whitney houston funeral

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Whitney Houston was laid to rest Sunday at a brief private ceremony in New Jersey, the end of a weekend that saw the pop star’s family and friends gather at a star-studded funeral to mourn her loss while celebrating her career.

Fans and onlookers gathered in several places along the route the motorcade took from the Newark funeral home to the cemetery about 20 miles (30 kilometers) away in Westfield, where Houston was buried next to her father, who died in 2003.

The 48-year-old singer died Feb. 11 in California, hours before she was to attend a pre-Grammy Awards party. No cause of death has been determined.

On Saturday, she was mourned at an invitation-only funeral at the church in Newark where she sang in the choir as a child. She was remembered by the biggest names in the music: Stevie Wonder and Alicia Keys sang, and industry mogul Clive Davis was among those who spoke, as was Kevin Costner, Houston’s co-star in “The Bodyguard.”

The funeral was closed to fans, who were not allowed within blocks of the church. Still, many came to Newark to take part in what ways they could, some from as far as Miami and Washington, D.C.

Fans gathered again near the funeral home Sunday morning, and some even slowly ran alongside the hearse as it began the journey to Houston’s gravesite. Several yelled out “We love you, Whitney” as the hearse, which had a black and white headshot of the star in a window, slowly drove away.

Barbara Davis, 53, of Newark, said she had been waiting outside the funeral home since 8:30 a.m., hoping to get a glimpse of Houston’s final trip.

“To be here at her home-going is an honor and a blessing,” Davis told The Star-Ledger of Newark.

Also among the crowd was Newark resident Eva Aquino and her two granddaughters, ages 10 and 13. All three stood on a street corner as the hearse passed by, and they used cellphones to snap photos of the procession.

The girls were wearing T-shirts and buttons of Houston that their grandmother had bought from vendors outside the funeral home Saturday.

“We came here and bought all these things of her to cherish the memories,” said 13-year-old Nalani Velez of Kearny.

The burial came a day after an emotional, nearly four-hour service at Newark’s New Hope Baptist Church that ended with the strains of Houston’s biggest record, “I Will Always Love You,” filling the church.

Her mother, gospel singer Cissy Houston wailed, “My baby! My baby!” as she was held up by two women and led out of the church behind the casket bearing her daughter’s body. A few steps behind her was the pop icon’s daughter, Bobbi Kristina, also crying uncontrollably as she was comforted by Houston’s close friend, singer Ray J.

Her death marked the end of a life of stunning achievement. Blessed with a voice of great power and beauty, Houston became one of pop music’s most successful artists over a career that spanned nearly three decades and segued into film with hits like “The Bodyguard.”

But her life was not without struggles. An addiction to drugs and a tumultuous union with ex-husband Bobby Brown saw her tumbling from grace.

Both sides of Houston were recalled at the service at New Hope, which was filled with about 300 mourners, including Oprah Winfrey, Tyler Perry, Mariah Carey, Mary J. Blige, Forest Whitaker, Jennifer Hudson, Diane Sawyer and Houston’s cousin, Dionne Warwick.

“She was someone with a charmed and a beautiful life, sometimes misunderstood, even by herself,” said her sister-in-law and manager, Patricia Houston. “But a life nevertheless that gave joy, happiness, enthusiasm, peace and beautiful music to millions of people around the world.”

Costner, her co-star in “The Bodyguard,” said that for all of Houston’s beauty and success, she was still yearning for approval from the public and somewhat insecure, a superstar who “still wondered, ‘Am I good enough? Am I pretty enough? Will they like me?’”

“It’s a tree we could all hang from — the unexplainable burden that comes with fame,” he said. “Call it doubt. Call it fear. I’ve had mine. And I know the famous in the room have had theirs.”

Many who spoke talked about Houston’s unshakable faith in Jesus Christ. They said it got her through some of her most difficult times. Perry recalled a conversation where Houston would look sad when reflecting on her troubles, but then would hasten to add that God was taking care of her.

“The other thing I know for sure — and this is more important than anything that she’s done in her life — Whitney Houston loved the Lord,” he said.

Fittingly, music played a major role in the send-off to one of music’s greatest voices.

Stevie Wonder rewrote lyrics to “Ribbon in the Sky” for Houston — “you will always be a ribbon in the sky,” he sang.

