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| Whitney Houston funeral: Stars gather in New Jersey | Whitney Houston funeral: Stars gather in New Jersey |
| (about 1 hour later) | |
| Friends and relatives of US singer Whitney Houston are gathering in Newark, New Jersey, for her funeral. | Friends and relatives of US singer Whitney Houston are gathering in Newark, New Jersey, for her funeral. |
| Some 1,500 guests will attend the private ceremony at the New Hope Baptist Church. Houston's body will then be buried at a local cemetery, alongside her father. | Some 1,500 guests will attend the private ceremony at the New Hope Baptist Church. Houston's body will then be buried at a local cemetery, alongside her father. |
| Security will be tight, with fans kept away, although the funeral service will be streamed live on the internet. | Security will be tight, with fans kept away, although the funeral service will be streamed live on the internet. |
| Houston, 48, was found dead in a hotel in Los Angeles a week ago. | Houston, 48, was found dead in a hotel in Los Angeles a week ago. |
| Officials are waiting for the results of toxicology tests that will help them ascertain how she died. | Officials are waiting for the results of toxicology tests that will help them ascertain how she died. |
| 'Private viewing' | 'Private viewing' |
| Police have cordoned off streets surrounding the New Hope Baptist Church, with pockets of fans gathering outside the perimeter. | |
| The church is where a young Whitney Houston sang in a gospel choir run by her mother. | |
| The 1,500 invited guests will include some of the biggest names in showbusiness. | The 1,500 invited guests will include some of the biggest names in showbusiness. |
| Stevie Wonder and Aretha Franklin will sing, while Kevin Costner, who starred opposite Houston in The Bodyguard, will be one of the speakers, as will Clive Davis, her musical mentor. | Stevie Wonder and Aretha Franklin will sing, while Kevin Costner, who starred opposite Houston in The Bodyguard, will be one of the speakers, as will Clive Davis, her musical mentor. |
| There will also be contributions from Houston's cousin Dionne Warwick and singer Alicia Keys. | There will also be contributions from Houston's cousin Dionne Warwick and singer Alicia Keys. |
| Houston's ex-husband Bobby Brown will also attend, with the couple's only child Bobbi Kristina. | Houston's ex-husband Bobby Brown will also attend, with the couple's only child Bobbi Kristina. |
| The BBC's Michelle Fleury in Newark says there has been a lot of debate about his attendance because of the well-publicised problems of the couple's marriage, and also talk about how much time he will spend with his daughter. | The BBC's Michelle Fleury in Newark says there has been a lot of debate about his attendance because of the well-publicised problems of the couple's marriage, and also talk about how much time he will spend with his daughter. |
| The ceremony will also be streamed on the BBC News website at 12:00 EST (17:00 GMT). | The ceremony will also be streamed on the BBC News website at 12:00 EST (17:00 GMT). |
| Houston will then be buried beside her father, John Russell Houston, at Fairview Cemetery in Westfield. | Houston will then be buried beside her father, John Russell Houston, at Fairview Cemetery in Westfield. |
| A number of Houston's relatives attended a private viewing service at a Newark funeral home on Friday night amid tight security. | A number of Houston's relatives attended a private viewing service at a Newark funeral home on Friday night amid tight security. |
| On Saturday, a golden hearse drew up there to transfer Houston's coffin to the church. | |
| Houston was one of the world's leading musical artists from the mid-1980s to the late 1990s, selling 170 million records worldwide. | Houston was one of the world's leading musical artists from the mid-1980s to the late 1990s, selling 170 million records worldwide. |
| Sales of her records have soared since her death was announced last Saturday. | Sales of her records have soared since her death was announced last Saturday. |