Tommy Chong - of "Cheech & Chong" fame - says Whitney Houston would still be alive today if she had used natural substances.
"Had she just stuck to pot, she'd be alive today," the actor-comedian told Access Hollywood on Tuesday night at "The Simpsons" 500th episode celebration.
PLAY IT NOW: Tommy Chong: Whitney Houston Would Still Be Alive If She ‘Stuck To Pot’
"It's when you get into that other stuff... The trouble with that other stuff is that you forget you're high. You think you're taking a bath and you're not. You're under the water. It's a sad, sad thing," he continued.
Houston's cause of death is still unknown, but authorities confirmed on Monday that the late singer was submerged in a bathtub when she was first discovered on Saturday afternoon at the Beverly Hilton Hotel.
VIEW THE PHOTOS: A Look Back: Whitney Houston — Her Life In Pictures
L.A. County Assistant Chief Coroner Ed Winter told reporters that the Los Angeles County Coroner's Office was doing routine toxicology tests, the results of which will influence the determination of Houston's exact cause of death.
In September 2009, Houston spoke out about her past drug use in an interview with Oprah Winfrey.
"We were lacing our marijuana with base... you put in your marijuana, you lace it, your roll it up and you smoke it," she said at the time.
VIEW THE PHOTOS: Sudden Endings: Stars Who Died Too Soon
"Your drug of choice was weed combined with cocaine?" Oprah asked.
"Cocaine, rock cocaine. Yes," the singer said, nodding her head.
VIEW THE PHOTOS: Whitney Houston’s Final Public Appearance — February 9, 2012
According to Chong, Houston's death was a farewell.
"It's a sad, sad thing. In a way, though, it was like she was saying goodbye," he told Access. "Like she was passing the torch onto Adele. It was a tough one to let go. It was like she came by and said, 'OK, I'm out of here.' It's a sad, sad thing."
Copyright 2012 by NBC Universal, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
331 comments