When Whitney Houston died suddenly over the weekend she left behind scores of shocked fans. While her cause of death remains in doubt, funeral arrangements for the pop star have proceeded. On Tuesday it was announced that Houston’s funeral would be a small, private affair. The service is to be held at noon on Friday at New Hope Baptist Church in Newark, New Jersey. Attendance is by invitation only.
The announcement of the small, private funeral without any larger public ceremony left some fans feeling excluded and disappointed. Now it looks like they’ll get to attend Houston’s funeral after all, in a way. According to a report from CNN, the service will be broadcast live online.
The live stream will be available to view from a variety of news sources when the funeral starts tomorrow at noon. The guest list is rumored to include a number of big-name stars, some of whom will perform at the service. Aretha Franklin, Whitney Houston’s godmother, is slated to perform. Guests include Chaka Khan, Jesse Jackson, gospel singers BeBe and CeCe Winans (whose brother Marvin is delivering the eulogy), and Dionne Warwick.
While Houston’s autopsy was completed within days of her death, her cause of death has not been released pending a toxicology report. She was found in the bathtub of her room at the Beverly Hilton Saturday evening. Her death led to a last-minute overhaul of Sunday’s Grammy Awards ceremony, which included a stirring tribute by Jennifer Hudson.