Whitney’s funeral to be televevised and streamed live

hesouttamylife · February 2012

Whitney Houston's funeral Saturday will be broadcast By Phil Gast, CNN updated 5:41 PM EST, Wed February 15, 2012 Man details discovering Whitney Houston STORY HIGHLIGHTS NEW: Funeral will be available for TV, web streaming Among those attending are Jesse Jackson, Brandy and Chaka Khan Houston's cousin, Dionne Warwick, is helping with arrangements Aretha Franklin has been asked to perform Newark, New Jersey (CNN) -- Saturday's funeral for legendary pop singer Whitney Houston is expected to be made available for television and web streaming from the New Jersey church where she grew up, Houston's publicist said Wednesday. The services, to be held at New Hope Baptist Church in Newark, will be in a much smaller, more intimate setting than the concert halls and arenas Houston packed during her heyday. In every sense, she will be going home. Publicists and entertainers by Wednesday had confirmed nearly a dozen celebrities and personalities will be in some of the 1,500 coveted, "invitation-only" seats at Houston's childhood church in Newark, New Jersey. Gospel singer and pastor Marvin L. Winans, a longtime friend of the Houston family, will give the eulogy at New Hope Baptist Church. Winans officiated at Houston's 1992 marriage ceremony to R&B singer Bobby Brown. Measuring Whitney Houston's wealth Pastor on Whitney Houston's funeral Witness: No Whitney altercation occurred Nick Jonas discusses Houston's death Aretha Franklin, Houston's godmother, has been asked to sing at the service, which begins at noon, Franklin's spokeswoman said. Houston's cousin, singer Dionne Warwick, was in New Jersey helping the family with funeral arrangements, Warwick's publicist said. Others confirmed on the guest list are Chaka Khan, Bebe & CeCe Winans, the Rev. Jesse Jackson, Bishop T.D. Jakes, Antonio "L.A." Reid, Ray J and Brandy. Chaka Khan was a close friend of Houston. Reid produced many of Houston's songs and Jakes co-produced Houston's last film, "Sparkle," which is scheduled to be released this summer. Houston and Jakes are listed as producers. Ray J, a hip-hop artist, and Houston dated off and on after she was divorced from Brown. Jackson and the Winans music family have been very close friends of the Houstons. Composer-singer Valerie Simpson of the duo Ashford & Simpson told CNN's Susan Candiotti she will attend the funeral. "She was like family," Simpson said of Houston, "somebody who I watched from the time she was young." Simpson, who with her late partner Nick Ashford wrote "I'm Every Woman," said Houston "took it to such heights. I remember that on the video, she was pregnant and never looked more beautiful." Houston and Brown had a daughter, Bobbi Christina Brown, who is now 18. Houston, 48, was found dead in the bathtub of her suite at the Beverly Hilton on Saturday, hours before she was to attend a pre-Grammys bash at the Beverly Hills, California, hotel. Speculation has grown over the cause of her death, which has not been determined pending the outcome of toxicology tests that could take weeks. The entertainer's trials and tribulations should not be the focus now, Simpson said. "Those are not her records, those are not her music." New Hope Pastor Joe Carter described Houston's mother, Cissy -- herself a well-known gospel singer who was active at the church -- as a "strong, strong woman."