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Mel Evans / AP
Candles burn at a memorial to Whitney Houston outside New Hope Baptist Church in Newark, N.J., early Saturday.
Editors note: Further updates on the Whitney Houston funeral will be posted here.
Updated 10:05 a.m. ET: Hearse carrying Whitney Houston's casket has arrived at New Hope Baptist Church in Newark, a church where Houston sung as a child. Watch live video from the New Hope Baptist Church here.
Updated 9:45 a.m. ET: Whitney Houston's casket has departed Whigham Funeral Home in a gold hearse, escorted by a police motorcade, NBC News reports.
Soul, gospel and pop music greats from the past and present are set to mourn Whitney Houston Saturday, a week after the sudden death of the singer whose spectacular voice and best-selling albums made her one of biggest pop stars of her era.
Houston, who died in a Beverly Hills hotel room last week, recorded stirring love songs and vibrant, dance tunes during a 30-year career that peaked with her 1992 signature hit "I Will Always Love You."
She was due to be honored by family and friends at a funeral service in her native Newark, New Jersey. While the world knew her as one of the greatest artists of her generation, to her family and friends, she was just "Nippy."
NBC's Reheme Ellis reports.
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.
There was a heavy police presence outside the invitation-only funeral on Saturday and streets were cordoned off.
Houston's body was expected to leave a nearby funeral home under tight security en route to the church. Fans have been urged to stay home and watch the funeral on the Internet or television.
Keys, Wonder, Franklin, Warwick
The funeral is for invited guests only. Houston is scheduled to be buried next to her father, John Houston, in nearby Westfield, N.J.
Alicia Keys, Stevie Wonder, Aretha Franklin and Houston's cousin Dionne Warwick will sing and speak at the New Hope Baptist Church, where Houston sang as a child in the choir with her mother, Cissy Houston, who was a backup singer for Franklin.
Hollywood stars Kevin Costner and Tyler Perry and Houston's mentor, record producer Clive Davis, were also scheduled to speak. Oprah Winfrey, Elton John, Beyonce and Bill Cosby were expected to attend the service.
In this TODAY exclusive, singer Aretha Franklin talks with TODAY's Al Roker about her reaction to the death of Whitney Houston, her close friend.
Houston's family decided against a public memorial, but fans were expected to crowd the streets around the church and nearby cemetery where she is due to be buried.
Many have left flowers, cards and balloons dedicated to the singer who became a global star with her 1985 debut album that included the hits "Saving All My Love For You," "How Will I Know" and "Greatest Love Of All."
Houston was among the greatest singers of the 1980s and 1990s, but her personal life and marriage to singer Bobby Brown was tumultuous. She admitted to heavy use of cocaine, marijuana, alcohol and prescription pills.
Read more on Houston's death:
Franklin jumped out of bed at Houston news
Source: Houston was under 24/7 supervision
Inside Houston's last recording session
Her death at age 48 shocked her family, fans and the music industry. Houston was found underwater in a hotel bathtub on the eve of the music industry's Grammy Awards. A cause of death has yet to be determined.
Houston grew up surrounded by gospel and soul music legends like Franklin and Warwick. She later forged new territory for a black, female artist who brought R&B and gospel touches into pop music's mainstream.
After her debut, her popularity grew exponentially with her second album, "Whitney" (1987), with all four singles -- "Didn't We Almost Have It All", "So Emotional", "Where Do Broken Hearts Go" and "I Wanna Dance with Somebody (Who Loves Me)" -- hitting No. 1 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart.
Coping with fame
Her music videos featuring her 1980s style and innocent, fun-loving image made her wildly popular around the world. In the 1992 movie "The Bodyguard," co-starring Costner, Houston played a character not far removed from her real self: an international singing sensation coping with fame.
She made other films including "The Preacher's Wife," but the 15-year period when she was married to singer Brown coincided with a decline in the quality and frequency of her albums. The couple, who have an 18-year-old daughter, Bobbi Kristina Brown, divorced in 2007.
Houston's powerful voice suffered in recent years. On her last world tour in 2010, she struggled to hit high notes.
