up an exercise routine, maybe even ditch certain social or family events. "Thinking through these substrategies boosts success rates," says Newby-Clark. "But it would take too much attention and vigilance to do all that and also decide it's time to brush your teeth for the full two minutes and become better informed about world events."

3. Break It Up

Since your supply of self-control is finite, make resolutions that require small acts of will, not weeks of vigilance. " 'Lose 10 pounds' sounds specific, but it's less likely to work than behavioral goals like 'This week I'll try to go to the gym three times, take the stairs at work at least twice, and bring a healthy lunch every day,' " says Andrea Bonior, Ph.D., a psychologist in private practice in Washington, DC, and author of the "Baggage Check" column for the Washington Post Express. You'll feel good when you accomplish each goal, and your success will help bolster your resolve: The better you are at making small changes, the easier it will be for you to keep going.