Whitney Houston’s funeral for Saturday

(Barbados Nation) Pop star Whitney Houston’s funeral service will be held Saturday in the church where she first showcased her singing talents as a child, according to the Chicago Tribune.

The owner of the Whigham Funeral Home in Newark said that Houston’s funeral would be held at noon on Saturday, at the New Hope Baptist Church in Newark. The funeral home said there would be no wake. The service will be by invitation only, Carolyn Whigham said, reflecting the family’s desire to keep the memorial more personal.

The 48-year-old Houston died on Saturday at a hotel in Beverly Hills, California, just hours before she was set to perform at producer Clive Davis’ pre-Grammy Awards bash. Officials say the Grammy Award singer was found underwater and unconscious in a bathtub.

The authorities said there were no indications of foul play and no obvious signs of trauma on Houston. It could be weeks, however, before the coroner’s office completes toxicology tests to establish the cause of death. Los Angeles County coroner’s assistant chief Ed Winter said there were bottles of prescription medicine in the room, but would not give any details. Her body was returned to New Jersey late Monday.

MORE IN Breaking News


Reader Comments »

The Comments section is intended to provide a forum for reasoned and reasonable debate on the newspaper's content and is an extension of the newspaper and what it has become well known for over its history: accuracy, balance and fairness.
  • We reserve the right to edit/delete comments which contain attacks on other users, slander, coarse language and profanity, and gratuitous and incendiary references to race and ethnicity.
  • We moderate ALL comments, so your comment will not be published until it has been reviewed by a moderator.
  • Our Comments are powered by the Disqus service. You may comment as a Guest by entering your comment and selecting "Post as". Optionally, you may sign-in using your Facebook, Yahoo or Twitter Accounts.

    Disqus' Privacy Policy can be read here. Please read our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.