She spoke publicly about her struggles with addiction.
In a 2002 interview, TV journalist Diane Sawyer asked Houston what was the "biggest devil" among her failings. Houston answered: "Nobody makes me do anything I don't want to do. So the bigger devil is me, I am either my best friend or my worst enemy."
Reuters and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Leave a Comment:
to all you redneck KKK southern racist hypocrites ...GOFUC*URSELVES...or one of your cousins!
Thanx Whittney, crime has been down in America for two hours now. May this funeral go on for days. Amen, and Amen
She had, what, 7 or 8 big hits - maybe enough to make 1 good greatest hits album, an average movie (The Bodyguard), and nothing else significant in the last 10 years? 12 years? 15 years? That about cover it? Time to move on. No reason to lower the flag for a crackhead.
Yes, she HAD a great voice. Yes, her version of the National Anthem is top 5. But come on ....
Do I feel bad for her family....absolutely. But, she had choices - she could've left BB. She could've got help. She could've went into rehab, and stuck it out. They are saying she died broke though due to her drug habit. No need for all this for a burned out druggie. Let's save half staff flags for veterans and other dignitaries that have served their country well, and in many cases, have given the ultimate sacrifice.
Flags are not lowered for the person who died, its lowered for all the people left behind who cared about the person. Whether its a nation, a state, or just a family.
Four children died in a burning house in NY but you don't shed a tear for them. Instead, you're crying for a dead junkie.
Thats because you are doing all the crying for them.
@ Freedom
Whoa what a comeback! You really burned MSNBC. Weren't you just quoting Scripture a few posts above?
Anyone else notice that phony "keyboard patriots" whining about flying half-staff flags for the troops?
Guess they don't know the Gov. Christie flies the flag half-staff for ALL NJ soldiers dying in the wars of the Bush/Cheney Crime Syndicate!!! Again...anyone else notice that the phony "keyboard patriots" keep posting the same racist BS over...and over....and over...and over...and over...and...??
ALSO...will someone explain why these phony "keyboard patriots" never answer whether or not they honored or whined about their "heroes"-- dead & living-like-dead--"heroes" like The Rolling Stones, Elvis, Willie Nelson, The Beatles, Sid Vicious, Morrison of The Who, Eric Clapton, and a host of other well-known drug-heads?? Graceland visit, anyone? Strawberry Fields, Anyone?
Someone...tell me why. It seems the "keyboard patriots" can't and won't answer these questions, b/c the BS whining they're doing is just dribblin' outta their toothless pieholes!!
Again... (Heh! Heh!)...why are they so afraid to answer? Do they have an answer? Are they just jealous? Do they honor charitable musicians from their own flyover states?
Hey, "keyboard patriots"...cat got your cowardly tongues?? I'm LAFFIN'....!
Check your information before you type. Jim Morrison was in The Doors, not The Who. Keith Moon was in The Who. Clapton didn't 'dope' away his talent. In fact, Clapton is a "hero" when it comes to music and drug addiction. He recognized his demons, cast them out, and now is better than he ever was.
As far as Joplin, Moon, Elvis, Morrison, Hendrix, et al, their deaths were self-inflicted just like Houston's. They were talented but certainly not "heroes". Last but not least, their funerals weren't televised. Perhaps, it's a good thing that there isn't important news for MSNBC and CNN to cover. These Whitney Houston "mourners" are making plenty of money off the death of another self-righteous drug addict.
Hey, turd...there's money still being made off your dead & walking-dead cadavers like The Stones, Elvis, etc. Are you gonna tell a lie and twist what I stated to fit your own sorry BS?
BTW: How much did $$s you donate to Graceland? Heh! Heh! Do tell...! Paul McCcartney just stated, this week, he's giving up his smokin' dope for his youngest kid. You believe him? I don't!!! I won't believe it. You hero.
I still watch MSNBC & CNN while exercising or when I can. Proudly never watch Faux Noise, except for a part of the silly republiturd comedy debates.
