The pop icon will be mourned Saturday at noon at the New Hope
Baptist Church in Newark, where Houstonhoned
her musical skills singing in the choir.
At first it was thought that a public memorial service would
take place at Newark's Prudential Centre - which seats up to 19,000 people -
but the family announced today that they are keeping it to themselves. There
will be no public wake either.
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| New Hope Baptist Church in Newark |
A source in a report from Us Weekly told that Whitney's
mother, Cissy, "was at the funeral home until 2 a.m." and "made
it clear that a funeral must be inside a church," as "the Prudential
Center is not an appropriate venue."
It said that Dionne Warwick, Whitney's cousin, and her mother
Cissy both wanted her to be laid to rest in Atlanta, which they believe was the
place Whitney loved best.
But the rest of the family wanted Whitney buried in Newark
and won the day.
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| Whitney Huston |
She may be buried alongside her father, army serviceman and
entertainment executive John Houston, who died in 2003 and was laid to rest at
Fairview Cemetery, Westfield, New Jersey.
Houston's body arrived into New Jersey via private plane on Monday, where it
was later taken to Whigham Funeral Home.
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| Cemetery of Whitney huston |
The funeral service will be by invitation only, Carolyn
Whigham said, reflecting the family's desire to keep the memorial more
personal.
Her body was returned to New Jersey late Monday. A plane
owned by actor-producerTyler Perry landed at an airport in Teterboro, New
Jersey, where security was tight. A gold hearse left the airport and arrived
just before midnight at the Whigham funeral home in Newark, the city where
Houston was born. A crowd of about 50 fans had gathered outside.
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| Whigham funeral home in Newark |
A golden hearse was waiting to collect the pop icon's body
and take it to Whigham Funeral Home to be prepared for interment.
