Whitney’s funeral to be held in childhood church in Newark, NJ

Whitney’s funeral will be held at her childhood church in Newark, NJ, according to the funeral home handling the arrangements.

The pop icon will be mourned at noon on Saturday at the New Hope Baptist Church, according to Carolyn Whigham, the owner of the Whigham Funeral Home.

The ceremony will be private and is open to invited guests only.

Houston’s body arrived late Monday at the funeral home, borne by a hearse and escorted by police after arriving at Teterboro Airport. A large crowd was gathered at the funeral home. Cissy Houston, the singer’s mother, was waiting inside, police said.

The body was flown to Newark on a private plane belonging to filmmaker Tyler Perry, according to a law enforcement source with knowledge of the situation.

Cissy Houston is “overwhelmed but strong. Her faith is getting her through this,” a close friend of the family who was also at the funeral home told CNN’s Deb Feyerick on Tuesday. The friend asked not to be named because of the sensitivity of the situation.

Whitney Houston, 48, was found dead Saturday in her suite at the upscale Beverly Hilton, just hours before she was scheduled to attend a pre-Grammy bash at the hotel.

Voices, will you be tuned into Whitney’s funeral?

Source – CNN