Singer Whitney Houston dies aged 48

Beverly Hills police Lt Mark Rosen told KABC-TV that Houston was pronounced dead at 3.55pm local time in her room on the fourth floor of the Beverly Hilton, and "there were no obvious signs of any criminal intent". Paramedics unsuccessfully tried to resuscitate the singer, the lieutenant added.

At her peak in the 1980s and 1990s, Houston was the golden girl of the music industry and one of the world's best-selling artists. Among her hits were How Will I Know, Saving All My Love for You and I Will Always Love You. She won multiple Grammys including album and record of the year.

Her success carried her beyond music to movies such as The Bodyguard. But by the end of her career, drug use took its toll as her record sales plummeted and her voice became raspy and hoarse.

In her glory years, she had the perfect voice and the perfect image - a gorgeous singer who had sex appeal but was never overtly sexual, who maintained perfect poise. She influenced a generation of younger singers, from Christina Aguilera to Mariah Carey, who when she first came out sounded so much like Houston that many thought it was Houston.

But by the end of her career, Houston became a stunning cautionary tale of the toll of drug use. Her album sales plummeted and the hits stopped coming; her once serene image was shattered by a wild demeanour and bizarre public appearances.

She confessed to abusing cocaine, marijuana and pills. "The biggest devil is me. I'm either my best friend or my worst enemy," Houston told ABC's Diane Sawyer in a 2002 interview with then-husband Bobby Brown by her side.

It was a tragic fall for a superstar who was one of the top-selling artists in pop music history, with more than 55 million records sold in the United States alone.

Her 1992 marriage to former New Edition member and soul crooner Brown seemed to be an odd union - she was seen as pop's pure princess while he had a bad-boy image, and already had children of his own. The couple had a daughter, Bobbi Kristina, in 1993. They divorced in 2007.

"I am absolutely heartbroken at the news of Whitney's passing," music producer Quincy Jones said in a written statement. "I always regretted not having had the opportunity to work with her. She was a true original and a talent beyond compare. I will miss her terribly."