@cd
just reported your post as inflammatory. No need for name calling. Have a groovy day!
if only the lamestream media could devote this much time to our young men and women who serve our country and come back physically and or mentally destroyed or in body bags, instead of wasting time on a junkie millionaire entertainer who decided to waste her life. she had it all and threw it away for uncle cracky and a base hit to get to home plate.stop sensationalizing this woman already. you think someone who served their country had died. all this is done for ratings and a media circus, she'll be forgotten by the media and the general public in a short amout of time.
Hey, LN1958362... your phony..."salute the troops" whine has gotten stale. If you watch "enuff" news from each state, and search good and hard for all 50 states local, county, & state newsfeeds, you'll find the troops being saluted.
Just make sure you ( and every other moan 'n groan turd like you) find the time, place, channel, website, link, & etc.--of all 50 states, so you phony patriots can stop whining!!
And if you're really patriotic, you'll get your sorry behind down to Dover(Del.)Air Force Base and do your own saluting of the troops, as the bodies arrive. PASS THIS ALONG TO THE OTHER WHINERS, LN. Or...go visit every state where a soldier has died to salute them.
This Newsvine is not about the troops, today! Quit Ef'ing whining.
Sorry,we'll never take"you people" seriously with this type of silliness going on." Like falling out"
It is a disease, it is the Dr.'s fault, it is society, it is the "mans" fault, it is NOT MY fault! it is anything to pass the buck and blame someone else so they can sue and get money! The witch hunt has begun for the Dr's ! mj was not at fault, so they persecuted the DR. Hell, in LA they cannot prosecute a ham sandwich, nor OJ, but they found someone to blame for MJ, and they are on the hunt for someone to blame here. Any Dr who "treats" a Hollywood type is asking for jail time. They are all on drugs.
I loved WH, I sat between her mom and dad at the AMA,s when she won her awards, (seat filler) her parents raised her a full blown church girl. She decided to run with that idiot Bobby the scumbag Brown, That "decision" to go away from all she had been taught introduced her to drugs. That "choice" killed her. Kids who choose to go to war and fight for the freedom's we all have to make "choices" come home missing a limb or two and get nothing! I loved her music, I feel terrible for the surviving family, She chose to do this. Goodbye WH......The end... Flags at half... for wealthy talented drug addicts who choose to kill themselves. Dead Wrong
hrdtime:
Well put!
I'm just glad this boon-doggle is over. Raise the flags - time to move on. We already forgot about Whitless Nobody. I'm glad I flipped the channel to catch part of Stevie Wonder perform. Now there's real talent!
Hello, again, troll-turd.
Post #211.1 is for Y-O-U, also!
Whine on...!! Troll on...!
Name calling? Really? Your lack of intelligience and self-control really shines through. I am curious, however, why you are so infatuated with Elvis, Graceland, and Paul McCartney. I haven't been to Graceland. Did you enjoy it?
@MSNBC
Stevie is awesome and he has survived all these years without overdosing, entering rehab, throwing tantrums at nightclubs, and acting like a diva on reality TV...imagine that.
For all those who will miss her voice and new songs that would have been sung, I grieve with you,, for those of you that are insulting her memory and "pooh poohing" the officials that had the state flag lowered ,,,,,Go @!$%# yourself....
Oh, just the state flag. I thought it was the American Flag that was lowered.
Hoping that her family and fans find strength and peace during this time of grief. I have a hard time not watching the coverage of the train wreck that was her later years and wondering about the celebrities and every day people like me who work hard, resist addiction, don't act like a crazy diva, and talk all day about how much they love the Lord but act anyway they want to. Sad waste of a life and talent.
Probably b/c you're addicted to your lonely keyboard. Enjoy it. "Are you lonesome tonight?"...sung by Elvis to modgal-3785656. Duhh!
And no...my post # 210 is still there. Keep tryin'. Whine on. Troll on...!
sumpin wrong with you CD
Sump'n, not sumpin
It's C_D_J55, not CD to you.
modgal = deleted. Catch ya on the next comedy vine, whiner.
truely a voice of an angel will be missed... "Crack is wack"
OK. We lost a great singer. Hopefully she has found the peace in the afterlife that elluded her on this earth. I pray for her daughter who is the one to ultimately pay the price for the great singer's behavior.
