man on tv: two outs with a runner on first base. now the big guy comes up to bat, hitting .342 with 92 rbis and 36 homers. [fans whirring] [ding] announcer: chill raw and prepared foods promptly. one in 6 americans will get sick from food poisoning this year. keep your family safer. check your steps at foodsafety.gov. good morning, everybody. right now whitney houston's

family and friends are arriving at a newark, new jersey, church getting ready to remember the singing legend. we have just learned who will perform at the funeral. we'll share that with you in a moment. and we'll talk with chile from the group tlc. and also whitney houston's principal, we'll talk with him also. he'll talk about what the famous singer was really like. from the cnn center in atlanta, this is "cnn saturday morning." i'm gary tuchman. well, aretha franklin, alicia keys, and stevie wonder, just a few of the people who will sing at whitney houston's funeral today. we're about two hours from the expected start. let's check in with jason carroll who's there in newark, new jersey, right now. what else can you tell us about the program that will be taking

place today? >> reporter: a friend of the family gave me a rundown on what we can expect to see. the expected time, 12:00 noon. let's start off from the beginning so you know. first it will start off with the new hope mass choir and the new jersey mass choir. today they'll be singing "the lord is my shep herd." following that we'll be speaking with pastor joe carter. he said, look, we'll be acknowledging the hurt, there'll be a lot of tears, but we'll also be celebrating the musical life that was whitney houston. that will be followed by a sew loi by donny mcclurkin who will be singing "stand," then remarks by film maker tyler perry. that will be followed by a solo by bebe winans singing "home," followed by remarks by bishop t.d. jacques. then we'll hear from kim burrell. she has noun whitney houston for

some 13 friends. well known in the gospel community. she'll be singing "i believe" and "you and me," and, gary, that was a song actually chosen by the houston family. then we'll hear remarks from kevin costner, "bodyguard" co-star. many know the actor kevin costner. then we'll hear from the queen of soul herself, aretha franklin. she'll be singing "the greatest love of all." we ooh'll be hearing remarks from clive davis. a lot of folks know that name in the music industry. he was mentor for whitney houston in the music industry for many, many years. and then stevie wonder will be singing "a ribbon in the sky. thts then remarks by ricky minor, the band leader, a medley from alicia keys, followed by a solely by r. kelly. he'll be singing "i look to you." then i'm told we'll be hearing from houston's family. first up will be patricia houston, whitney houston's

sister-in-law. and then we'll hear from dionne warwick. she'll be giving the closing remarks. a lot of emotional highs and lows we'll be hearing about when the service gets under way. the service is expected to last about three hours and i'm told whitney houston will finally be laid to rest tomorrow. gary? >> jason, very much. there is a lot of movement right now around the new hope baptist church. cnn's don lemon also joins us live with the latest from his vantage point. don? >> reporter: i just want to show you people are starting to arrive here. this is the ground shot. they're arriving in this parking lot and they walk in. some of them who are high-profile guests will get out on the other side of the church there. i want to bring in someone here, the reverend who -- i think it's important. people underestimate how well you knew the family, how much you know about this community, how well you knew whitney houston. she was -- you're very close to her family. and today is really a tough day not only for you, not only for

the family, but for people here in the newark, new jersey, area. >> well, first of all, don, this whole family has meant so much to this community. first african-american mayor of newark was elected in 1970. john houston, whitney's dad, was a part of that movement. he worked in his administration. he worked in community development. and that's how i met the family. but then dionne warwick is around icon, and her father started a gospel record company right here in this community and they attended that church right there. this family, this community inextrick anably linked, so as a young activist, even before i was a preacher, i came to know the houstons as good folks. i grew up two miles away from where she lived in east orange. and as her talent emerged, we saw a star in the making. look this way. is this surreal to you standing here? we've got the media and the satellite trucks? there's the abandoned housing

projects behind you, and in front of us, we're standing here looking -- let's go over this way -- at the new hope baptist church where whitney houston sage, her mom was a choir director -- they're getting some dignitaries through here -- for you to stand here and look at this, can you believe that this is happening? >> no. i told my wife this morning i don't want to go. i can't believe what's happening. this church is so significant to this community. this is one of the first churches to begin build affordable housing for low income people. this church right in this building had a job training build. >> reporter: this big building here. >> after the riots. this was one of the first church in america to have jobs for people in the neighborhood. >> after the riots. >> in 1967. this pastor was the first to be on the radio every sunday at

12:00. new hope baptist church came on the radio. >> is that why it was so important for the houstons to belong to this church? >> there were four or five baptist churches. most african-american churches in new jersey are baptist. there were four our fierchl metropolitan baptist church, zion baptist church and this church. it's foundational to baptists not only around new jersey but around the country. he was on the board. when dr. king came to newark, he would come to this church. the undertaken police wigham is the founder of new jersey's only black bank, the city's black ba bank. >> reporter: and the houstons were part of that, john houston, cissy houston, dionne warwick.