So did gospel’s the Rev. Kim Burrell for “A Change is Gonna Come,” which Warwick said was Houston’s favorite song of all time. R. Kelly brought the New Hope Baptist Church to its feet with a stirring version of “I Look to You,” the title of Houston’s final studio album.

And Keys, her voice breaking at times, dedicated her song “Send Me An Angel” to Houston

Brown briefly appeared at the funeral, walking to the casket, touching it and walking out. He later said in a statement that he and his children were asked repeatedly to move and he left rather than risk creating a scene.

Warwick presided over the funeral, introducing speakers and singers and offering short insights about her cousin; she joked that Houston’s Super Bowl performance of “The Star Spangled Banner” became almost as big as the telephone book.

Over her career, Houston sold more than 50 million records in the United States alone. Her voice, an ideal blend of power, grace and beauty, made classics out of songs like “Saving All My Love For You,” ”I Will Always Love You,” ”The Greatest Love of All” and “I’m Every Woman.” Her six Grammys were only a fraction of her many awards.

Houston had her first No. 1 hit by the time she was 22, followed by a flurry of No. 1 songs and multi-platinum records. Her last album, “I Look To You,” debuted on the top of the charts when it was released in 2009 with strong sales, but didn’t have the staying power of her previous records. A tour the next year was doomed by cancellations because of illness and sub-par performances.

Bobby Brown performs with New Edition at Mohegan Sun Arena

Just hours after the funeral of his ex-wife Whitney Houston, Bobby Brown was on the Mohegan Sun Arena stage, resplendent in white jacket, black vest, black pants and a black hat, performing with New Edition for a cheering crowd.

Brown thanked the crowd for keeping his spirits up.

“Blessings to my ex-wife, Whitney Houston. I love you,” he said, and pointed his finger in the air.

Brown left Whitney Houston’s funeral at Newark, N.J.’s New Hope Baptist Church shortly after the service began this afternoon.

In a statement put out by his representative, he explained, “My children and I were invited to the funeral of my ex-wife Whitney Houston. We were seated by security and then subsequently asked to move on three separate occasions.

“I fail to understand why security treated my family this way and continue to ask us and no one else to move,” he said. “Security then prevented me from attempting to see my daughter Bobbi-Kristina. In light of the events, I gave a kiss to the casket of my ex-wife and departed as I refused to create a scene. My children are completely distraught over the events. This was a day to honor Whitney. I doubt Whitney would have wanted this to occur. I will continue to pay my respects to my ex-wife the best way I know how.”

Actor Kevin Costner gave an emotional tribute to singer Whitney Houston at her funeral on Saturday, revealing insights into the singing sensation who died suddenly last week and hit film “The Bodyguard” they made together.

Costner told family, friends and greats of the music industry who packed the New Hope Baptist Church in Newark during the uplifting ceremony that he and Houston both came from musical families and grew up as Baptists.

“Whitney returns home today to the place where it all began and I urge us all inside and across the nation and around the world to dry our tears, suspend our sorrow, perhaps our anger, just long enough to remember the sweet miracle of Whitney,” he said.

Although Houston’s place in musical history is assured, Costner remembered her self-doubt, fear, need for reassurance and her worries, and his doubts, about her first acting role in the 1992 film “The Bodyguard.”

“The Whitney that I knew, despite her worldwide success and fame, still wondered, ‘Am I good enough? Am I pretty enough? Will they like me?’ It was the burden that made her great, and the part that caused her to stumble in the end,” he said.

“People didn’t just like you, Whitney, they loved you.”

Costner recalled that Hollywood studio executives were hesitant to cast Houston in her first starring role, preferring “somebody white,” but she soon won everyone over.

Houston nailed the movie’s screen test and dispelled any doubt studio executives had. The film went on to become a worldwide blockbuster, but Costner confessed that the hit song “I Will Always Love You” almost didn’t make the film because it wasn’t the first choice.

He praised Houston, who suffered a still unexplained death in a Beverly Hills hotel room one week ago, for setting the bar so high for professional singers and for young women trying to make it in the music business.

“I think Whitney will tell you, ‘Guard your bodies and guard the precious miracle of your own life.’ And then sing your hearts out knowing that there is an angel in heaven making God himself wonder how he made something so perfect,” Costner said.

