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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:
So sad! But what's worse is the fact that scammers are using Whitney Houston's death as a way to profit. Find out what scammers are saying on Facebook that you need to be wary of:
When we point a finger at someone -------there are three pointing back at YOU! Wow, there are some pretty mean people in this USA! None of us can call the kettle black!! We ALL have less than perfect people in EVERY family. Bless you, Whitney!! --------The flags----NO!
I am so troubled by the comments, that she did not serve her country or sacrifice her life and is undeserving of a demonstration of public respect (flags flown half-mast). What's clearly misunderstood is that entertainers of the stature of Whitney are international ambassadors for the U.S. Her impact abroad was as great or greater than most "official" ambassadors combined. Having lived abroad, I can tell you that music like hers has been a successful export for the U.S. and the respect she garnered worldwide (and the U.S. indirectly) should not be dismissed. Ask her family...her 30+ year career was a sacrifice. She was a trailblazer, her career helped erase the word "crossover" and helped change the impact of race in the entertainment industry. No one is a saint, and you should walk in her shoes before you judge. Please do not dismiss the impact she made on this world and the sacrifice that was required.
waaaaah. my flag will fly at full-staff today.
Who really gives a crap?? This person chose to live the lifestyle of glitz and glam and acted liked she was so much better than the rest. When you act this way, and do the things she did to herself at her own free will; this is the outcome. I am certain she wasn't force fed those pills. Here's the most disgusting fact of this whole silly matter.....Millions of people will cry over the death of one person, and not one person crys over the death of millions...What is wrong with this picture?? STOP THE WARS!!!
oh one more thing.. I don't know Bobby Brown.. liked only one of his song which Britney ended up mixing.
No idea why hate him as if he was THE reason Whitney is gone so soon. It feels like he is THE REASON to blame. I HATE HIM!... again.. I have no idea why her death feels so personal.. aside from loving her music...
I HATE YOU BOBBY BROWN even without a dang reason.. I JUST HATE YOU!
I don't remember any flags at half mast when Lena Horne passed away and do you really think Whitney Houston did more to contribute to women, music and society more than Miss Horne. Not by a million miles
Thank God she will be laid to rest so the rest of us get actually watch real news and world problems. She was an excellent entertainer who was born with a golden spoon one in her mouth and the other somewhere else. She not Bobby Brown or the Drs. who prescribed her medication choose to abuse narcotics. What is it with these professional athletes and entertainers that they have to be so selfish.
As for the idiot Governor who the American flag at half staff, what an incompetant man and disrespectful to our country. She didn't die for our country she choose her own destiny. \
As for the media, how about reporting about the men and women who are over their risking and loosing their lives for us so we can live without world terror in our good 'ole US of A.
Whitney Houston may not be a fallen military hero, but she no doubt was and is an inspiration to our men and women in uniform everywhere with her inspired, passionate singing of our national anthem in 1991. Anytime our troops need a morale boost, all they need do is play that video. No matter what her failings, you can't take her successes away from her. Whitney Houston was one of New Jersey's most well-known citizens. The state has chosen to recognize her for who she was, not what became of her. So be it. Some choose to see only the burned out star that fell back to earth. Others remember the bright light that lit up the world. I choose to appreciate the light.
I don't like to be negative but I agree with most of the comments above. From a private ceremony, it has now become "an event" as described on television. She had a glorious voice that I would have dearly loved to have, and yes she was preyed upon by many but when she was down where were all the so called "friends" she suddenly has. The only thing that you hear was that her music inspired them. That's great, but where were you when she needed you, when that music within died? Intervention has been around for many, many years. One more thought, she described her voice as God given, maybe so but I prefer to think of it as an extraordinary arrangement of vocal cords because otherwise "it is a sin to squander a God given gift". But that golden voice is gone and we only have the recordings to listen to and remember but having others sing her songs, even though they are supposed to be among the "great voices", will be extremely painful, so I think I will skip all the hoopla and just wish her a safe passage.
Yeah, Jay Lee. I know how you feel. I... for the life of the music god, simply can't stand that guitar garbage called rock "(?)music".
BTW: You listen to noise(not music) by The Doors, Sid Vicious, walking cadaver-type druggies like The Rolling Stones, The Beatles?
