Whitney Houston and Bobbi Kristina Brown
The late Whitney Houston with her daughter Bobbi Kristina Reuters

Bobby Brown, the r'n'b star, has issued a statement confirming his daughter is in hospital and it asks for privacy as she fights for her life.

Bobbi Kristina Brown, the only child of the late Whitney Houston, was discovered unresponsive in a bath on Saturday 31 January.

Reuters reports the 21-year-old was found face down in a filled bath at her home outside Atlanta, Georgia, by her husband Nick Gordon and a friend. Gordon then administered CPR until the ambulance arrived on the scene and continued to carry out lifesaving procedures.

"Privacy is requested in this matter," Brown said. "Please allow for my family to deal with this matter and give my daughter the love and support she needs at this time."

A lawyer for the family added: "The report that Bobbi Kristina Brown has been taken to the hospital in Atlanta, Georgia is accurate. No additional information will be forthcoming."

Bobbi Kristina was alleged to have been using cocaine but her cousin, YF Kennedy, denied the drug claims, telling E! News: "Krissi doesn't do drugs. She hasn't been drinking or doing drugs and she's cut down on cigarettes. She's been trying to get her music together and keep her voice clean. Her voice is so beautiful."

US Weekly magazine also reported there was no evidence of drugs or foul play. "We don't leave any stone unturned," a police spokesperson said.

"So the police took a search warrant on the home. Before the warrant, initially when the police went into the home there were nothing there that indicated that anything out of the ordinary happened. There were no drugs out in the open."

The harrowing incident echoes the death of her mother nearly three years ago. Houston passed away on 11 February 2012, when she was found unresponsive in a bath of a Beverley Hills hotel. A coroner later concluded her death was as a result of accidental drowning, though heart disease and cocaine use were contributing factors in her death.

Although little has been revealed about Bobbi Kristina's condition, a family source told People the reality star has very little brain activity and her loved ones are "praying, hoping for the best".

Houston left her entire estate to her only child, although Bobbi Kristina must wait until she is 30 to inherit everything.