>> and the sisters. of course, you had lawrence roberts who was not from this church but connected to the family. he's now deceased. pastor of first baptist church of nutley. heeed cissi and dionne. >> reporter: they can't believe it's not at the prudential center. they feel she was part of them as well and they feel ownership. now you've given us context by why her funeral is going to be at the church and i don't give a darn. we're going to send whitney home, nippy home from this church which means so much to this church and this community. >> it's about being able to

control the spiritual and cultural depth of the the moment. the prudential center would be an event, a spectacle, but it would not be consistent with the values of this family, the tradition, and the values of whitney herself. this was the best way to articulate within the cultural and religious context how we feel about whitney houston. >> take us forward, please. what are we going to see? we're going to see some crying, some sadness, but we're going to see some shouting and happiness and celebration. >> we're going see worship, first of all. it's a human intervention to the divine. pastor carter with whom i just spoke is determined to lead a worship experience to ensure that god is pleased with the celebration of one of his children. and then we're going to see praise that hopefully will bring some comfort to the family. there is an unusual level of pain. but praise can overcome pain. >> reporter: reverend, thank you

for putting that into context. as we stand in front of the new hope missionary baptist church where whitney houston will be memorialized and have her home going. >> not home coming. home going. >> reporter: and be laid to rest tomorrow. >> don, thank you. thank the reverend for us and thank you also. we got our first live look inside the church. people are starting to go inside the church and we saw the casket of whitney houston that was already garnished with flowers in front of the church. one other point i wanted to make about newark, the area they were talking about. fascinating city. it lost 40% of its city between 1970 and 1990, and that came after the 1967 civil rights riots. but between 1990 and now it's gained some population back. about 275,000 people live there. it's new jersey's largest city. and our coverage of houston's funeral will continue throughout the morning. soledad o'brien and piers morgan

will anchor our special report that begins to air 50 minutes from now at 11:00 a.m. we have a great stories to share about windowny houston. coming up. the elementary principal joins me live. what's this? [ male announcer ] quaker oatmeal squares have 46 grams of whole grains... mmmm. ...and a touch of sweetness. you'll be delighted to discover how good they taste. get your free sample of quaker oatmeal squares on facebook.

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today will be a day of tears in new jersey throughout the united states and throughout the world. whitney houston's family and friends are gathering at this church. you're looking at a live picture of the church. during the funeral the focus on whitney houston's faith and her passion. one of those who will be there will be pastor donnie mcclurkin will who have to handle his own emotions as he sings the final song for his close friend. pastor mcclurkin, thank you very much for joining us. >> i'm glad to be here, gary. >> tell me how you knew whitney houston. >> well, with it -- whitney houston became a family friend when she took my sisters and became a singer. whitney was at her wedding and whitney loved my mother. there was a love relationship between the houston family and the mcclurkin family.

>> what will you be singeing at this funeral service? >> oh, i'm going to try to sing a song called "stand," a song that i wrote some years ago. ♪ stand everybody sing everybody sing ♪ >> the houston family loves it. i'm going to try to get through it. it's an unexpected loss, really. >> i would assume, pastor, that will be very difficult. i assume it's difficult whenever you sing a song like that at a sad occasion, but how do you get through it? how do you contain yourself to get through it without your emotions getting the best of you? >> i really don't know because that can't be guarantee because a loss like this is something that is deep and it's really, really powerfully impacting us. not only did the world know

whitney, but when you knew her intimately and as friend, it's a different scenario all together. and trying to sing on top of the loss is going to be one of the most hair owing experiences. but by faith in god, we'll get through it. >> i spent part of this weekend in newark, east orange, and her grade school principal. they can't believe it happened. she was self a wonderful little girl and star and inspired so many people. are you still in a state of disbelief? >> well, whitney was more than just an icon. whitney was a real person, and she loved hard. and whom she loved she loved with all of her heart. she shared herself with the whole entire world, but there was an intimate side of her that was so absolutely genuine that you felt like you knew her. like all of our time of knowing her, it felt like she's been