Now, can we get on with life and the news that impacts the lives of all of us. It is what it is...it is time to move on.
i loved Whitney Houston so i am really sad that she died i didn't want her to die she had a angel voice! let her sing with the angles!'' hossana in the highest''
RIP Whitney! I WILL ALWAYS LOVE YOUuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu
It's not right, but it's ok--YOU made it ANYWAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
This whole thing was a mess. Flags at half staff..........really? Are you kidding me? They turned her funeral into a made for TV circus. Other than just a couple people everybody acted like they had just landed a reality show on BET. The reverend was so hooked up on himself I think he may have forgot why he was really there. I have lost family members and I have been to several funerals of people that have also and I can honestly tell you that nobody needed a nurse in full dress running around saving the distraught. Really?? And stop me if I'm wrong......did I hear Whitney compared to Mother Teresa? Sometimes when people open their mouth, a big load a crap falls out and this may have been one of the biggest loads I have ever heard. I actually watched most of the funeral, I guess because it was like a train wreck and I couldn't help but watch. I never paid much attention over the years to Whitney, but from what I can remember of her she was a person that treated a lot of people outside her group very badly, she abused drugs and alcohol and she sang very well. And we are making her out to be a hero because of what? I'm guessing that Gov. Christie may have knocked a big hole in his political future over this deal. Lets save our flag lowering and heros send offs for the actual heros in this country. We have a lot of them and from my seat in the ball park we probably offend the the real heros with this Whitney fiasco. Pull your heads out folks. Just because Jesse and Al call them heros doesn't necessarily mean they really are.
"Success does not define a person. How a person handles success is what defines them."
She is at peace now I truly pray. Whitney thank you for the encouragement you gave to other artist and thank you for the years of entertainment in music and movies. Regardless of what you were dealing with you are not alone in that struggle. There are so many people trying to survive and revamp so people should watch what they say about another because one thing about life God have the last word, that's God's department. Rest in peace Whitney and God bless your family and friends.
She had a voice that was just remarkable,a career that many would envy,a beautiful daughter, she had everything and she chose to abuse drugs and in the end it destroyed her and left behind in mourning her family , friends and her fans. A sad state of affairs all around.
Whitless ("Mother of the Year") was slamming shots of tequila with her 18 y/o daughter two nights before her overdose. Raise the flags and let's move on. This fool ruined her voice and her daughter with drugs and alcohol. I truly hope that's how Whitless will be remembered.
I can remember the first time I heard Whitney sing, the hair stood up on the back of my neck. Her voice was so pure and it touched my soul. Like Elvis, Micheal Jackson and Judy Garland, she gave us her life both public and private. One could say they gave till it hurt. Being under the constant scrutiny of judgemental, critical people, they lived out their life's up and downs. They were all young, bigger than life and lived in a world we know nothing about. It is very easy to criticize something you know nothing about. The truly hard part is opening your heart and mind in attempts to grasp onto the fact that regardless of our approval or disapproval, it isn't your journey. We live in a world of people who are trying to fill the gap with whatever makes us feel complete. We are all looking for the piece of the puzzle that fits and makes us whole and we are impatient. We try to rush fate instead of letting it happen. Not to mention how much people have changed. True happiness has gotten so hard to find and we are all substituting it with things that only make us happy for the moment. Dopamine is good for that. Alcohol works and for some even sex helps for a bit. Underneath it all is just unhappy, depressed, lonely people self medicating a troubled soul. The Whitney they mourn is the Whitney they once knew, a life and heart that ended in tragedy, wrapped up in addiction, and was was a shadow of the person we all once knew. Some people do not have a lot sympathy for Whitney and that doesn't matter. What people think about a person they didn't know, never met or even spoke one word to is irrelevant. What matters is respecting the people who are grieving the loss of someone they possibly knew since birth or childhood. They knew Whitneys first steps, her first word or the first time she sang in church. Be kind to them.
"Success does note define a person. What a persons does with their success is what truly defines them".