Whitney Houston’s funeral set for Saturday, no memorial planned

Whitney Houston died Saturday at a hotel in Los Angeles and a week later, she will be buried this upcoming Saturday, Feb. 18, in her hometown of Newark, NJ. There will be no public memorial held at the Prudential Center, as initially rumored.

Carolyn Whigham of Whigham Funeral Home told CNN that the service will take place at Newark’s New Hope Baptist Church at noon with invited guests only, with the burial being private as well. The media will be kept outside of the church.

According to USA Today, the funeral home also told The Associated Press that there will be no public memorial at the Prudential Center as rumored. It had been rumored that the sports arena would host a memorial much like the one held for Michael Jackson in 2009. A representative for the Houstons told USA Today that no such event was ever planned.

A representative of the Newark Mayor’s Office also confirmed to TMZ that no event was planned. “The Houston family has no plans to set up a public viewing at the Prudential Center this Friday,” the representative for Mayor Cory Booker said.

Bloomberg reports that the New Hope Baptist Church had played an important role in Houston’s life. As the church states on its website, “Whitney grew up” at the church. Emily "Cissy" Houston, Houston’s mother, was the minister of sacred music and “continues to this day as a faithful member.”

Houston’s body arrived in New Jersey Monday night. After an autopsy by the LA County Coroner’s office, foul play was ruled out in her death. An exact cause of death will not be known until toxicology reports are released in the next few weeks.