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Sage Stallone’s body laid undiscovered for at least three to four days before being found Friday in his Los Angeles home, according to new reports.
Coroner’s officials are still investigating the death of Sage Stallone who is understood to have overdosed on prescription pills found at the scene.
According to TMZ, the 36-year-old filmmaker “lived like Howard Hughes” in a room “littered with junk” – and his body could have laid cold for as long as a week.
A source told TMZ Sage Stallone was living like a recluse at his Studio City home, and had not spoken to his family for a week before his body was discovered.
Sage Stallone’s body laid undiscovered for at least three to four days before being found Friday in his Los Angeles home
A housekeeper who is believed to have been at the residence earlier in the week was reported to have been instructed never to enter his room, which a law enforcement source described as “disgusting” and foul-smelling.
Sage Stallone’s mother, Sasha Czack, is said to have called the housekeeper on Friday to check on him after she was unable to reach her son. That is when the body was discovered, according to TMZ.
A friend of Sage Stallone has meanwhile disputed reports Sylvester Stallone’ son committed suicide, saying he was “healthy and upbeat” just two weeks before his sudden death.
As coroner’s officials investigate if the death was accidental, a friend of the young filmmaker says he is baffled by the news because he “never knew him to do drugs”.
The friend, who was not identified by RadarOnline, told the website: “I saw him two weeks ago and he seemed great. He was healthy and upbeat and didn’t seem depressed at all.
“I never knew him to do drugs, not even weed, so for him to die from an overdose is kind of shocking to me. I am totally stunned.”
RadarOnline reports an autopsy will be performed as early as Sunday, however, toxicology tests will be needed to determine cause of death.
The results of such tests could take weeks.
Sylvester Stallone on Friday said he is “devastated” and “grief-stricken” over the death of his son.
A source told Radar that medics arrived on the scene at 3:05 p.m. Friday afternoon and spent around 25 minutes trying to revive Sage Stallone before his death was pronounced at the scene.
Whitney Houston died by drowning in the bathtub of her Beverly Hilton Hotel suite, according to the LA coroner, but it was also determined that a non-lethal level of cocaine was found in her body, and that long-term cocaine abuse contributed to her death.
So far left unanswered is whether any illegal drugs were found at the scene, whether anybody from Whitney Houston’s entourage is suspected of cleaning up the area before paramedics arrived, and how she obtained the drugs.
“It’s still an open investigation for us,” Beverly Hills Police Lt. Mark Rosen told People magazine when asked if cocaine was found in the hotel room.
“I can’t disclose any details about the investigation.”
Coroner Assistant Chief Ed Winter previously confirmed that prescription bottles were found at the scene but that the medications were “not in an alarming amount.” The coroner has not commented on whether illegal drugs were also found.
Whitney Houston’s death is still an open investigation for police
Whitney Houston, 48, was found unresponsive and underwater in the tub on February 11, a day before the Grammy Awards, and was pronounced dead at the scene soon afterward.
The star had a long and well-publicized battle with substance abuse and went into rehab several times, including a stint in May 2011 in an outpatient program for what her reps said was drug and alcohol treatment.
The coroner’s office on Thursday released only a brief synopsis of its findings. A full autopsy report, which typically includes details of what investigators find at the death scene and witness interviews, is expected in about two weeks.
What the coroner is announcing is that based on a February 12 autopsy and toxicology tests: “The final cause of death has been determined to be drowning (and) effects of atherosclerotic heart disease and cocaine use.”
Cocaine, according to the report, was “contributory to death.” Also found in her system were marijuana, Xanax, the muscle relaxant Flexeril and Benadryl, “but did not contribute to the death.”
The bottom line, according to the report: “No trauma or foul play is suspected.”
Toxicology tests revealed that traces of cocaine have been found on a hair sample taken from Francesco Schettino, the shamed captain of the capsized Costa Concordia cruise ship.
Lawyers representing the survivors described the findings as “very strange” and called for Captain Francesco Schettino to be tested again.
Toxicology tests revealed cocaine was lying on the hair sample and in the evidence envelope the hair was in.
However, no cocaine was found in his hair or in his urine, which would indicate usage, according to the consultant who did the analyses for prosecutors.
Francesco Schettino has stood by the results, but said tests are needed to see if the samples might have been contaminated.
Italian consumer protection group Codacons is representing some survivors of the shipwrecked cruise liner, which rammed a reef near Giglio island the night of January 13.
The Italian news agency ANSA quoted the forensic medical expert who carried out the toxicology test as dismissing Codacons’ concerns about the external trace of cocaine.
Toxicology tests revealed that traces of cocaine have been found on a hair sample taken from Francesco Schettino, the shamed captain of the capsized Costa Concordia cruise ship
The expert, Marcello Chiarotti, said the modest trace of cocaine “was a marginal problem that absolutely doesn’t invalidate the results of the analysis” that found none of the drug inside the hair itself or in the urine.
Traces of cocaine in the urine or inside the hair itself would have pointed to consumption.
Francesco Schettino, 52, is under house arrest in his home near Naples while he is investigated for alleged manslaughter, causing a shipwreck and abandoning his ship.
The Costa Concordia captain has denied abandoning ship and insisted the reef was not marked on navigational charts.
Questions have been raised about Francesco Schettino’s behavior on the bridge in the critical moments before the ship ran aground.
Domnica Cemortan was seen cavorting with Captain Francesco Schettino in the minutes before his cruise liner foundered on rocks.
Italian authorities believe Francesco Schettino – dubbed Captain Coward – may have been distracted from his command by trying to impress the dancer.
Domnica Cemortan, who has a two-year-old daughter, had worked as a translator for the Costa Concordia but was on holiday on the ship at the time of Friday night’s disaster.
