An invitation-only memorial service for American cultural icon Whitney Houston, which was broadcast globally, was held on February 18, 2012, at New Hope Baptist Church in Newark, New Jersey, seven days after her death. The homegoing was preceded by a private wake at the Whigham Funeral Home in Newark. Houston was subsequently buried at Fairview Cemetery in Westfield, New Jersey, next to her father John Houston Jr.
Plans to have a public memorial service at the Prudential Center were thwarted by Houston's mother Cissy Houston. Eventually, the family decided on New Hope due to hopes of wanting a more private and intimate memorial rather than at an arena. Fans who couldn't get in gathered at barricades during the funeral. The memorial began at approximately 12:00 p.m. local time and was to end at around 2:00 p.m. but extended to nearly 4:00 p.m. On the day of the service, all New Jersey flags flew at half-staff in honor of Houston.
Stevie Wonder, Alicia Keys, Kim Burrell, BeBe Winans, CeCe Winans, Donnie McClurkin and R. Kelly either sang Houston's songs or reinterpreted other songs in honor of the singer while Bishop TD Jakes gave a sermon. Aretha Franklin, who was supposed to perform at the funeral, pulled out for health reasons, while Bobby Brown attended the funeral but left early after arguments over his and his family's seating in the church.
Others such as Tyler Perry, BeBe Winans, Dionne Warwick, Rickey Minor, Houston's sister-in-law and manager Pat and security guard Ray Watson spoke of their memories of Houston while Clive Davis, Kevin Costner, her co-star in The Bodyguard and Marvin Winans gave eulogies. Toward the end of the funeral, Houston's casket was lifted and carried off by pallbearers as Houston's iconic rendition of "I Will Always Love You" played on the speakers.
Background Initial plans
Houston died on February 11, 2012 in Beverly Hills, California at the Beverly Hilton hotel, the same night she was to attend Clive Davis's pre-Grammy party, which was subsequently turned into a tribute to the late artist.
Following her autopsy, Houston's body was flown back from California to her home state of New Jersey by Tyler Perry's private jet on February 13.
There were rumors spreading that a public memorial service, similar to Houston's contemporary, singer Michael Jackson's, would be held at the 18,000-seated Prudential Center. However, Houston's mother Cissy Houston turned down that plan, telling people that she "shared Whitney with the public long enough".
Instead, the family agreed to have a more private, invitation-only funeral at Houston's childhood church, New Hope Baptist Church, which seated more than 1,500 and was where Houston first sang solos as a preteen.
The decision to do so was to have a more private and intimate memorial to remember her “rather than at a large event or an arena.”
Said Carolyn Whigham of Whigham Funeral Home at the time, “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.”
Private wake On February 17, a private wake was held at the Whigham Funeral Home in Newark, attended by most of Houston's family, including her daughter Bobbi Kristina Brown and Houston's elder brother Michael.
The wake generated controversy after a picture of Houston in her open casket was sent to the National Enquirer, who posted the photo in the cover of their February 22 issue, with the title "Whitney: The Last Photo! Inside Her Private Viewing".
The singer was laid in a golden casket with cream-colored lining accentuated with her childhood nickname, "Nippy," and music symbols. Houston was wearing a purple dress, a diamond brooch, earrings and gold slippers. The Enquirer never revealed who sent the photo. The funeral home denied leaking the photo. Houston's family spoke out against the photo leak.
Service Hours before the service began on February 18, mourners fell quiet as Houston's gold casket — draped in white roses and purple lilies — entered the church, lifted by three police officers, followed by Houston's mother, who was carried side by side by family members as the choir, dressed in white and gold robes, sang in hushed tones, "Whitney, Whitney, Whitney". According to reports, Cissy and Houston's daughter Bobbi Kristina were seen holding each other throughout the funeral.
The service reportedly began at around 12:18 p.m., eighteen minutes after it was supposed to began, starting with the choir singing "The Lord Is My Shepherd" before remarks were read by New Hope minister Rev. Joe A. Carter, who started the service by saying "We're here today with hearts broken, but with God's strength we celebrate the life of Whitney Houston." Carter was then followed by Cory Booker, then the mayor of Newark, took to the pulpit and stated, "May we understand that while we weep now, weeping may endure through the night, but joy—joy cometh in the morning."
This was then followed by gospel singer Donnie McClurkin, singing his song "Stand", which Houston's family had requested he sang.
After an introduction by Dionne Warwick, Tyler Perry spoke at the podium, stating, "There are two constants that I know about Whitney Houston: there was a grace that carried her from heaven down through Miss Cissy Houston, a grace that brought her up through singing. The other thing I know for sure: Whitney Houston loved the Lord."
Perry also mentioned his "candid" conversations with Houston, recalling the singer telling him that she "wasn't even supposed to be able to speak, let alone sing, because of an incident that happened to her as a child," stating that Houston held on to her faith, adding "Before I could get words out to encourage her, she would say, 'But the Lord'" and that "nothing was able to separate her from her love of God."
