Stars Coming Out for Whitney's Funeral

Even Kevin Costner will pay tribute to Houston
By Evann Gastaldo,  Newser Staff
Posted Feb 17, 2012 10:47 AM CST
Stars Coming Out for Whitney's Funeral
Whitney Houston's last televised performance at the 2011 BET Celebration of Gospel.   (PRNewsFoto/BET Networks)

Whitney Houston's funeral tomorrow will be full of Hollywood VIPs, from Oprah to Beyoncé to Elton John. The New Jersey Star-Ledger runs down others expected to attend (Bill Cosby, David Bowie, Jay-Z, Elton John), speak (Dionne Warwick, Tyler Perry, Clive Davis) and even perform (Stevie Wonder, Aretha Franklin, Alicia Keys, R. Kelly). The invitation-only funeral will take place at the New Hope Baptist Church in Newark, where Houston was nicknamed "Nippy" in her childhood, and will be streamed live.

One particularly poignant participant: Kevin Costner, who hand-picked Houston as his Bodyguard co-star, will pay tribute to her at the funeral, a source tells the New York Daily News. Another rumored invitee: Houston's ex-husband Bobby Brown. Sources tell People the rumors that he had been "banned" were not true and that he will in fact attend, and E! points out that he can still easily make it to a scheduled concert appearance with New Edition that evening in nearby Connecticut. (Controversy alert: Westboro Baptist Church plans to picket the funeral.)

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