A grainy photograph was taken of her on the bridge.
Thirty-two people are believed to have died, including 15 whose bodies have not been found.
Marcello Chiarotti was described as expressing confidence in the results.
“We will be able to clear this problem up later,” he told ANSA.
ANSA said that traces of the drug might have resulted if Francesco Schettino’s hair had come in contact with someone who had handled cocaine.
Costa Concordia cruise ship was carrying some 4,200 passengers and crew on a week’s cruise on its standard route when it crashed into the reef during dinner a couple of hours after leaving an Italian port.
Divers have been searching sections of the wreckage where some of the missing were last seen in hopes that more bodies can be recovered.
After much delay, in great part because of stormy weather, pumping operations have been under way for a week to remove some 500,000 gallons of fuel from the ship’s tanks.
Whitney Houston was found underwater and unconscious in the bathtub of her Beverly Hilton hotel room on Saturday, according to Beverly Hills police.
Officials said they would not speculate on the cause of her death until toxicology tests are finished.
“Ms. Houston was pulled from the tub by members of her staff and hotel security was promptly notified,” said Beverly Hills police spokesman Lt. Mark Rosen.
A Los Angeles coroner said there were no signs of foul play.
It could take up to eight weeks before investigators know exactly why Whitney Houston died.
Whitney Houston was found underwater and unconscious in the bathtub of her Beverly Hilton hotel room on Saturday, according to Beverly Hills police
The Los Angeles coroner’s office said Whitney Houston’s body was released to her family late on Monday morning.
Whitney Houston’s body will be taken to New Jersey, where she lived, for a funeral to be held at the end of the week.
Born in Newark, Whitney Houston began her singing career as a child at the city’s New Hope Baptist Church. Her cousin, singer Dionne Warwick, also sang in its choir.
On Monday, mourners left tributes, including flowers, balloons and candles, alongside the church’s fence.
Whitney Houston was one of the world’s best-selling artists from the mid-1980’s to the late 1990’s, selling 170 million records worldwide.
But her later career was overshadowed by drug use and a turbulent marriage to singer Bobby Brown.
Whitney Houston, 48, was found in her hotel room just hours before she was supposed to appear at a gala before the Grammy awards show.
At the awards ceremony, Whitney Houston was remembered by the music world.
Host LL Cool J opened the event with a prayer for the legendary singer, who won six Grammys during her career.
The audience then gave a standing ovation after watching a clip of her hit I Will Always Love You.
Dressed in black and with a simple piano accompaniment, singer Jennifer Hudson later gave a rendition of the same song, ending with the line: “Whitney, we will always love you.”
Sales of Whitney Houston’s albums have soared on both sides of the Atlantic following her death in Los Angeles.
Whitney – The Greatest Hits is at two on the US iTunes chart, while Whitney Houston – The Ultimate Collection is second in the UK iTunes chart.
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There were no signs of foul play surrounding the death of legendary singer and actress Whitney Houston, according to a Los Angeles coroner.
After a post mortem examination, the coroner said there were no visible signs of trauma on Whitney Houston’s body and that foul play was “not suspected at this time”.
The coroner added officials were not ruling out any causes of death until they had the results of toxicology tests.
Whitney Houston was found dead in the bath in her Beverly Hilton hotel room in Los Angeles on Saturday afternoon.
The coroner said he would not release any more details on the post mortem performed on Sunday at the request of police detectives investigating Whitney Houston’s death.
There were no signs of foul play surrounding the death of legendary singer and actress Whitney Houston, according to a Los Angeles coroner
Meanwhile, the music world has been remembering Whitney Houston’s life and career at the Grammy Awards.
Host LL Cool J opened the event with a prayer for Whitney Houston, who won six Grammys during her career.
“There is no way around this. We’ve had a death in our family,” he said.
“The only thing that feels right is to begin with a prayer for a woman who we loved – for our fallen sister, Whitney Houston.”
The audience then gave a standing ovation after watching a clip of Whitney Houston’s hit I Will Always Love You.
Dressed in black and with a simple piano accompaniment, singer Jennifer Hudson later gave a moving rendition of the same song, ending with the line: “Whitney, we will always love you.”
Others paying tribute during the ceremony included singer Bruno Mars, who told the crowd: “Tonight we’re celebrating the beautiful Miss Whitney Houston.”
“To Whitney up in heaven, we all love you,” echoed Stevie Wonder.
Melanie Fiona, who won best traditional R&B vocal performance and best R&B song, said: “Whitney Houston, I would not be standing up here if it were not for you.”
Reactions to Whitney Houston’s death dominated the ceremony of the Grammy Awards, the most high-profile event in the US music calendar.
Before the show, Jimmy Jam, a friend and producer of Houston’s, said it was “a bitter-sweet occasion”.
“Anytime someone passes away, the thing you do is you gather your family together [and] tell stories,” he said.
“A little bit of mourning, little bit of celebrating – this is our family tonight and we’re going to do it the best that we can do it.”
Earlier on Sunday, the Reverend Al Sharpton paid tribute to Whitney Houston while preaching at the Second Baptist Church in Los Angeles.
“Yes, she had an outstanding range,” he said.
“Yes, she could hit notes no one else could reach.
“But what made her different was she was born and bred in the bosom of the black church.”
Meanwhile, Whitney Houston’s 18-year-old daughter Bobbi Kristina Brown has been released from hospital after being treated for stress and anxiety following her mother’s death.
Whitney Houston holds the record for having the most consecutive chart-topping singles in the US, reaching number one seven times between 1985 and 1988.
But her later career was overshadowed by substance abuse and her turbulent marriage to singer Bobby Brown.
In recent years drug use had taken its toll on Whitney Houston and her voice – once acknowledged as one of the finest in pop music – was badly damaged.
