♪ ♪ this hour family and friends gather in whitney houston's hometown of newark, new jersey, inside the new hope baptist church where houston grew up and where her singing talent blossomed. they, along with millions of fans, will celebrate her extraordinary gift and a career that hit heights untouched by others. today, reflections on the life and music of a singing superstar. good day, everyone. welcome to "weekends with alex witt." this is our special coverage as we are remembering whitney houston. the final farewell to houston is expected to begin at any moment now. you can see there family, friends have all arrived to pay their respects. we are giving you a live look at the new hope baptist church in

newark. there are giant clusters of balloons that have adorned the makeshift memorials honoring the star outside of that church where there now is an air of reverence inside, but there is also celebration because she has lived a life worth of celebration, her many, many achievements and there will be tributes and beautiful words paying tribute to whitney houston. craig melvin is there for us live. it is expected to begin shortly, correct? >> reporter: it is expected to begin at any moment now, alex witt. the funeral set to start at noon. weir told it will probably last about an hour and a half. a number of dignitaries, a number of performers are inside that church. we will see and hear from some of those throughout the next several hours, we are told. one of the folks who was set to perform will not perform. as we reported a short time ago, aretha franklin, the queen of south herself, was set to give a

musical tribute at whitney's funeral will not be performing. we learned that and shortly thereafter we learned she'll not be there as well because she's ill. i want to bring in sean roberts. have you been able to find anything else out about aretha franning lynn? >> as you know, aretha franklin is a home girl of mine from detroit, michigan, and we had actually chatted about whitney. last night aretha franklin hadda i concert at radio city, and i understand now that she is not feeling well. at first we thought she was just not going to perform, but we found out she is not going to be able to make it. whether that concert at radio city -- radio city will actually go on this evening, weir not quite sure. weir still waiting to get confirmation, but i know that aretha, i had corresponded with aretha yesterday, this is just devastating to her because as you know, she and whitney were very, very close. she's known whitney since she was 9 years old.

>> when she was nippy. >> yes, when she was nippy. whitney called aretha aunt re. it was widely reported that aretha was whitney houston's god mother. not quite sure where that rumor started, darling love was whitney's godmother. as aretha told al roker yesterday, it will be hard. it will be hard to perform and unfortunately, she is not going to perform today. >> let's talk about whitney houston, because you were the last reporter to sit down with her in a formal interview. you talked to her about the movie she had been working on "sparkle" that is set to come out later this year. were there any signs during that interview, was there any indication during that interview that whitney houston was in trouble? >> craig, i can tell you this. this interview was some 14 weeks ago. when she walked in the room, i interviewed her on the set of

"sparkle." when she walked in the room i went whoa, she looked fantastic. she had gained weight. i evened to her. you look healthier. she looked like she had gained weight. she was happy. >> yeah. >> she was smiling. all of the actors on the set including jordan sparks said she was a true role model to them. she would look to her for advice. my friend deborah martin chase who was whitney houston's producing partner for the last 20 years. >> she looked like the comeback was on. >> there were times in the past when they said whitney was coming back. this time she looked like she was really on her game and no one could have told me when i was sitting down there looking in her eyes and watching about the future and being hopeful about the future and no one would tell me that three months later she would be gone. i would not have believed it. >> as we are talking, some of the scenes from inside new hope

baptist church. that is the new hope -- that's the new hope choir along with the new jersey mass choir, we are told and they're wearing white. >> yes. >> they're not wearing black. this is not just mourning. >> right. >> this is a celebration. >> yes. and this is called whitney houston's home going which is, as you know, a common expression in the black community when there is -- especially in the baptist community, but also just in the black community in general. it's about a home going, about going back home to where you originally came in. this is what they are doing. they're celebrating the life of whitney houston. how tragic it is that she is gone and gone way too soon, but it's about celebrating the life of somebody who brought us so many wonderful memories through her music. >> do stick around. we want to spend more time talking to you. alex, i'm going to send it back to you in the studio right now. as we look and start to listen to some of what's going on

inside new hope baptist church in newark. >> craig melvin. thank you so much. please extend our thanks to shaun robinson of "access hollywood." we are listening to a very large, powerful voice of a singing audience there and that would be the new hope baptist choir as well as the new jersey mass choir. all those voices in unison singing "dressed in white" this for sending home their beloved sister whitney houston. as we await this period to conclude which is called the processional and we will be listening in to some of the beautiful music for you as they will sing "the lord is my shepherd" i'd like to bring in my panel so you know the expert voices that we will have lending to our coverage here. first of all, joining us from los angeles is allison samuel, writer for "news week" and contributor to "the daily beast." allison has been covering this grim story as well as the investigation. thank you for being here. also joining me here in new york i have four trick guys.

