Why was Aretha Franklin a no-show at Whitney Houston's funeral service?

One person noticeably absent from Whitney Houston’s service on Saturday at the New Hope Baptist Church in Newark, New Jersey was Aretha Franklin.

The soul singer, 69, was scheduled to sing at the ceremony, along with Stevie Wonder and others.

But she didn’t show up, which prompted rumors that Houston’s mother Cissy Houston had un-invited her, Extra TV reports.

Did Franklin anger Cissy Houston with comments she made on the Today show?

Franklin told Today anchor Al Roker, "Parents really have to talk to their children before they leave home. They have to make sure when they leave home, they have all the right things. She left home with all the right things, but she just kind of lost her way along the way,” which Cissy was reportedly unhappy about.

But Franklin’s absence was news to Whitney’s cousin, Dionne Warwick, who called Franklin to the podium at Saturday’s service and when she realized she wasn’t there, sayid "Oh, 'Re's not here?"

The “Queen of Soul” has denied these reports that she was un-invited, citing health issues for her absentee status.

She said in a statement that she had “every intention of being there,” but “I had terrible leg spasms and locked leg muscles until 4:00AM this morning following my concert last night.” She said it was “very important to stay off my leg today as much as possible until concert time this evening.”

She added, “My heart goes out to my dear friend Cissy, Dionne, Bobbi Kristina and the rest of the family. May God keep them all. Aretha & the Franklin Family."

USA Today reports that Franklin did perform at Radio City Music Hall that night.

But The New York Daily News reports that the show was a rescheduled show from a performance she missed in 2010 also due to health problems.