family to us. and the way that she treated my sister and my mother, all of us, it was -- it's the way that she treat everybody, so it's going to be hard. people still haven't really registered yesterday that this is a real happening, but the loss is great and it's going to really tame some time to get over this one. >> pastor, she was known as one of the greatest pop singers ever, but her starts, her origins come from gospel. tell me more about that. >> you see, not just her start in origin. throughout all of her pop, she was still singing gospel. even in "the preacher's wife," that's why that movie became so pop lafrmt whitney was doing what whitney does, gospel. even in the pop world, r & b world, she sang with the gospel flafrmt gospel is not just a music form. it's a lifestyle. and the one thing you have to know about whitney houston is

she loved god and it portrayed in the way she developed and the way she portrayed herself. >> and how did faith touch her life, pastor? >> well, man, if you had to deal with some of the things that whitney dealt with, and we always brought attention to the addictions and the demons, but the only way to get through that as she did was with her faith in god, through prayer, through surrounding herself with people who would pray with her. there would be times when we would be at an award show, one in particular i remember, and she -- they pulled me into her dressing room. she was nervous and she was wrapped up in her nightgown and she was ready to go out but her nerves were so overwhelming to her and she just wanted me to pray with her. that's how she got through everything. when we paint the picture of whitney houston, we can't paint it just with her struggle, but we have to understand she overcame a lot of hurdles and the way she did so was with her faith in god.

>> pastor mcclurkin, i know this will be a very sad day but i also know you will be inspiring. thank you for joining us. >> gary, thank you for having me. i appreciate this. a who's who list will be among the named at whitney houston's funeral today 678 you're looking right now at live pictures from outside the church. we're back in a moment. e same. but your erectile dysfunction -- that could be a question of blood flow. cialis for daily use helps you be ready anytime the moment's right. you can be more confident in your ability to be ready. and the same cialis is the only daily ed tablet approved to treat ed and symptoms of bph, like needing to go frequently or urgently. tell your doctor about all your medical conditions and medications, and ask if your heart is healthy enough for sexual activity. do not take cialis if you take nitrates for chest pain, as this may cause an unsafe drop in blood pressure. do not drink alcohol in excess with cialis. side effects may include headache, upset stomach, delayed backache or muscle ache. to avoid long term injury, seek immediate medical help for an erection lasting more than four hours.

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people today. this is a live look at the church where the funeral service will be held for whitney houston. it's scheduled to begin 12:00 eastern time. so that's about an hour and 40 minutes from now. balloons, flowers, they've been there for days, but the people, the celebrities, the mourners, those who love whitney houston are just arriving at the church to pay tribute to her today, the funeral. her godmother aretha franklin her godmother will sing "the greatest love of all." stevie wonder, alicia keys, kim burrell. and donnie mcclurkin will sing his song "stand," which was a houston family favorite. she released her first album more than 27 years ago. and throughout her career she reached new heights in the music

world. among her many milestones, whitney houston's self-titled first album is a biggest debut. she's also the only artist with seven consecutive number one hits and one of her signature songs "i will always love you" is the biggest selling commercial single in music hif. c cnn has obtained unpublished photos. this is from 1982. she was 18 years old. the photographer jack mitchell took them all that time ago. you can see more by going to cnn.com. coming up we'll hear from more. her elementary principal will talk to us before he goes in. remember cnn will have coverage from soledad o'brien and piers morgan from newark, new jersey. that coverage comes away about 37 minutes from now at 11:00 eastern time. stay with us. ome money,

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it's 26 minutes past the hour. welcome back. i'm gary tuchman. thank you very much for starting your day with us.

let's get a check of some of the other news going on this morning. >> a 29-year-old moroccan man is charged with trying to bomb the u.s. capitol in washington, d.c. he allegedly received items from undercover law enforcement, including a vest that the suspect thought -- and we emphasize thought "contained explosives. if convicted he could go to prison for life. in syria they're staging a massive protest near the palace of president bashir al assad. the funeral is for people killed by syrian security forces. opposition groups say at least eight people have been killed today. pope benedict officially inducting 22 new cardinals in a new ceremony in the vatican city this morning. the cardinals hail from all over the world. one of them, new york archbishop timothy dolan. they advise the pope. ultimately the college of cardinals select his successful. mourners are gathering as we

speak at this hour for whitney houston's funeral. we'll go there live with an update coming up next.

