Whitney Houston's Body Removed From Hotel

(NewsCore) - The body of pop icon Whitney Houston was removed from a Beverly Hills hotel Sunday morning and taken to the morgue for an autopsy, several hours after she was found dead in a fourth-floor room.

A coroner's van, thought to be holding the singer's body, was seen leaving the hotel early Sunday.

A memorial service was held Sunday morning at Houston's hometown church, The New Hope Baptist Church in Newark, N.J., where the star sang in the choir as a child.

"Whitney called Newark home and we know that everyone, both near and far, are mourning the loss of this national treasure," the church's pastor Joe Carter said in a statement. He added that he had no details relating to funeral arrangements yet.

Houston, one of the defining pop-soul voices of the 1980s and 1990s, was pronounced dead at the Beverly Hilton Hotel at 3:55pm local time Saturday. She was aged 48.

Emergency services were called to the hotel by a member of the pop star's entourage at 3:23pm local time and arrived two minutes later, police said. Resuscitation attempts were unsuccessful.

Lt. Mark Rosen from Beverly Hills Police Department told reporters that the cause of death was still being investigated but said detectives found "no obvious signs of criminal intent."

It is thought Houston's bodyguard discovered the body in the bathtub.

Asked by reporters if drugs had been found in the room, Rosen said the investigation was "too fresh" and it was premature to speculate about the cause of death.

Family members reportedly told TMZ that Houston was taking Xanax, a drug typically prescribed for anxiety and depression, which can cause severe sedation when mixed with alcohol. Lorazepam, Valium, Xanax and a sleeping medication were also found in her room, law enforcement officials told Radar Online.

Houston reportedly "partied heavily" Friday night at the hotel, sources told TMZ, and she was also spotted sweating profusely and reeking of alcohol ahead of a pre-Grammy party Thursday, according to the New York Post.

The autopsy, which may take place Sunday, will investigate whether the singer died from an accidental overdose, drowning or other causes.

Close friends and family, including Houston's 18-year-old daughter Bobbi Kristina Brown, paid their last respects to the singer in the hotel room before her body was removed, according to the gossip site.

Houston had Bobbi Kristina -- her only child -- with rapper husband Bobby Brown before the couple split in 2006 after 14 years of marriage.

The superstar's death prompted an outpouring of grief from fans, friends and big names from the music world, including Brown, who declared his love for the pop icon during a concert with his band New Edition in Mississippi on Saturday night, Us Weekly reported.

Houston was one of the world's greatest entertainers, winning international fame and dozens of awards, but her career was regularly hit by personal turmoil amid her much publicized addiction problems and numerous stints in rehab.