Houston's funeral is Saturday at childhood church

Newark: Pop star Whitney Houston's funeral will be Saturday in the church where she first sang as a child.

The owner of the Whigham Funeral Home in Newark said Tuesday that the funeral would be at the New Hope Baptist Church there.

The 48-year-old Houston died last Saturday at a hotel in Beverly Hills, California. Officials said she was underwater and apparently unconscious when she was pulled from a bathtub.

Her body was returned to New Jersey late Monday.

Houston was born in Newark and began singing as a child at the New Hope church, where her mother, Grammy-winning gospel singer Cissy Houston, led the music program for many years.

Cousin Dionne Warwick also sang in its choir.

On Monday, mourners left flowers, balloons and candles for Houston at the wrought-iron fence around the tall brick church.