Whitney Houston's family holds private viewing ahead of funeral

Feb 18, 2012, 2:06 GMT

New York - Dozens of television cameras were set up outside the New Hope Baptist Church in Newark, New Jersey, where the funeral service of chart-topping singer Whitney Houston was to take place Saturday.

Houston was found dead in a bathtub at the Beverly Hills Hilton on the eve of the Grammy Awards, on February 11. The cause of death is not yet known.

Her body was flown by private jet from Los Angeles to the Whigham Funeral Home in Newark, where an entourage of family and friends attended a private viewing on Friday.

Houston's mother, former soul and gospel singer Cissy Houston, and daughter Bobbi Kristina, 18, were among those who stepped out of the convoy of back limousines and SUVs that rolled in to the cordoned-off building.

Police braced for thousands of fans to pay their respects at what was fast shaping up to become one of the most-widely watched celebrity funerals ever.

It was at New Hope Baptist Church, which Houston attended as a child, that she first sang in public as part of the choir.

While the family of the soul diva had originally announced the funeral as a private service, they have now allowed the media to offer live coverage, which will showcase some legendary names paying tribute to the singer.

Huge screens have been erected outside for fans to view the proceedings. Hundreds of fans were already standing vigil outside both the church and funeral home, singing Houston's songs and holding placards and photos of her.

Soul greats Stevie Wonder and Aretha Franklin, her godmother, are to sing at the service, while Kevin Costner, her normally reclusive co-star in the hit film The Bodyguard, will address the mourners, People.com reported.

Other stars expected to attend include Beyonce, Elton John, Oprah Winfrey, Chaka Khan, record producer Antonio LA Reid, Houston's cousin Dione Warwick, and music mogul Clive Davis who mentored the star.

Houston's ex-husband, Bobby Brown, was also expected to attend.

The singer's death at the age of 48 cast a dark shadow over the Grammy Awards.

Once known as America's golden girl during the peak of her success for a decade from 1985, Houston later battled alcohol and drug addictions but claimed to have conquered her demons in 2009.

Flags on state government buildings flew at half mast in her honour on Saturday, a decision that provoked controversy because of her alleged years as a drug abuser.

New Jersey Governor Chris Christie defended the decision, calling Houston 'a daughter of New Jersey,' the New York Daily News reported.

'I am disturbed by people who believe that because her ultimate demise - and we don't know what is the cause of her death yet - but because of her history of substance abuse that somehow she's forfeited the good things that she did in her life,' Christie said. 'I just reject that on a human level.'