The invitation-only funeral for Whitney Houston will take place later today at New Hope Baptist Church in Newark, New Jersey.
Last night the singer’s 18-year-old daughter Bobbi Kristina Brown was among mourners who attended a private visitation to view her body.
The funeral program titled I Will Always Love You, obtained by TMZ, depicts Saturday’s event as a “Home Going” ceremony that will be streamed live beginning at 12:00 p.m. EST.
The handout contains photos of Houston with the important people in her life including her parents, her daughter and her mentor Clive Davis, and contains a narrative under the banner Reflections Of Her Life.
Aretha Franklin will perform for the 1,500 attendees. The guest list includes Dionne Warwick, Ray J, Brandy, Chaka Khan, Bebe and CeCe Winans, the Rev. Jesse Jackson and L.A. Reid. Kevin Costner, who co-starred with Houston in The Bodyguard, is expected to offer a tribute during the service.
Whitney’s ex-husband Bobby Brown was initially considered unwelcome but the family relented for the sake of Bobbi Kristina. The relationship between father and daughter has been on shaky ground and he is reportedly flying out immediately after the service for an evening performance in Connecticut.
Houston will be laid to rest next to her father in a Fairview, N.J. cemetery. John Russell Houston died in 2003. Besides a daughter, Whitney is survived by her mother Cissy Houston.
The funeral will be covered live on Fox News, HLN and MSNBC.
More photos and video coverage below:
Photos: WENN