“Escorted by an army of angels to your heavenly father, when you sing before him, don’t you worry you’ll be good enough.”

Alicia Keys, Stevie Wonder and R. Kelly sang at the invitation-only service that ended with a stirring recording of Houston singing “I Will Always Love You.” Oprah Winfrey, singer Roberta Flack, Dionne Warwick, Jesse Jackson and Houston’s mentor Clive Davis were among the 1,500 guests.

The cause of death of Houston, who was born in Newark and had a history of drug and alcohol abuse, may not be known for weeks, pending the results of toxicology tests.

She will be buried on Sunday in a private ceremony at a cemetery in Westfield, N.J.

Bobby Brown attends The funeral of Whitney Houston at the New Hope Baptist church

Dionne Warwick The funeral of Whitney Houston

Alicia Keys The funeral of Whitney Houston

Donnie McClurkin The funeral of Whitney Houston

Kevin Costner The funeral of Whitney Houston

Kim Burrell The funeral of Whitney Houston

Tyler Perry The funeral of Whitney Houston

Tyler Perry The funeral of Whitney Houston at the New Hope Baptist church

Fans mourn at the funeral service for Whitney Houston

A fan uses binoculars near funeral services for singer Whitney Houston at the New Hope Baptist Church in Newark

Fans mourn at the funeral service for Whitney Houston in Newark, New Jersey

Fans mourn at the funeral service for Whitney Houston in Newark, New Jersey.

Fans mourn at the funeral service for Whitney Houston

Media set up for the funeral service for Whitney Houston outside near the New Hope Baptist Church

Media set up for the funeral service for Whitney Houston outside near the New Hope Baptist Church

Whitney Houston merchandise is sold as fans gather a few blocks from the New Hope Baptist Church during the singer’s funeral in Newark, New Jersey

People watch Whitney Houston’s funeral on a screen in Times Square

Screens show Whitney Houston’s funeral in Times Square

People watch Whitney Houston’s funeral on a screen in Times Square

Clapping hands and swaying to gospel hymns in the church where Whitney Houston’s powerful voice once wowed her congregation, the biggest names in entertainment sang along with the choir to remember the pop superstar at her hometown funeral Saturday.

“We are here today, hearts broken but yet with God’s strength we celebrate the life of Whitney Houston,” the Rev. Joe A. Carter told the packed New Hope Baptist Church after the choir behind him sang “The Lord is My Shepherd.”

Mourners including singer Jennifer Hudson and Houston’s mother, gospel singer Cissy Houston, stood, swayed and clapped along in the aisles as gospel singers BeBe Winans and the Rev. Kim Burrell joined with pop stars like Alicia Keys in paying tribute to the 48-year-old pop superstar who first began singing in the Newark church.

“You wait for a voice like that for a lifetime,” said music mogul Clive Davis, who shepherded Houston’s career for decades.

Others were more mournful; singer Ray J., who spent time with Houston during her last days, broke down crying. His sister, singer Brandy, put her arm around him. Cissy Houston and Houston’s daughter, 18-year-old Bobbi Kristina, clutched each other in the front of the row.

Actor Kevin Costner, her co-star in “The Bodyguard” that spawned her greatest hit, remembered a movie star who was uncertain of her own fame, who “still wondered, ‘Am I good enough? Am I pretty enough? Will they like me?’”

“It was the burden that made her great and the part that caused her to stumble in the end,” Costner said.

Filmmaker Tyler Perry praised Houston’s “grace that kept on carrying her all the way through, the same grace led her all the way to the top of the charts. She sang for presidents.”

Stevie Wonder and Oprah Winfrey were among the biggest names gathered to mourn Houston, along with Hudson, Monica, Brandy and Jordin Sparks — representing a generation of big-voiced young singers who grew up emulating her. Houston’s voice, a recording of “I Will Always Love You,” was to close the funeral.

Houston’s cousin Dionne Warwick presided over the funeral, introducing speakers and singers and offering short comments about Houston between them.

Houston’s mother was helped by two people on either side of her as she walked in and sat with her granddaughter and other family to begin the service. Houston’s ex-husband, Bobby Brown, briefly appeared at her funeral, walking to the casket, touching it and walking out. Security guards said Brown was upset that he would have to sit separately from the people he arrived with, and left. A Brown representative didn’t immediately comment.

