NEWARK, N.J. — Millions of Whitney Houston’s fans across the globe will be able to farewell the singer when her funeral service on Saturday is broadcast live.
“Her publicist has chosen one person who will be allowed into the sanctuary and who will be streaming to you all,” Carolyn Whigham, whose Newark funeral home is handling preparations for Houston’s service, told AFP on Wednesday.
Whigham also said that jumbo screens would be set up outside the New Hope Baptist Church in Houston’s hometown — apparently contradicting earlier police advice.
The screens would let fans of the singer, who died Saturday at the age of 48, to watch the ceremony. However earlier in the day, Newark police chief Samuel DeMaio told The Star-Ledger that there would be no funeral procession and no public screens set up, at the request of Houston’s family.
The ceremony, due to begin at noon local time Saturday, is by invitation only. According to CNN, Chaka Khan, Houston’s cousin Dionne Warwick, and members of the Winans gospel music family are among the expected attendees.
Houston’s godmother, Aretha Franklin, has been asked to sing at the service, Franklin’s spokeswoman said.
Pastor and gospel singer Marvin Winans, a Houston family friend, told the Detroit Free Press he was asked to preside over the funeral by Houston’s mother, Cissy. He said he will travel to New Jersey on Friday.
While reports had circulated that Houston’s funeral would be a massive public service held at the 19,000-seat Prudential Center, also in Newark, her mother insisted on a ceremony at the church where the star honed her legendary voice, according to the New York Post.
The 2003 funeral of the singer’s father and onetime manager John Houston also was held at the church.
The star was found dead in a bath at the Beverly Hilton hotel in Los Angeles on Saturday. Her body was flown to New Jersey by private jet late Monday and transported in a gold hearse to the Whigham Funeral Home.
According to Houston’s death certificate, she will be buried at Fairview Cemetery in Westfield, New Jersey. TMZ, citing Houston family sources, said she will be laid to rest next to her father.
Though she will not be remembered in a public service, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie said he planned to honor Houston across the state by ordering flags to fly at half-staff on the day of the funeral.