Whitney Houston's family have reportedly been told the singer died from "a combination of prescription drugs mixed with alcohol".

There has been speculation that the singing superstar drowned in a bathtub at the Beverly Hills Hilton hotel in Los Angeles on Saturday. However, TMZ alleges that Whitney could have died "before her head became submerged".

"Whitney Houston's family was told by L.A. County Coroner officials... the singer did not die from drowning, but rather from what appears to be a combination of Xanax and other prescription drugs mixed with alcohol... this according to family sources," reports TMZ.

"We're told Coroner's officials informed the family there was not enough water in Whitney's lungs to lead to the conclusion that she drowned."

The website also claims that Whitney's aunt Mary Jones was the one who found the 48-year-old in the bathtub. She is believed to have pulled Whitney out of the tub before she performed CPR on her.

Whitney's body will soon be released to her family. It has been claimed her mother could even have the star flown back to Atlanta on Tuesday.

The coroner has revealed there were no visible signs of trauma and that foul play is "not suspected at this time". He is believed to have told Whitney's loved ones that he has no problem releasing the body to them.

Officials are not ruling out any causes of death until they receive the results of toxicology tests. These tests can take anything from four to eight weeks to be completed.

Prescription drugs including Lorazepam, Valium and Xanax used as sleeping aids, relaxants and to ease anxiety were reportedly found in Whitney's hotel room. She is alleged to have been on a 48-hour drinking binge before her death.