Mourners fell quiet as three police officers escorted Houston’s casket, draped with white roses and purple lilies. White-robed choir members began to fill the pews on the podium. As the band played softly, the choir sang in a hushed voice, “Whitney, Whitney, Whitney.”

Close family friend Aretha Franklin, whom Houston lovingly called “Aunt Ree,” had been expected to sing at the service, but she was too ill to attend. Franklin said in an email to The Associated Press that she had been up most of the night with leg spasms and sent best wishes to the family. “May God bless and keep them all,” she wrote.

A program featuring a picture of Houston looking skyward read “Celebrating the life of Whitney Elizabeth Houston, a child of God.” Pictures of Houston as a baby, with her mother and daughter filled the program.

“I never told you that when you were born, the Holy Spirit told me that you would not be with me long,” Cissy Houston wrote her daughter in a letter published in the program. “And I thank God for the beautiful flower he allowed me to raise and cherish for 48 years.”

“Rest, my baby girl in peace,” the letter ends, signed “mommie.”

The service marks one week after Houston, one of music’s all-time biggest stars, was found dead in a Beverly Hills hotel in California. A cause of death has yet to be determined.

To the world, Houston was the pop queen with the perfect voice, the dazzling diva with regal beauty, a troubled superstar suffering from addiction and, finally, another victim of the dark side of fame.

To her family and friends, she was just “Nippy.” A nickname given to Houston when she was a child, it stuck with her through adulthood and, later, would become the name of one of her companies. To them, she was a sister, a friend, a daughter, and a mother.

“She always had the edge,” the Rev. Jesse Jackson said outside church Saturday. “You can tell when some kids have what we call a special anointing. Aretha had that when she was 14. … Whitney cultivated that and took it to a very high level.”

A few fans gathered Saturday morning hours before the service as close as they could get to the church, some from as far away as Washington, D.C., and Miami. Bobby Brooks said he came from Washington “just to be among the rest of the fans.”

“Just to celebrate her life, not just her death,” said Brooks, “just to sing and dance with the people that love her.”

Others were more entrepreneurial, setting up card tables to sell silk-screened T-shirts with Houston’s image and her CDs. But only the invited would get close to the church; streets were closed to the public for blocks in every direction. But their presence was felt around the church, with a huge shrine of heart-shaped balloons and personal messages that covered the street corner around the church entrance.

Houston’s death marked the final chapter for the superstar whose fall from grace while shocking was years in the making. Houston had her first No. 1 hit by the time she was 22, followed by a flurry of No. 1 songs and multi-platinum records.

Over her career, she sold more than 50 million records in the United States alone. Her voice, an ideal blend of power, grace and beauty, made classics out of songs like “Saving All My Love For You,” ”I Will Always Love You,” ”The Greatest Love of All” and “I’m Every Woman.” Her six Grammys were only a fraction of her many awards.

But amid the fame, a turbulent marriage to Brown and her addiction to drugs tarnished her image. She became a woman falling apart in front of the world.

Her last album, “I Look To You,” debuted on the top of the charts when it was released in 2009 with strong sales, but didn’t have the staying power of her previous records. A tour the next year was doomed by cancellations because of illness and sub-par performances.

Still, a comeback was ahead: She was to star in the remake of the movie “Sparkle” and was working on new music. Her family, friends and hard-core fans were hopeful.

The funeral is for invited guests only. Houston is to be buried next to her father, John Houston, in nearby Westfield, N.J.

While Bobby Brown was spotted arriving at Newark’s Hope Baptist Church in New Jersey this morning to attend the funeral of his ex-wife, Whitney Houston, he didn’t stay long.

According to reports, the “Don’t Be Cruel” singer ended up leaving before the services even got underway.

At the current time, it’s unsure if the 43-year-old chose to leave or was asked to hit the exits by Whitney’s family.

Just before he left he was seen consoling a crying man outside the church.

Rev. Al Sharpton tweeted just moments ago, saying, “I am at Whitney’s funeral. I spoke with Bobby Brown trying to calm him down and not distract from the services. Today is about Whitney!”

