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Whitney Houston, whose vocal power and range produced some of the most memorable music of her generation, including her signature hit, "I Will Always Love You", will be laid to rest on Saturday, February 18, in a service at a Newark, New Jersey church, where she performed while growing up.
Alicia Keys and actor Kevin Costner along with the pop star's godmother Aretha Franklin, her cousin Dionne Warwick and singer Stevie Wonder are among those expected to attend.
Over the course of a 30-year career, Houston won six Grammys, 30 Billboard awards and 22 American Music Awards. She released seven studio albums and sold some 170 million CDs, singles and videos.
The soundtrack for a hit movie in which she starred, "The Boydguard", was among the best-selling soundtracks in movie history.
Born in Newark, New Jersey, in 1963, Houston was inspired to perform as a child by soul singers in her family, including mother Cissy Houston and cousins Dione Warwick and the late Dee Dee Warwick.
By the early 1990s, Houston reigned as the queen of pop, her critical and commercial success though was at times was overshadowed by an increasingly troubled personal life.
In 1992 she married singer Bobby Brown, who had a bad-boy reputation, and their tumultuous 14 years together were marred by drug abuse and domestic violence.
The singer died in a Beverly Hills hotel room almost a week ago on the eve of the music industry's Grammy Awards. She was found underwater in a bathtub in her hotel room, according to police.
The death of the beloved pop star stunned the music world, her family and her fans.
John Russell, Reuters.
