ARETHA FRANKLIN and Stevie Wonder will be among stars singing at the private funeral today for Whitney Houston at the church she attended as a child.
Houston's publicist, Kristen Foster, also confirmed that invitations went out to the singer's ex-husband, Bobby Brown, her co-star in The Bodyguard, Kevin Costner, and talk-show presenter Oprah Winfrey.
Houston’s long-time musical mentor, Clive Davis, will speak at the funeral. The eulogy will be given by gospel singer and family friend Marvin Winans.
Others who will be part of the programme include Donnie McClurkin, Tyler Perry, Kim Burrell, Rickey Minor, Alicia Keys, Houston’s cousin Dionne Warwick, and CeCe Winans, Ms Foster said.
Franklin was a close family friend and considered Houston her god-daughter, and Houston used to call her “Aunt Ree”, Ms Foster said.
Yesterday organisers were preparing the New Hope Baptist Church in Newark, New Jersey, for the musical part of the service, setting up speakers and drums in the aisles.
Fans without invitations will be kept far away. Newark police said streets would be shut down for six square blocks around the church.
However, they will be able to watch the funeral on the internet. AP will stream the service on livestream.com/aplive.
Newark-born Houston was raised in nearby East Orange and began singing as a child at New Hope church, where her mother, Grammy-winning gospel singer Cissy Houston, led the music programme for many years and where Warwick sang in the choir.
Meanwhile, a Los Angeles radio station has suspended two popular presenters for distasteful comments they made about Houston.
KFI AM 640 took John Kobylt and Ken Chiampou off the air after audio posted at UrbanInformer.comshowed that the hosts of the John and Ken Showcalled Houston a "crack ho" and said she was "cracked out for 20 years".
The station said in a statement that Kobylt and Chiampou were “suspended for making insensitive and inappropriate comments about the late Whitney Houston”.
Kobylt said he and Chiampou had “used language that was inappropriate” and they “sincerely apologise” to their listeners and to Houston’s family.
The hosts, who often rail against taxes and illegal immigration, will return to the airwaves on February 27th. – (AP)