While some reports say the singer left over a dispute about seating, a source tells TMZ he argued with the family because he wanted to speak during the service, but was denied.

The Insider learned yesterday that Brown hadn’t spoken with his daughter Bobbi Kristina since Whitney’s passing.

Sources say the 19-year-old does not want to speak with her father at this time.

Bobbi Kristina Houston arrives at Whigham Funeral Home for a private viewing for her mother Whitney Houston on February 17, 2012 in Newark, New Jersey.

Whitney Houston’s mother and daughter attended an emotional private viewing Friday, hours ahead of the pop singer’s funeral in Newark, New Jersey.

Cissy Houston and Bobbi Christina Brown were joined at the funeral home by music producer Clive Davis, credited with discovering a young Whitney Houston in the early 1980s.

Flags in the state flew at half-staff Friday to honor Houston, 48, a New Jersey native. She died February 11 in Beverly Hills, California.

Actor Kevin Costner, who starred with Houston in the 1992 hit movie “The Bodyguard,” will speak at the invitation-only service Saturday at New Hope Baptist Church, according to a source with knowledge of the funeral plans.

The ceremony will feature performances by Stevie Wonder, Alicia Keys and close family friend Aretha Franklin, a Houston representative said. Houston’s former husband, Bobby Brown, and singer Roberta Flack also are expected to attend.

Franklin, in concert Friday night at Radio City Music Hall in New York, told the audience, “It is my sincere hope to sing something to uplift our heavy hearts this evening.” Among her selections were “Jesus Loves Me” and “Amazing Grace.”

“We will always remember her kindness, her grace, her smile and her dynamic performances, but she’s moved on up just a little bit higher now and we don’t wonder where she is,” said Franklin.

Houston’s close friend, reality TV star and singer Ray J, released his first statement about her death, saying he feels an “emptiness” at her loss.

“What my heart feels cannot be expressed in words,” said Ray J, who was Houston’s frequent companion in the days before she died. “The world lost an icon, but I lost my close friend. Nippy, I miss you so much! You were so happy and full of love. Your smile will live in my heart forever.”

Friday night’s 43rd annual NAACP Image Awards, broadcast on NBC, featured a video and musical tribute to Houston.

Gospel singer Yolanda Adams, backed by a small choir, sang “I Love the Lord,” which appeared on the soundtrack of “The Preacher’s Wife,” a 1996 film that starred Houston. The show ended with Kirk Franklin and others singing “The Greatest Love of All.”

Meanwhile, investigators seeking answers about how the singer died were contacting doctors and pharmacies across the country for information on her prescription drug use. They are trying to determine whether it played a role in Houston’s death.

Houston’s death certificate is only fueling speculation about her death. It lists the cause as “deferred,” meaning a determination is delayed pending more information.

The investigation is also looking into the superstar’s behavior in her last days. Investigators are aware that Houston partied at her hotel and other venues “even the night before she died,” a source close to the death investigation told CNN.

Personnel at the Beverly Hilton have said Houston was partying in the bar the night before her death, the source said. A second source said Houston appeared intoxicated as she ordered drinks in the hotel earlier in the week and that she was seen drinking the morning of the day she died.

Investigators are looking at video from Houston’s television appearances and at other reports as part of the investigation into her physical state and behavior leading up to her death on the eve of the Grammy Awards, the first source said.

Hotel surveillance video, if it exists, could reveal Houston’s activities in the common areas of the hotel, the source said.

The anti-anxiety medication Xanax was among prescription drugs found in the singer’s room, the source said. Houston’s family members and staff confirmed she used the medication, the source said, but investigators don’t know whether she took it the day she died. Xanax is a drug classified as a benzodiazepine, or sedative, but no other benzodiazepines, including Valium, were found in the room, according to the source.

Houston also had a prescription for the antibiotic amoxicillin, the source said, but “if taken as prescribed, it’s not going to kill you.”

Medicine and pill bottles found in Houston’s hotel room are currently undergoing basic testing, but nothing so far indicates anything criminal occurred, the source said.

Officials are trying to speed up toxicology testing, the source told CNN.

The source called speculation any preliminary reporting about family members being told that a deadly mixture of alcohol and drugs led to Houston’s death. Investigators do not know what mixture, if any Houston, had in her body.

