惠特尼•休斯頓葬禮將與本周六舉行
Pop star Whitney Houston's funeral service will be held Saturday in the New Jersey church where she first showcased her singing talents as a child, her family choosing to remember her in a private service rather than in a large event at an arena.
The owner of the Whigham Funeral Home in Newark said Tuesday that the funeral will be held at noon at the New Hope Baptist Church in Newark. Gospel singer Marvin Winans, a Grammy Award winner and longtime family friend, has been chosen to give the eulogy, his son said.
The funeral home said that no wake would be held and that there would be no public memorial at Newark's Prudential Center, the sports arena that the family had discussed as a possible venue. The funeral service will be by invitation only, Carolyn Whigham said, reflecting the family's desire to keep the memorial more personal.
"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," she said.
"The family thanks all the fans, the friends and the media, but this time is their private time," she said.
A hearse arrived late Monday at the funeral home under heavy police escort from Teterboro Airport, where Houston's body was transported from the Los Angeles area.
The New Hope Baptist Church was where Houston began singing as a child, where her mother — Grammy-winning gospel singer Cissy Houston — led the music program for many years and where her cousin, singer Dionne Warwick, sang in its choir.
滬江娛樂(lè)快訊:據(jù)國(guó)外媒體報(bào)道,剛剛?cè)ナ赖幕萏啬帷ば菟诡D(WhitneyHouston)的遺體已于當(dāng)?shù)貢r(shí)間周一晚運(yùn)回了她的家鄉(xiāng)新澤西。據(jù)知情人士透露,休斯頓的葬禮將在本周末舉行,葬禮將選在惠特尼·休斯頓初試啼聲的新澤西教堂。當(dāng)?shù)貢r(shí)間上周六,48歲的惠特尼·休斯頓被發(fā)現(xiàn)死于貝弗利山莊希爾頓酒店的浴缸中,當(dāng)時(shí)她正準(zhǔn)備參加本屆格萊美音樂(lè)獎(jiǎng)的預(yù)熱演出。據(jù)這兩位知情人士透露,惠特尼這次葬禮的具體安排將由Newark的“維格漢姆殯儀館”負(fù)責(zé)制定?!熬S格漢姆殯儀館”的一位女士在接受采訪時(shí)表示,針對(duì)目前他們將要負(fù)責(zé)休斯頓葬禮的傳聞,她既不肯定,也不否認(rèn)。目前,一架帳篷已經(jīng)支起在通往這家殯儀館后門的路上。惠特尼·休斯頓生于新澤西的內(nèi)瓦克地區(qū),在EastOrange長(zhǎng)大。在很小的時(shí)候,休斯頓正是在內(nèi)瓦克的“新希望浸禮會(huì)”開始了自己的演唱生涯。惠特尼的家人表示葬禮將會(huì)采用比較私人的方式,不對(duì)外公開。他們感謝歌迷對(duì)于惠特尼的關(guān)心。