Whitney Houston is Dead

Veteran singer Whitney Houston has died at the age of 48

According to her publicist Kristen Foster, the troubled singer passed away earlier today, though the cause and location of death are not known at this time.

The songstress rose to fame with in the '80s with singles like "How Will I Know" and "Saving All My Love For You," continuing success in the '90s with her hit "I Will Always Love You." In recent years, she was believed to have been addicted to drugs, though had recently been showing signs of improvement. She most recently filmed a role in the upcoming big screen adaptation of Sparkle.

UPDATE: 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.

We will UPDATE as more information becomes available