Pop legend Whitney Houston was found dead Saturday afternoon in her Beverley Hills hotel room. She was 48.

Paramedics were called to the Beverley Hills Hilton but were unable to revive her. She was pronounced dead at 3:55pm. Though the death is not thought to be suspicious, the cause of death is yet unknown and under investigation.

Houston was to have performed at a pre-Grammy Award party held by long-time mentor and producer Clive Davis. Houston was also to perform at the 54th Annual Grammy Awards which takes pace Sunday February 12th. Instead there will be a tribute to Houston from artists such as Jennifer Hudson and Chaka Khan.

Whitney Houston had a string of hits in the 1980's and 90's with songs such as 'I Wanna Dance With Somebody', 'How Will I know', and 'Saving All My Love For You', making her one of the best selling artists in history. She also crossed-over into a successful film career with a starring role along side Kevin Costner in The Bodyguard, the soundtrack to which becoming one of the best selling albums of all time and winning numerous awards including a Grammy for Album of the Year in 1994.

Later the singer was dogged with a drug habit which ravaged her once powerful voice. Her record sales fell and she was heavily criticised over a series of shambolic live performances. Her turbulent 14 year marriage to singer Bobby Brown also ended amid reports of domestic abuse and drugs. The singer, reported to have been worth $100m was also said to be facing bankruptcy.

Houston is survived by her daughter Bobbi Kristina. She is the daughter of gospel singer Cissy Houston, the cousin of Dionne Warwick and the goddaughter of Aretha Franklin who have all paid thei respects to the late singer.