Ed Winter, assistant chief coroner at the Los Angeles County coroner’s office, has said that while prescription medication was found in Houston’s room, the amount was less than that usually present in overdose deaths.

“I know there are reports that she maybe was drowned or did she overdose, but we won’t make a final determination until all the tests are in,” Winter said shortly after her death was reported. He ruled out foul play and said there were no injuries to Houston’s body.

Houston’s battles with drug addiction had cast a shadow in recent years over her impressive singing voice and her talent.

However, a close family friend told CNN on Tuesday that Houston had not used “hard drugs” for several years, although she was taking medication for a throat infection and Xanax or a similar drug for anxiety and to help her sleep. The friend said Houston was also known to have a drink if she went out.

Aretha Franklin performs at Radio City Music Hall yesterday in New York City.
Pop music and Hollywood stars will join family members of Whitney Houston at a church in her hometown of Newark, New Jersey today to pay tribute to the pop diva following her untimely death.

Aretha Franklin and Stevie Wonder will sing at a private ceremony, and her “Bodyguard” co-star Kevin Costner is also expected to make an appearance at the funeral.

The service, in New Hope Baptist Church in Newark, New Jersey, where Houston sang as a child, is by invitation only and fans have been respectfully asked to stay away for fear of crowds disrupting the event.

Houston’s death in Los Angeles on the eve of the Grammy Awards last weekend at the age of 48 shocked the world and brought an outpouring of grief from fans and contemporaries.

Clive Davis, Houston’s producer and early mentor, will be at the funeral as will the late star’s cousin and fellow singer Dionne Warwick and civil rights leader Reverend Jesse Jackson.

“She had that special something,” Jackson told CNN on Friday. “We won’t be there tomorrow because she died, we’ll be there tomorrow because she lived,” he said, recalling Houston’s “huge voice,” and “very personable” demeanor.

Pastor and gospel singer Marvin Winans, a friend of Houston’s from Detroit, will lead the funeral and give the eulogy.

It was Winans who conducted the marriage ceremony of Houston to the soul singer Bobby Brown in 1992, a union that ended in divorce 15 years later after an emotionally combustible relationship.

Actor Costner, with whom Houston co-starred in blockbuster “The Bodyguard,” will speak at the funeral, according to media reports.

Also expected to attend is British music icon Elton John, along with US diva Beyonce and her rapper husband Jay-Z.

Houston sold more than 170 million records during a long career derailed by substance abuse.

Speculation has raged since her untimely death that the singer may have died from a lethal cocktail of prescription drugs and alcohol, although official results from her autopsy may not be made public for up to eight weeks.

Saturday’s private service – the church has a capacity of 1,500 – is meant to be a homecoming and celebration of Houston’s astonishing career, but some fans had hoped for a large public memorial event at a nearby stadium.

New Jersey Governor Chris Christie has ordered flags flown at half-mast on Saturday in honor of the late singer.

Newark police director Samuel DeMaio advised fans to stay at home and watch the funeral, which will be broadcast on television and streamed online.

Streets near the church, which have been adorned with floral tributes, candles, balloons and condolence cards in recent days, will be sealed off on Saturday and people barred from approaching the building.

“I would advise the public that there really is going to be nothing to see here at the church,” DeMaio said.

“The best thing to do would be to stay home and watch the service on television.”

New Hope Baptist Church Reverend Joe Carter said he hoped people would respect the “sanctity of our church,” alluding to the need to keep order.

Houston is to be buried Sunday at a family plot in New Jersey a day after a private funeral, ABC News reported, citing law enforcement sources.

ABC said the star would be laid to rest at Fairview Cemetery in Westfield next to her father, John Russell Houston, who died in 2003.

Three gold-colored limousines arrive with family members at Whigham Funeral Home
Family members arrive at Whigham Funeral Home
Dione Warwick arrives at the Whigham Funeral Home where people are attending Whitney Houston’s visitation before the funeral
Cards and flowers are displayed at a makeshift memorial outside the Whigham Funeral Home
Cards and flowers are displayed at a makeshift memorial outside the Whigham Funeral Home
Cards and flowers are displayed at a makeshift memorial outside “The New Hope Baptist Church”

A star-studded lineup will sing and speak at pop star Whitney Houston’s funeral, from Alicia Keys and Kevin Costner to the soul and gospel music royalty from which she hails, including her cousin Dionne Warwick and Aretha Franklin.

