Standing at the pulpit behind Houstons silver casket, which was heaped with purple and white flowers, Perry celebrated the late singers ith in God, while Winans remembered her lighter side.

What Im going to miss is crazy Whitney,深圳学生网. Winans said, recounting her offer to perform back-up for him and his sister, CeCe, at the height of her career.

The funeral was also filled with musical tributes, with Wonder singing Loves in Need of Love Today, Kelly performing I Look to You and Keys and the Winans mily also performing in Houstons honor.

Davis, Houstons mentor, also touched on her years of struggle with drugs and alcohol.

Meanwhile, Bobby Brown, Houstons ex-husband and Bobbi Kristinas ther, left the church minutes before the funeral was set to begin, after his nine-person entourage was asked to leave, The Star-Ledger reported. Brown left with the group and appeared visibly upset as he got into a black Cadillac SUV.

Houston died last Saturday at age 48 in a Los Angeles hotel. Her cause of death has not been officially determined.

According to The Star-Ledger, the 1,500 invited mourners also included Forest Whitaker, Mary J. Blige and Queen Latih. Rev. Jesse Jackson sat behind the pulpit with Houstons mily.

words for an emcee Whitney Houston Funeral,

Houston to be Buried Next to FatherWhitney Houstons final resting place will be next to her …

It was the burden that made her great and the part that caused her to stumble at the end, he said.

Yall broke, right? he recalled her saying, drawing a big laugh from those gathered in the church.

Houstons casket arrived at the church in a gold hearse Saturday morning.

But Davis focused most of his speewords for an emcee Whitney Houston Funeralch on what he called her musical genius.

 

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Whitney was purely and simply one of a kind, he said. Yes, she admitted to crises in life, yes she confessed to Oprah about her searing battles. But when I needed her, she was there. She was there for me — an eternally loyal friend.

Aretha Franklin did not attend the service as originally planned due to illness.

Tyler Perry Recalls Houstons GraceFilmmaker Tyler Perry has spoken at Whitney Houstons funeral …

A private mily viewing was held on Friday evening. Houston will be buried beside her ther, John Russell Houston, on Sunday at the Fairview Cemetery in Westfield, N.J.

He urged Houstons daughter, Bobbi Kristina, and other young women to sing your hearts out, knowing that there is a lady in heaven God himself wonder how he created something so perfect.

MYFOXNY.COM – Whitney Houstons home going service featured both song and Scripture as mily and friends, including some of the entertainment industrys biggest names, gathered in the late singers childhood church in Newark, N.J., on Saturday to pay tribute to her life and great musical gift.

While he ranked her among the great singers of the last century, he also addressed the insecurities she felt even at the peak of her celebrity.

Dionne Warwick, Houstons cousin, served as emcee of the service, which lasted nearly four hours, introducing most of the speakers and performers and sharing her own memories of the late singer.

New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie also attended and was given a standing ovation for ordering that the states flags be flown at half-staff for Houston on Saturday.

Director and producer Tyler Perry, actor Kevin Costner, music executive Clive Davis and singers Stevie Wonder, BeBe Winans, Alicia Keys, R.Kelly and Dionne Warwick were among those sharing their memories of Houston at New Hope Baptist Church, with some calling her by her nickname, Nippy.

He recalled her telling him shortly befwords for an emceeore her death that she was getting in shape and committed to getting my high notes back.

Hometown to Reclaim Houston at FuneralAlthough Whitney Houston was one of the most mous people in …

Costner, Houstons co-star in the 1992 blockbuster The Bodyguard, delivered a long, emotional speech, recalling their shared Baptist ith. I can see her in my own mind running around here as a skinny little girl, he said, looking around the church.

A recording of Houstons best-known hit, I Will Always Love You, was played as the pallbearers removed the casket from the church at the end of the service.

Earlier, the procession of mourners, some riding in gold limousines, made their way to the red brick church in a now-blighted area of Newark where Houston sang as a child. A fence outside the church was massed with balloons and flowers, tributes from the community to the hometown girl who became an icon.

The New Hope Baptist Choir and the New Jersey Mass Choir also sang, with the members of both ensembles dressed all in white.

Her mother, Cissy, followed behind, supported on either side by two women.

Yes you did all you could, but the choice was always hers, she said.

You wait for a voice like that for a lifetime, he said.

Houstons sister-in-law and former manager, Patricia Houston, who was among the final speakers, offered words of comfort to the late singers mother, Cissy.

Costner To Speak At Houstons FuneralKevin Costner will reportedly speak at Whitney Houstons …