How do ya like your goth "music"?
We need to be honoring our soldiers not an drug addict entertainer. Our flag should be at half mast all the time for our FALLEN SOLDIERS.
pity her poor pusher....NOW what is he/she going to do.....oh...oh....move on to some other loser to sell dope to.....okay! never mind.....
all the haters can't wait to watch the fnderal. sadist.
What about half staff to honor other citizens?
order the flag to be at half-staff to honor the death of
a national or state figure. In addition to the traditional half-staff salutes,
the Flag Code mentions
the use of our Flag for honoring leading citizens such as Martin Luther King,
Jr.
at half staff to honor more local leaders. The Flag Code does not exclude any
citizen, whether they belong to an organization or not, whether they are
recognized very locally or regionally. Examples of deceased citizens that might
be honored with by lowering the Flag to half-staff include local religious
leaders, youth leaders, honored teachers or sports coaches, local politicians,
or a local hero. There need be no authorization from the government for the
private sector (non-government) to use the Flag to honor any citizen.
provide guidance and is not obligatory. It carries no civil or criminal
penalties for "misuse" of the Flag. Individual are not acting illegally when
using the Flag according to their own usage. Only on government / public
building is the flag code required to be
followed.
Read more: #ixzz1mkQK1zqT
thanks for clearing that up for us....so who give a s**t......drop her in a unmarked hole and lets get back to the hundreds of IMPORTANT issues please....
half mast come on Christy you are a discrace to my party and to that 5X suit I'm so happy I live in CA where we have no stupid polititions HA..........
I wonder how many of the haters have members of their family, friends, loved ones who have an addiction. Heck, how many of the haters are adicts themselves. Wonder how they'd feel if someone said these things about their child, brother, mother, father friend, them. You must really have a lot of hate in your hearts. There should be a flag flying half mast for you.
Re: her '02 Diane Sawyer interview: aside from Whitney's statements, I've yet to see comments to that fact that she was flying higher than a kite during that interview with Diane (who was looking at her with a bemused face).
My point being it's sad that no help was rendered (that we know of), to this woman after such a public disp\play of her addiction.
It'll be funny to see who gets to inherit all of her debt, people will be running from that funeral like rats off a sinking boat...but there will be a requsite "bump" in record sales which will make the production companies a pretty penny...how long do you think before all of her possessions are confiscated?...she's not really a "hero" in my book let alone anyone the flag should be lowered for or emulated as a role model...sure, a great wasted talent, but one effed up human being...good luck with that- I do feel really sorry for her daughter, maybe Bobby can catch up on the back child support he owes for all 5 kids? and do you think Ray J will get a new reality series out of this? -"Living without Whitney"...I'm sure the Kardasians are waiting for the call as well, somehow there's a sex tape with Kim in a "threesome"...no doubt...
Geez, you'd think that someone important died.
Remember your words when this happens to you. What comes around goes around.
Half drugged, half staff, half a life, half interesting, complete waste
are you refering to yourself?
Sad. RIP
He that is without sin among you, let him first cast the first stone at her. There must be a lot of PERFECT people posting today. I have to agree that flying the flag at 1/2 mast is abused. But I am certainly not going to tear apart someone who has passed on. Some very hateful comments here.
I was so shocked to hear of this beautiful and incredibly talented young woman's death!! I remember when she first came on the scene. WHAT A VOICE!!! What I liked about Whitney, was she didn't sing RAP (with a capital C), or soul (not much, anyway) or rhythym and blues. She was one INCREDIBLE pop singer. She sang songs that let us hear her singing prowess and did it with absolute perfection. She had an incredible, GOD-given talent, but with Satan's help, she lost it all. She's in heaven, now--teaching the angels how to sing!!!
GOD bless you, Whitney-- you will be missed!! I will be in prayer for your family, as they mourn your death and lay you to rest today. It's not 'Good-bye'-- it's 'Until we meet again!!!!!'
Whitney Houston had a beautiful voice and she should be remembered for that. She seemed like a beautiful person inside and out. Its sad her life ended so soon like so many hollywood people. May you rest in peace whitney and may god bless u.