For every radio station spinning “I Will Always Love You” every hour on the hour, there’s been a tribute to Whitney Houston. Since the Grammy winner’s passing Saturday, celebrities and fans alike have poured out their grief. Confirmation of an official memorial, however, comes today, as Us Weekly reports that Houston’s funeral will take place Saturday, Feb. 18. The service, expected to begin at noon, will be held at the same New Jersey church she sang at as a girl.
Houston was found dead Saturday at the Beverly Hills Hilton, and according to Reuters, the 48-year-old's body arrived at a Newark, New Jersey funeral home around midnight Monday, apparently flown to the city via actor-producer-fatsuit-enthusiast Tyler Perry's private jet. As news spread, Reuters reports several dozen fans congregated at the facility, Whigham Funeral Home, lighting candles, dropping off mementos and singing Houston’s greatest hits.
The late diva's mother, singer Cissy Houston, was there as well, and stayed until 2 a.m., reports Us Weekly. But as plans for Houston's funeral go forward, it seems her service will be a strictly friends-and-family affair. According to the magazine, the funeral at New Hope Baptist Church is "invitation only."
Said the mag's source: "Anyone not invited will stand outside" -- and according to the Associated Press, many of those uninvited guests have already begun leaving tributes of flowers, balloons and candles outside the church's gates. A wake will not follow the service, Us Weekly reports.
Following news of Houston's passing, members of the performer’s family discussed the possibility of a public wake with AP, suggesting something would take place Thursday at Newark's Prudential Center -- a venue with an 18,000 person capacity. According to Us Weekly, however, those plans aren’t expected to go ahead. As per the mag’s source, Houston's mother "made it clear that a funeral must be inside a church, and the Prudential Center is not an appropriate venue."
Though Houston’s autopsy was completed Sunday, results are not expected for another six to eight weeks as the coroner's office conducts toxicology tests -- a fact which has hardly slowed speculative reports on the singer's cause of death. Though Houston was discovered in her hotel bathtub Saturday, partially submerged under water, TMZ's sources have ruled out a possible drowning, saying the coroner discovered Houston had passed before going under. Several reports have suggested drugs may have been a factor, and as the Assistant Chief Coroner Ed Winter told AP, prescription meds were indeed discovered at the scene -- though he declined disclosing what specific drugs were found in Houston's room.
Speculation hasn’t been limited to that topic, however. Was Houston’s death a total shocker? Totally expected? That all depends on who you ask. Houston's self-destructive streak was infamous -- and it was also something she famously acknowledged. (In her 2002 interview with Diane Sawyer, for instance, she said her "biggest devil" wasn't alcohol or drugs, but rather herself. "I’m either my best friend or my worst enemy.")
Facts like that have led People magazine to suggest Houston’s inner circle saw her demise coming. "As sad as this sounds, it's not a great surprise and yet, it's unbelievable," one source told the magazine. The source continued: "She's been on a downward spiral for a long time and when you have those people around you that enable the behaviour ... she couldn't shake those demons."
Some of Houston's colleagues have taken a different view, though. The singer/actress had recently completed work on an upcoming movie -- a remake of 1976's Sparkle, set to arrive August 17 -- and a source from the set told E! News: "Whitney was in good shape and there weren't any major issues with her.” The source continued: "I'm shocked by the news, Whitney always had so many people around her, watching her."
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