Singer BeBe Winans, teary-eyed, told the congregation about their friendship, which started in the mid-1980s telling them "We spent a lot of time together and we talk about her voice and we talk about her talent, which was a beautiful thing, but what I’m going to miss is crazy Whitney".
Illuminating this point, Winans recalled Houston buying him and sister CeCe outfits for a debut headlining tour the sibling duo were planning. Houston mentioned buying suits for the duo and the entire band and buying her a dress because, Winans added, "she decided at the height of her career she was going to come sing background with BeBe and CeCe", despite the fact that it "made Clive mad." When Winans told her that it wasn't necessary and that it "wasn't a material relationship", Houston asked them, "you my brother and sister, right?" to which Winans said "yes". Houston then asked "and I'm your sister, right? And we love each other, right?" to which Winans again said "yes" to both questions.
The congregation erupted in laughter when Winans mentioned Houston asking them, "and y'all broke, right? And I'm rich, right? And I can buy what I want to for y’all, right?" to which Winans added, "And that is the Whitney. That is the Whitney," then adding that that was the Houston he would miss the most before launching into his song, "I Really Miss You", which Winans had originally written for his late elder brother Ron, but re-dedicated to Houston.
Winans was then followed by Bishop TD Jakes, who delivered a rousing sermon about the "promise of tomorrow", telling the congregation, "Death has not won. Your tears may flow. The flowers might wither. You will find people you love may leave you outwardly, but (they) will not leave you inwardly."
Kim Burrell, one of Houston's friends, came after him to sing her rendition of Sam Cooke's "A Change Is Gonna Come", in which was rewritten in honor of Houston, starting with the words "she was born in Newark". After ending the song, Burrell went down to the audience where Houston's mother sat in the front and the two embraced each other.
Kevin Costner delivered an emotional eulogy to Houston recalling their shared religious Baptist faith and the singer and actress's nervousness in accepting and participating in The Bodyguard as well as the obstacles she had to overcome to receive the role including her race and the fact that it was her first film as well as her own concerns about being "good enough" for the role, praising her talent, stating, "Whitney, if you could hear me now, I would tell you, you weren't just good enough, you were great. You made The Bodyguard the picture that it was. A lot of leading men could have filled my part. But Whitney, you're the only one who I believed could have played [the character of] Rachel Marron at that time. I was your pretend-bodyguard once long ago, and now you're gone too soon."
Costner ended his eulogy with the words, "So off you go, Whitney, off you go. Escorted by an army of angels to your heavenly Father, and when you sing before Him, don’t you worry. You’ll be good enough." Costner was received with a standing ovation following his eulogy.
After tearfully remembering Houston as a mentor to young female artists including her, singer and pianist Alicia Keys, who co-penned Houston's final hit, "Million Dollar Bill", sang "Send Me an Angel" while playing piano.
Clive Davis, her longtime boss and mentor, took to the podium to talk about their 30-year professional and personal relationship, saying, "I loved her very much. Whitney was purely and simply one of a kind. Yes, she admitted to crises in her life. Yes, she confessed to Oprah about her searing battles. But when I needed her, she was there for me. An eternally loyal friend."
Stevie Wonder recalled "this is an emotional moment for me" and then joked, "In my little fantasy world, I had a little crush on Whitney", adding, "I just had so much respect for her love of music", before singing his songs, "Ribbon in the Sky", which he rewrote for Houston, and "Love's in Need of Love Today", on the piano.
Her sister-in-law and former manager Pat Houston said of Houston, "Even when she was tired and a bit lost, she gave and gave, and then gave some more. When she didn't want to do things, she did it anyway, and we are so much better because of it."
Pat was then followed by her brother and Houston's longtime security guard of 11 years, Ray Watson, who spoke of memories being with Houston, including her last days in which he recalled the singer talking "biblically", adding "She laid her head on my shoulder and said, 'We are gonna be all right.'"
R. Kelly gave a rendition of Houston's hit, "I Look to You", which he'd written for her, while fighting back tears before finally completing the song. Warwick returned to the pulpit to read the poem written for the occasion, "Don't Grieve for Me, Now I'm Free".
CeCe Winans then took to the pulpit to belt the song "Don't Cry for Me", which she had originally recorded in 1988 and which Houston herself covered live during an AIDS benefit concert in 1994, and "Jesus Loves Me", a song Houston recorded for the soundtrack to The Bodyguard.
Houston's former musical director and longtime friend of over 30 years, Rickey Minor, took to the podium recalling his friendship with Houston, which started when the singer was 18, adding "It didn't take me long to realize that I love Whitney Houston. … What a voice. Not a voice. The voice."
Marvin Winans, who had presided over the wedding of Houston's marriage to Bobby Brown, delivered the final eulogy, which lasted over 30 minutes and included his siblings BeBe, CeCe, Michael, Carvin and Angie & Debbie ending at around 3:34 p.m. Winans told the Detroit Free Press that he felt like he had lost a sibling upon learning of Houston's death.