we're now about 90 minutes away from whitney houston's funeral at this her home church in newark, new jersey. around 1,500 mourners are expected to attend. a short time ago the hearse arrived at the church. the casket containing whitney houston's body is now inside the sanctuary. and even more fans will be lining the streets to say good-bye to whitney houston. my friend and national correspondent jason carroll is there in newark. jason, what's the latest? >> reporter: i guess we're getting closer to the final moments, aren't we, gary, when folks will be coming down to the new hope baptist church to say their final good-byes. this morning i spoke with a friend of the houston family who was able to share with me the details of what exactly we can expect during the service. it will open with the new hope mass choir singing along with the new jersey mass choir. they'll be singing the lord is my shepherd. following that pastor joe carter will be reading a scripture.

he told me earlier this week, yes, we will be acknowledging the hurt, there will be tears, but we'll also be celebrating the music life that was whitney houston. a solo then will be performed by donnie mcclurkin. he'll be singing "stand." that will be followed by remarks by noted filmmaker tyler perry, who was a friend of the houston family. that will be followed by a sew loi by bebe winans, "home." kim burrell is noted the gospel community. she's been friends with whitney houston for 13 years. she'll be singing a song called "i believe in you and me." apparently that was one of whitney houston's favorites. that will be followed by remarks by kevin costner. and then we will hear from the queen of soul herself. she'll be singing "the greatest love of all."

that will be followed by remarks from clive davis. then stevie wonder will be lending his voice. he will be singing "a ribbon in the sky," one of his favorites. also remarks by rickey and we'll hear from family members, whitney houston's sister-in-law-and the finally member to speak, dionne warwick. a long list of notables there. we're told, garrgary, the entir service may last more than three hours. it may start a little after the noon hour because 1,500 guests are expected there. you've got to get them all there and seated. it may start a little after that. but we're coming now to the final moments when people will be coming to say their final

good-byes. >> jason, we're looking at the other side of the screen where those 1,500 people will arrive. it will be a very poig namt service but also very elaborate. it's like a production with so many personalities and people and important music and people talking. how hard has this been to set up? >> reporter: well, it's noted that this person i spoke to was actually involved in trying to arrange some of the things you just mentioned. when you think of someone like a whitney houston, not only did she touch those in the music industry but those in the newark area that knew her and wanted to share in this as well. that's why you've got such a huge invite list of some 1,500 people. he told me as soon as the word went out that they were invited to come and share in this moment, people were hopping on planes and rushing down just to be here and be near whitney houston's family and share in these final moments. >> jason carroll, thank you for

your report. we'll come back to you a little bit later. stories from the road. coming up next, we'll hear from chile from the group tlc. they toured with whitney houston in the 1990s. we'll hear what that was all about and what it was like coming up next. the new spark card from capital one. spark miles gives me the most rewards of any small business credit card. the spark card earns double miles... so we really had to up our game. with spark, the boss earns double miles on every purchase, every day. that's setting the bar pretty high. owning my own business has never been more rewarding. coming through! [ male announcer ] introducing spark the small business credit cards from capital one. get more by choosing unlimited double miles or 2% cash back on every purchase, every day. what's in your wallet? one chance to hunt down the right insurance at the right price. the "name your price" tool, only from progressive.

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we go back to the new hope baptist church where my colleague don lemon is now standing, and he's standing with a special guest. he's standing with man who was a very important man in whitney houston's life, her grade school principal. he was there for 41 years and he was brand new when whitney houston was a little girl in grade school. >> reporter: yeah. it's henry hamilton. he's standing here. you said today this was a celebration of life. you're celebrating whitney houston. >> you'd better believe it, you know. there's only one day here that the sun is shining like this. it's a beautiful day, and as i just mentioned before, the sun is shining, she's up there. she said this will be whitney's day, and i appreciate that. someone asked me for whether we

should have it at this place, that place, this is where the family wanted it. this is where it should being right here where she grew up singing. >> i want to show this to our viewers. this is the invitation to the home going ceremony. she's beautiful on this picture, right? >> she's always been that way. >> reporter: it says with heartfelt gratitude the houston family rekwefs the honor of your presence at the home going service for whitney elizabeth houston, new hope baptist church, 106 sussex avenue in newark new jersey at 12:00 noon. did you ever think in a million years you would be here with an i i havation doing this? i'm sure not. >> definitely not. i'm proud, again, of the fact that i have the opportunity to be here. how many people can say that they were the principal of whitney houston, elementary people? not too many people can say about that. i'm proud of her. i have bragged about her and i'll continue to brag about her