Houston will be laid to rest on Saturday after an invitation-only memorial service at the New Hope Baptist Church in Newark, New Jersey, where Houston groomed her voice singing in the church choir with her mother Cissy Houston, a soul and gospel singer who once backed up Franklin.

The singer, who rose to fame with a soaring voice and hits in the mid-1980s such as “Saving All My Love For You,” died in a Beverly Hills hotel room almost a week ago on the eve of the music industry’s Grammy Awards. She was found underwater in her hotel room’s bathtub. A cause of death has yet to be determined.

Along with her signature song, “I Will Always Love You,” her other hits included “I Wanna Dance with Somebody,” and she starred in movies “The Bodyguard” and “The Preacher’s Wife.”

Other top names taking part in the service include Houston’s mentor and record producer Clive Davis, singer Stevie Wonder and Hollywood actor and producer Tyler Perry, who donated his plane to fly her body from Los Angeles to Newark earlier this week.

Elton John, Beyonce and rapper Jay-Z, Oprah Winfrey and Bill Cosby are also expected to attend, according to reports.

It is not yet known if singer Bobby Brown, who Houston divorced in 2007 after a tumultuous 15-year marriage that began as Houston’s music career began to slide, will be there. The couple have a daughter, Bobbi Kristina Brown, 18, who was in Los Angeles when her mother died.

The death of the beloved pop star who had a long history of addiction to alcohol and cocaine stunned the music world, her family and fans, and some of those close to her have publicly said they thought Houston had been getting healthier.

FRANKLIN DEVASTATED

Franklin, 69, told the “Today” morning news show on Friday that she thought Houston was on the road to a comeback after seeing some of the previews for “The Bodyguard” star’s final film “Sparkle” to be released later this year.

“She looked gorgeous and I thought ‘Yes, she has conquered her challenges and she is on the way’,” Franklin said, before adding that she did not know what song she would sing at the funeral, but “It’s not going to be easy.”

Franklin said she imagined Houston’s inability to hit some notes in “I Will Always Love You” on her last world tour in 2010 and a poor reception by some critics and audiences would have upset the fragile yet strong-willed singer.

“The audience was very rude but she stood there with the heart of a champion, night after night,” Franklin said. “She had to be totally devastated. When you are a singer and you can’t sing what it is you want to sing and she had some problems in her highest range, it is very disheartening.”

Other singers confirmed to perform or speak are American gospel singers Donnie McClurkin, Kim Burrell, CeCe Winans, musical director Rickey Minor and gospel singer and pastor Marvin Winans, a family spokeswoman said.

Costner, who starred opposite Houston in “The Bodyguard,” will speak as part of the official program, the spokesman said.

Houston’s close friend, singer and producer Ray J, 31, said in a statement on Friday, “The world lost an icon but I lost my close friend … Your smile will live in my heart forever.”

Police plan to lock down the streets near Saturday’s private funeral and have said there will be no procession from the funeral home she is resting in to the church. They have urged the thousands of fans expected to crowd the area to stay home and watch the funeral which will be broadcast live.

On Friday, flowers, candles, cards and balloons hung outside the funeral home, church and her old elementary school that was renamed after was closed. Small shrines dedicated to the singer dotting the school.

Such has been the outpouring of emotion that in Los Angeles, two radio personalities of KFI AM 640 station’s “The John and Ken Show” — have been suspended after making disparaging comments and jokes about Houston and her drug problems.

Private funeral planned for Whitney Houston

Posted by Ricardo van Enck on February 14, 2012

Posted in: Celebrity Gossip, Celebrity News, Hollywood News, Whitney Houston. Tagged: aretha franklin, beloved singer, beverly hills hotel, celebrity, celebrity gossip, celebrity gossip press, celebrity news, celebrity press, cissy houston, daughter, death, death report, died, dionne warwick, final death, funeral, godmother, golden hearse, held, hollywood gossip, hollywood history, hollywood news, hollywood star, hope baptist church, houston, houston family, houston whitney, music royalty, new hope baptist church, newark new jersey, pop superstar, private funeral service, private service, said, service, singer, singer whitney houston, tight security, toxicology reports, whigham funeral home, whitney, whitney elizabeth houston, whitney houston, whitney houston funeral.

