Sandra Rose/Getty Images; JEWEL SAMAD/AFP/Getty ImagesWhitney Houston left a musical legacy that is pretty impossible to ignore—and the president of the United States is no exception..
"I know that his thoughts and prayers are with her family, especially her daughter," White House press secretary Jay Carney said, referring to 18-year-old Bobbi Kristina Brown. "It's a tragedy to lose somebody so talented at such a young age."
"I think it would be hard not to be an admirer of her immense talent," Carney added. He noted that he couldn't be sure whether or not Houston and the Obamas had ever met face to face.
Bobbi Kristina needed to be treated at a hospital for stress-related symptoms yesterday. Houston was found dead in the bathrub in her suite at the Beverly Hilton hotel, where she was staying while in town to attend Clive Davis' annual pre-Grammy bash. She was 48.
An autopsy has been conducted but the L.A. County coroner's office is not releasing any specific details or speculating about cause of death pending the result of toxicology tests. Beverly Hills police are also still investigating.