Tributes paid to Whitney Houston

Singer Whitney Houston has died, aged 48 (AP)

An American flag flies at half-mast atthe Whitney E Houston Academy of Creative and Performing Arts in East Orange, New Jersey (AP)

Whitney Houston at the Grammy awards ceremony in 1988 (AP)

Published: 3:52am, 12th February 2012
Updated: 11:41pm, 12th February 2012

Stars are expected to pay emotional tributes to Whitney Houston at the Grammy Awards after the singing legend's shock death.

The 48-year-old's death, confirmed by her publicist, came on the eve of the Grammy's - the LA gala of music's biggest occasion - and Sunday's event is likely to become a tribute to the troubled star.

Houston, herself a Grammy award-winner, was found in her hotel room on the fourth floor of the Beverly Hilton late on Saturday night.

Los Angeles police said paramedics unsuccessfully tried to resuscitate the troubled singer, who had battled with drug addiction, and she was pronounced dead at 3.55pm local time. Police said there were no "obvious signs" of any criminal intent in relation to Houston's death.

Houston, who some speculated was on the brink of bankruptcy, was pictured last week looking dishevelled and disorientated as she left a Hollywood nightclub with her daughter after performing at a pre-Grammy party.

On Sunday night, Houston's 18-year-old daughter was released from a Los Angeles hospital after being rushed there the morning after her mother's death.

A source close to the family said Bobbi Kristina Brown was treated and released for stress and anxiety.

The death of the star, one of the world's best-selling artists in the 1980s and 1990s, prompted a worldwide outpouring of grief, with tributes paid by some of the biggest names in the music industry.

Mariah Carey, who recorded the duet When You Believe with Houston in 1998, wrote on Twitter: "Heartbroken and in tears over the shocking death of my friend, the incomparable Ms. Whitney Houston. My heartfelt condolences to Whitney's family and to all her millions of fans throughout the world. She will never be forgotten as one of the greatest voices to ever grace the earth."

Music mogul Simon Cowell described Houston as "one of the greatest singers of all time" and a "true superstar". He told Heart FM a lot of people receiving awards at the Grammys would owe their success to "trailblazer" Houston, adding: "It's a night she deserves to be remembered fondly."