after the day. >> reporter: there are so many people around. there's the church. you say it's fitting it should be here and not some big venue like the prudential center. >> i said it's up to the family. if they want add big place, okay. if they wanted her here where she grew up sing or what have you, i will support the family. others can see it on tv. out here it's still a positive occasion for whitney houston. >> reporter: yeah. and the school -- when whitney went to school there, when whitney went to school, the name of the school was? >> franklin. >> reporter: franklin. and now? whitney e. houston academy of the arts. >> reporter: beautiful. nippy. you've been calling her all this life -- >> if you look at her license

plate number, nippy inc. 1, nippy inc. 2. >> reporter: your heart is heavy? >> my heart is heavy. crying, not sleep you, what have you. but today i feel good. you know why i feel good? because so many people are recognizing the things she has done. that in itself is beautiful. not talking about negative things or this or that. they're talking about the true whitney and that has help med overcome the grieve that i had. >> reporter: amen, principal. i think there's a time and place for everything and i don't think there needs to be mention of that. this is, what you said, negativity. this is what we do when we send people home. we honor them and we think about and celebrate the good times in their lives and what they meant to us and what they brought to the world and just their presence. we'll miss their presence, but we still have them in spirit and fortunately for whitney houston, we'll still have her in music. >> you're good at that. you should have been a preacher

too. that's beautiful. i like those words. >> reporter: why? >> because of the fact this was whitney. this is what they should do of people who do well. let's continue to push for the good things of everyone. >> reporter: that said, is there a lesson in this for the world? >> let's continue to strive for nothing but the best. there's a whole lot of harsh criticism tay taking place all over the world. if we accentuate the positives, we're better off as a community, as the world. >> reporter: does this reppet her? this photograph? she's smiling? >> vivacious, lelectrifying, beautiful. in many ways. i have to leash now. >> reporter: gary tuchman back in atlanta is anchoring, he wants to ask you a question. >> pass on this question. tell him to tell you the story about how modest she was, how he found out kind of haphazardly

that she was a model. ask him about that. >> reporter: her modesty, he said you told him a story -- how you found out haphazardly that she was a model. >> yes. when she was 15rks i was going down dodge street and she wanted me to show me her partnershortf. portfolio for. what they were pictures of her modeling. i said i didn't know you were a model. shortly thereafter i saw on the cover teddy pendergrass. i said what is this. she became a big-time singer. gary her brother is a big-time singer. in interprets of whitney, never. >> reporter: you said you missed that one. i e-mail pretty good in calling it. gary became the backup singer and whitney became the greatest singer in the world, believe me. do you agree? tell me someone who sings better. >> reporter: i agree. listen. i spoke to her voice coach. he said some people have a great

tone to their voice, they sound well. some people have the musculature to sing really loudly in a big booming voice. he said -- an athletic singer. he said she could do it softly and sound well she could sing in a big booming voice and when she did the "national anthem," she could have done everying where you go up and down the register, but there was restramt ainrestr then she sang very quietly and then she sang athletically and she said the land of the free. she went up. she restrained herself and not every singer can do that. she knew when to do it. >> i agree. i forgot about the super bowl. that was my super bowl right there. >> tell henry one more thing when we were at her school the other day. i mean everyone loves that school. he's been there 41 years and that man is a beloved principal, so hats off to him. >> reporter: he said, listen,

you were belove 41 years at that school you've been there, so hats off -- >> 43. >> reporter: 43, gary. >> 51 years in education. >> reporter: thank you. i e-mail only a teenager. >> reporter: take this invitation. >> thank you. >> reporter: thank you very much. and we appreciate you. so, gary, as we go, of course, always the crush of media comes in, and they've been very respectful of our live shots but there you go. that's his son over there being interviewed now. as we've been saying, this is a home going. a home going. we say it. home going celebration. that's what we call it at least in the baptist church. and that church right over my shoulder, people are starting to arrive there. for those who couldn't come here, we're going to bring you here on cnn. you can rely on me. i'm going to br ing the viewers right to the very spot where whitney houston is going to be memorialized. we're going do it respectfully

for her and her family. >> don lemon. very nice work. thank you very much. we'll be back as we join soledad o'brien and piers morgan with the coverage of whitney houston's funeral. it begins 15 minutes from now at 11:00. next we'll hear from chilli from the group tlc. they toured with whitney in the '09s. we'll hear what that us with like next. that was me the day i learned i had to start insulin for my type 2 diabetes. me... thinking my only option was the vial and syringe dad used. and me... discovering once-daily levemir flexpen.

