Stars attend Whitney Houston funeral in New Jersey

 

Some 1,500 family and friends have attended the funeral of music star Whitney Houston in Newark, New Jersey.

Houston's cousin, singer Dionne Warwick, presided over the ceremony at New Hope Baptist Church on Saturday. Stevie Wonder and Kevin Costner were among celebrities paying tribute.

Houston will be buried beside father John Russell Houston at Fairview Cemetery in Westfield on Sunday.

The 48-year-old was found dead in a hotel in Los Angeles a week ago.

Officials are waiting for the results of toxicology tests that will help them ascertain how she died.

 

 

 

Saturday 18 February: Friends and relatives of US singer Whitney Houston are gathering in Newark, New Jersey, for her funeral.

Some 1,500 guests will attend the private ceremony at the New Hope Baptist Church. Houston's body will then be buried at a local cemetery, alongside her father.

Security will be tight, with fans kept away, although the funeral service will be streamed live on the internet.

Houston, 48, was found dead in a hotel in Los Angeles a week ago.

Officials are waiting for the results of toxicology tests that will help them ascertain how she died.

'Private viewing'

Police have cordoned off streets surrounding the New Hope Baptist Church, with pockets of fans gathering outside the perimeter.

A golden hearse was used to transfer Houston's coffin from a nearby funeral home to the church.

Houston's silver coffin, draped with flowers, was escorted into church as the choir sang quietly: "Whitney, Whitney, Whitney."

The church is where a young Whitney Houston sang in a gospel choir run by her mother.

The 1,500 guests will include some of the biggest names in showbusiness.

Stevie Wonder and Aretha Franklin were scheduled to sing, although a Houston family source told the Associated Press news agency that Franklin would no longer be able to attend as she was unwell.

Kevin Costner, who starred opposite Houston in The Bodyguard, will be one of the speakers, as will Clive Davis, her musical mentor.

There will also be contributions from Houston's cousin Dionne Warwick and singer Alicia Keys.

Houston's ex-husband Bobby Brown will also attend, with the couple's only child Bobbi Kristina.

The BBC's Michelle Fleury in Newark says there has been a lot of debate about his attendance because of the well-publicised problems of the couple's marriage, and also talk about how much time he will spend with his daughter.

A Los Angeles coroner has said there were no signs of foul play surrounding the death of singer Whitney Houston.

After a post mortem examination, the coroner said there were no visible signs of trauma on Houston's body and that foul play was "not suspected at this time".

He added officials were not ruling out any causes of death until they had the results of toxicology tests.

The star was found dead in the bath in her Los Angeles hotel room on Saturday.

The coroner said he would not release any more details on the post mortem, performed on Sunday at the request of police detectives investigating the singer's death.

Meanwhile, the music world has been remembering her life and career at the Grammy Awards.

Legendary pop singer Whitney Houston was found dead Saturday at a Beverly Hills, California, hotel, officials said. She was 48.

The entertainer, whose incredible talent was discovered at an early age, was pronounced dead at 3:55 p.m. (6:55 p.m. ET) at the Beverly Hilton hotel despite resuscitation efforts, a police spokesman said.

Beverly Hills Police Lt. Mark Rosen said there were "no obvious signs of criminal intent" and that the cause of her death is being investigated.

Houston's bodyguard found her body, said Courtney Barnes, publicist for hip-hop artist Ray J, who was dating the pop diva.

According to her official website, Houston sold more than 170 million albums, singles and videos. But she also struggled with addiction problems over the years.

Houston, whose hits included "The Greatest Love of All," died on the eve of the 54th annual Grammy Awards at the Staples Center in Los Angeles. She had performed as late as Thursday night at a pre-Grammy event in the area. A pre-Grammy party was scheduled Saturday night at the Beverly Hilton.

Source: CNN News