A private funeral for pop superstar Whitney Houston will be held on Saturday in her birthplace in Newark, New Jersey, at the same New Jersey church where the R&B vocalist honed her singing skills as a child.

The invitation-only service will be held at the New Hope Baptist Church, where Houston once sang growing up, a family spokeswoman said on Tuesday. The spokeswoman did not rule out the possibility of a separate public memorial service later.

The Houston family thanked fans and friends for their prayers but wished for a private service, funeral director Carolyn Whigham told reporters outside the Whigham Funeral Home where Houston’s body was resting on Tuesday. She said there would be “nothing for the public,” and added that no wake would be held, only the private funeral service.

“It was the family’s decision,” Whigham told reporters. “They have shared her for 30-some years with the city, with the state, with the world. This is their time now for their farewell to their daughter, mother.”

The body of the beloved singer, one of the biggest stars of her generation, was flown to New Jersey late on Monday from Los Angeles.

Fans lit candles and gathered outside the funeral home to greet a golden hearse carrying Houston that arrived just before midnight on Monday night under tight security.

Her death on Saturday in a Beverly Hills hotel stunned the music world, her fans and her family. She had been found underwater in a bathtub in a Beverly Hills hotel, according to police. They have declined to speculate on the cause of her death at age 48.

An autopsy was completed on Sunday, and a final death report is pending completion of an official investigation and toxicology reports that may take weeks.

Houston hails from gospel and soul music royalty and many stars are likely to attend the funeral service. She is the cousin of Dionne Warwick and the daughter of Cissy Houston, who backed up Aretha Franklin. The 69-year-old Franklin is her godmother.

The singer rose to fame on early hits such as “Saving All My Love For You” and “How Will I Know.” Her powerful, soaring voice was later marred by battles with cocaine and alcohol.

STRONG-WILLED

Houston died on the eve of the music industry’s Grammy Awards. Because of her admitted drug and alcohol abuse including a stint in rehab as recently as May 2011, speculation arose that she might have died of a drug overdose.

“Ms. Houston was apparently discovered in the bathtub by a member of her personal staff,” who called hotel security, Beverly Hills Police Lieutenant Mark Rosen said on Monday. She was pulled from the bathtub, but when paramedics arrived “she was unconscious and unresponsive,” he said.

Rosen declined comment on whether prescription drugs were in the room or the condition of Houston’s body. Detectives have sealed their inquiry, he said.

Meanwhile, the singer’s brother-in-law, Billy Watson, has dismissed talk the singer may have committed suicide, saying “She wouldn’t have done that to her daughter.”

Houston’s daughter, Bobbi Kristina Brown, 18, was in Los Angeles when her mother died.

The singer was photographed partying in Los Angeles leading up to her death and had planned to attend an annual pre-award party hosted by record producer and mentor Clive Davis on the night she died.

Her personal troubles, including a tumultuous marriage to singer Bobby Brown, contradicted the innocent, fun-loving image that propelled her to stardom in the mid-1980s with early hits such as “I Wanna Dance with Somebody (Who Loves Me).”

Her friend and singer Chaka Khan told CNN late on Monday that Houston was aware of her addictions: “She was a strong-minded girl and I can’t say it was anybody’s fault … If you want to get high, you get high.” Houston once worked for Khan as a studio backup singer among other performers as a teenager in the 1970s and 1980s.

She won six Grammys and more than 400 other awards in a 25-year career that also saw her star in such blockbuster films as “The Bodyguard”. Her 1992 hit cover single of Dolly Parton’s “I Will Always Love You” from “The Bodyguard” soundtrack capped a career highlight between 1985 and 1992.

The decision to hold a private funeral is contrary to a public memorial service that was held for pop superstar Michael Jackson after his 2009 death that was broadcast live around the world.

But similar to Jackson, Internet sales of Houston’s songs have surged after her death. “I Will Always Love You,” was the No. 1 download on iTunes on Tuesday, just ahead of Grammy winner Adele’s “Rolling in the Deep.”

Her albums, “Whitney Houston – The Greatest Hits”, “The Bodyguard” and “Whitney Houston” were also all among the top 20 selling albums on iTunes.

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