On Sunday, Whitney Houston’s journey “home” ended with a private burial in her home state of New Jersey. Houston was laid to rest next to her father late Sunday morning as a mournful crowd gathered at the entrance of Fairview Cemetery in Westfield, south of Newark. The invitation-only home going service was held on Saturday at New Hope Baptist Church, where Houston began singing solo in the junior choir by age 11, and was filled with stars and loved ones who were all inspired by “the voice.”
Houston was celebrated with songs performed by Stevie Wonder, R. Kelly, Alicia Keys, and others, including CeCe Winans who performed “Jesus Loves Me,” which was the last song Houston sang in public before her death on Feb. 11. Along with Houston’s close family and friends, other guests in attendance were Oprah Winfrey, Mary J. Blige, Mariah Carey, Spike Lee, Tyler Perry, and Kevin Costner, who was Houston’s co-star in the hit movie “The Bodyguard.” Costner gave a speech recalling how Houston questioned whether she was good and beautiful enough to play the role of Rachel Marron. He said, “It was the burden that made her great and the part that caused her to stumble in the end.”
Houston’s ex-husband, singer Bobby Brown, arrived at the church with a group of loved ones and remained for a short time. He kissed the casket of his ex-wife and departed. As the home going reached its end, Houston’s casket was held high by a group of men and carried away to her greatest hit, “I Will Always Love You.”
