Whitney Houston to be laid to rest Saturday in NJ

Whitney Houston to be laid to rest Saturday in NJ









The owner of the
Whigham Funeral Home in Newark says Whitney Houston's funeral will be
held at noon at the New Hope Baptist Church in Newark. Her body was
flown to New Jersey late Monday.













Last Updated:

Tuesday, February 14, 2012














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• More stories on music icon Whitney Houston's death
  

NEWARK, N.J. (AP) --

Pop star Whitney Houston's funeral service will be held
Saturday in the New Jersey church where she first showcased her singing
talents as a child.

The owner of the Whigham Funeral Home in Newark says
Houston's funeral will be held at noon at the New Hope Baptist Church in
Newark.

Whigham Funeral Home handled the 2003 funeral of Houston's
father. They spoke Monday on condition of anonymity because they weren't
authorized to speak for Houston's family.

Houston's body was flown from California to New Jersey late Monday.

Houston died Saturday at a hotel in Beverly Hills, Calif. She
was 48. Officials say she was underwater and apparently unconscious
when she was pulled from a bathtub.

A woman at the funeral home, where several police officers
were stationed, said she could neither confirm nor deny reports that it
would handle Houston's arrangements. A white tent was set up leading
into the funeral home's rear entrance, and two opulent golden
sarcophaguses stood at the front entrance.

Dozens of Houston fans went to the funeral home, where they
played her songs, sang, lit candles to remember her and hoped to get a
glimpse of her casket.

Houston was born in Newark and was raised in nearby East
Orange. Her family raised the possibility of holding a wake Thursday and
a funeral Friday at Newark's Prudential Center, which hosts college and
professional sporting events and seats about 18,000 people. City
officials were awaiting the family's arrival to complete the funeral
planning.

A picture of Houston appeared Monday night on the electronic
board outside the arena, one of the nation's busiest entertainment
venues, with a New Jersey Devils game Friday night posing a logistical
challenge to a planned funeral that day.

Houston's relatives also were debating whether to have a
smaller service at New Hope Baptist Church, where family members have
sung. They planned to meet Tuesday with officials to finalize the
details, according to someone who had knowledge of the planning but
wasn't authorized to speak publicly about it and requested anonymity.

Houston began singing as a child at New Hope Baptist Church,
where her mother, Grammy-winning gospel singer Cissy Houston, led the
music program for many years. Her cousin singer Dionne Warwick also sang
in its choir.

On Monday, mourners left flowers, balloons and candles for
Houston at the wrought-iron fence around the tall brick church, which
sits near the edge of an abandoned housing project near the train line
leading to New York City.

"She was an inspiration to everybody," said Gregory Hanks, an
actor who grew up in the neighborhood and who dropped off a bouquet of
flowers.