Image Text:

SHOCK: Whitney Houston has died, aged 48

WHITNEY HOUSTON has died, aged 48, her publicist, Kristen Foster, has announced.

The cause of the singer's death is still unknown, but a spokesman for Houston's family confirmed the news, telling Reuters: "Unfortunately, it is true."

Houston's death came on the eve of music's biggest night - the Grammy Awards - and has sent the music world into mourning.

"Heartbroken and in tears over the shocking death of my friend, the incomparable ms. Whitney Houston," singer Mariah Carey tweeted.

Houston enjoyed success acting in films such as The Bodyguard and Waiting to Exhale, but her career was blighted by drug use and reported financial trouble.