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whitney houston is being remembered as many things, the voice, a diva, and, of course, a superstar. but how did she see herself? this is whitney houston in her own words. >> when we started, it was about what would fit with my voice, what song. and when clive heard me sing "the greatest love," which was the first song, he kind of grasped onto it and said that's where we're going to go. we've got somebody who can sing great ballads. ♪ the greatest love of all >> so i am proud to carry that torch, you know what i'm saying? you give the best you got.

i worked really hard, you know. i gave it all i had, and that's all you can expect. i feel humbled. i feel blessed to have, you know, received all of this -- these accolades. i mean -- i don't know. that's the way i feel. i fell in love with great man, and i thought, hmm, i think i'll have his baby. i'm only kidding. but, no, i did fall in love with a great man and decided i'd like to have some kids. i don't know. i thought it would be nice to have somebody carry me on. it's been a comeback for me. i've been here. i just took break, you know, which sometimes you have to. you have to know when to slow that train down and kind of sit back and just relax for a minute. i just wanted time to be -- my daughter to look in my eyes and to know that i was mommy and not the lady on tv. you know what i'm saying? that was very important to me.

my mother used to always tell me above all to thine ownself be true. that's kind of what i want to teach bobbi kristina. you can fool people and others, but at night you've got to go home and be straight up with you. >> it gives you a lump in your throat when you hear her talk about bobbi sp s kris who will e in the church. her first record came in 1985 with arista records. earlier i asked david linton, one of her executives, what it was like, two with her. >> she was a joy, a perfectionist. she took her craft very

seriously burke she al, but she understand her music was bringing joy to the world. sh e wanted to make sure she always delivered the best. >> you say she used to make you blush. how is that? >> well, the very first time -- i can say this. the very first time i met whitney was actually on a video set. i had just got hired by arista. the executive vice president of the label at the time and clive davis had just hired me and i went to meet whitney. she was one of the first projects i would be working with. when i walked in, she looked at gene and she said, ooh, he's handsome. so for whitney houston to tell you you're handsome, that's something i'll always remember. >> you'll never forget that. that's a wonderful story. >> yeah. >> when was the last time you saw whitney? >> the last time i saw whitney was probably about 2003.

it's been a number of years. it was at an industry function. we saw each other, acknowledged each other. very brief, but it was a good moment. >> yeah. >> definitely. >> outside of her telling you you were shorthahandsome, what of your favorite memories? >> what sticks with me is my 35th celebration at the china club. it was a big event, and she was celebrating her 35th, and it was a special night, and we all had great time. and it was -- that's the whitney i'll always remember, that bubbly and vivacious young lady i think we'll remember that too and what a hero she was. so inspirational to so many people. >> yes, definitely. >> thank you, david. >> thank you, gary. just in, we've heard some upsetting news, aretha franklin the queen of soul and the godmother will not be pormg. she apparently is ill.

we're not quite sure she'll be attending the service, but we know for sure she will be performing. that was expected to be an emotional highlight of the service. once again, aretha franklin, the godmother of whitney, will not be performing at the service. mourners are filing into the newark, new jersey, church where the funeral will be held. they're saying good-bye to a superstar with a voice and that voice will live on forever. more of our coverage and whitney houston's funeral coverage coming up next. ♪

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will live on for years to come. take a listen to last night's ""piers morgan tonight"" as students from a fifth grade chorus paid tribute to the pop queen. ♪ ooooooooh ooooooooo ♪ ♪ i believe the children are our future teach them well and let them lead the way ♪ ♪ show them all the beauty they can sense inside ♪

♪ give them a sense of pride to make it easier ♪ ♪ let the children's laughter remind us how we used to be ♪ ♪ everybody's searching for people ♪ ♪ people need someone to look up to ♪ ♪ never find anyone who can fill the need ♪ ♪ a lonely place to be so i learned to depend on me ♪ ♪ i decided long ago never to walk in anyone's shadow ♪ ♪ if i fail if i succeed ♪ ♪ at least i'll live as i believe ♪ ♪ no matter what they take from me they can't take away my

dignity ♪ ♪ because the greatest love of all ♪ >> that's absolutely beautiful. that's all from me this morning. thank you very much for joining us today. now join piers morgan, soledad o'brien and don lemon for cnn's special coverage of whitney houston's funeral. that starts right now. ♪ if i should stay i would only be your way ♪ ♪ so i'll go but i