Sister-in-law talks about discovering Whitney's body

 
Tragedy: Whitney was found submerged in the bathtub
12 March 2012
The Weekender

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Whitney Houston's manager and sister-in-law has opened up about how the singer's body was discovered.

Patricia Houston - who was staying in the room below Whitney at the Beverly Hilton Hotel on February 11 - was on her way to see the 48-year-old star when she heard screams coming from the suite.


Describing her walk down the hallway, Patricia said: "I hear screams. I kept walking very slow. A woman opened her door and said, 'Is everything all right?' I said 'Dial 911'.


"I knew something was wrong. I didn't know what. I was just numb. I walked.


"As I got closer, and I turn the corner, Mary's [Whitney's assistant] at the door and she's screaming, 'Oh my god'. I told her to stop. 'Calm down, please'.


"I saw my brother, Ray (security guard), trying to revive her to the point of exhaustion. The paramedics were coming in at that point. I said, 'Ray, let it go'. He was so out of breath. I felt so badly for him.


"Then I saw her. She had a peaceful look on her face. She had a peaceful look."


Breaking down, Patricia told Oprah Winfrey in a hour-long special of 'Oprah's Next Chapter' on Sunday night how she struggled to leave Whitney once it was all over.


She explained: "I just couldn't do it. I said, 'Don't touch me, please'. I couldn't leave her. I could not leave her. I saw them cover her up and I knew that was it. I knew that that was it. Looking at her and watching that, I still could not believe it. I could not believe it."


But with Whitney's 19-year-old daughter Bobbi Kristina down the hall, Patricia says she battled to remain composed.


She added: "I just had to keep my calm. One of the hardest things I've ever had to do, but I had to do it."


Meanwhile, Whitney's on-and-off boyfriend Ray J says he is "still hurting" over her death.


The 31-year-old rapper told US Weekly: "It's just such a tough time for me. I've been through a lot in these past few weeks.


"I'm able to look at life in a whole different way. I always look at my phone because I got a picture of somebody I really love and it helps me through the day."

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