A spokeswoman for Whingham Funeral Home said a private funeral will be held on February 18, limited to invites.
- Feb 15, 2012
AceShowbiz - Contradictory to an earlier report, Whitney Houston's funeral will not be held until Saturday, February 18 at the New Hope Baptist Church in Newark, New Jersey. The owner of Whingham Funeral Home confirmed that it will take place in the noon and there would be no wake nor public memorial at Newark's Prudential Center.
The funeral would be invite-only, reportedly 300 seats, because the family wish to keep it private. "They have shared her for 30 some years with the city, with the state, with the world. This is their time now for their farewell," Carolyn Whigham told reporters. "The family thanks all the fans, the friends and the media, but this time is their private time."
Whitney's body was flown by private jet from Los Angeles to New Jersey Monday, February 13 after autopsy was done. Whigham said that the family has made all the arrangements. "They've done everything," she said.
New Hope Baptist Church in Newark was where Whitney sang as a child with her mother Cissy Houston and her cousin Dionne Warwick. Cissy was Aretha Franklin's background singer, and Aretha was her godmother.
