The body of Whitney Houston has been released from the Los Angeles County Coroner’s Office and will be transported back to New Jersey where her funeral and burial are set to take place later this week.
According to a TMZ report, the private jet of Tyler Perry will transport Houston’s remains to Newark’s Whigham Funeral Home, the same facility that handled her father’s 2003 service and burial.
Tentative arrangements included a wake Thursday and a public memorial service on Friday at Newark’s Prudential Center, an arena with seating for 18,000. That changed after the family specifically asked the city to nix the plan for a celebration of life event that would have been available to attendees on a first come basis.
Whitney was born in Newark and raised in nearby East Orange, where she sang at New Hope Baptist Church. Flowers, balloons and candles have been left in front of the tall brick church as part of a growing makeshift memorial.
An invitation only funeral service will take place on Saturday at New Hope with seating for 300.
The deceased singer is the daughter of Grammy Award-winning gospel singer Cissy Houston. She is also survived by an 18-year-old daughter, Bobbie Kristina Brown. The teenager was hospitalized on Sunday for treatment of stress and anxiety.
Jennifer Hudson performed an emotional tribute to Houston during last night’s Grammy Awards.
Photos: WENN, Video Screen Grab