david wilson, the founder of the grillo.com. john farley, chris witherspoon, entertainment editor for the grillo and msnbc contributor ture, music analyst and so glad to have all of you here. you know, if you can each sum up in a word what whitney houston's greatest attribute or her legacy will be, is there something -- is it powerful? is it magic? is it sparkle? david? >> you know, this is something special for me to look at this service happening in newark, you know, i'm a kid from newark and i remember when i first heard of whitney houston and heard she was from newark. newark, particularly in the '80s is will have phied and a place that you don't go to, but here we have whitney houston, a celebrated figure and she is

beautiful and she has a voice made of crystal and we were proud of her, and she was proud to be from newark, and so i looked at this and while it's sad that, you know, she passed so early, you know, she never forgot newark, and i'm just happy that newark never forgot her and all throughout the state of new jersey flags are flying half-staff in honor of her. that's what i remember of her, the impact she's had on me personally that something great can come to the city of newark. >> they took a lot of pride in whitney houston being from there. she's come home on this her final journey home. chris witherspoon, your thoughts? >> whitney houston is timeless. looking at this beautiful choir, i envisioned her when she was young getting her start singing all in white singing in the choir. they're so alive and it's a home going celebration. it's not a funeral. that's not wearing black and celebrating her life. i feel like she's still somehow

with us now. aretha franklin said it best, that she had a twinkle. she had a sparkle and glitter about her and the picture on the programs and the posters everywhere, it still fills the essence about her and it was a timeless quality that she was able to have at her prime. >> i was down at the church taking in the scene. she gave voice to the people of newark. they saw themselves in her. they felt she represented them well on the radio on tv, in her life, and she's someone who really changed the game on radio and in record stores for what sells. upon when she sang in the '80s, and your voice still matters. vocals are at the core of what music is all about.

even today we celebrate her for that for paving the ground for that and shaping the careers of a lot of other singers that came after her like beyondy and christina aguilera and they might not have made the world safe for real vocalists. >> you being a music krstic. christopher john farley has spoke ben what she meant to the music world. there are many who say that the likes of her voice will never come our way again. she had a callity to her singing. do you agree with that. >> that i'll agree with everything john farley is saying and this is a generational talent when we talk about what michael jackson did in music and what tiger woods did in golf and michael jordan in basketball. whitney is that level of physical talent and artist as well, and the word that i would put to whitney houston is dignity, and not just in her

personal presentation, but the way that she sang her songs, and i mean that in two ways. this she's constantly giving dignity to these characters she's singing about, even in "saving all my love for you," one of the first songs that people heard from her. she's sing as the other woman. this sort of happy mistress, but she's giving this woman a certain dignity. she's not crazy. she's not coming unhinged. you know, she's just -- she sort of thz dignity and there are songs of whitney inhabiting the person in breakup, but instead of falling apart she's giving dignity and strength. whitney is in the upper echelon of singers that can do anything with the vibration and the riffs and the runs. she's never giving you acrobatics for the sake of acrobatics and there are certain singers we can name who do a lot

of that and the extra trilles that are off-putting some people and whitney is always working in service to the song. it's always dignified and it's not me, let me show off how great a singer i am, but let me inhabit this character in the song and sing it in the best way possible. >> i agree with all that all of you have said and something else that comes to mind for me, it seems so effortless for her. she was such a natural and she would open her mouth and this power would emanate from her mouth when she sang and it would look so easy. some people when they sing they can strain. their faces look like they're straining to reach things and she was just -- she was just absolutely, fortless, it seems. allison samuels out there in los angeles, your thoughts on whitney. i've asked the gentlemen here if they can sum it up in a word or give at least one adjective that describes her. how about you? do you have one that comes to mind?

>> one that comes to mind to me is game changer. as an african-american woman, watching her get on the cover of "seventeen" magazine one of the early african-americans in the '80s and opposite kevin costner being the love interest of a major white star in hollywood in 1992. >> true. >> you don't see that now. so for whitney to be able to do this as people have called her this little cute black girl from jersey, for her to become from that point and become this superstar, she redefined beauty and she redefined the way we look at style. she redefined the way african-american women looked at themselves and that's the main thing i think of when i look adwhitney houston. she was a game changer and she changed the way the world viewed african-american women for a period of time. >> you make a very good point. you mentioned kevin costner who will be here today and a very

significant role in her life because she was her champion getting her going with her film start and he hand picked her. he did not want anybody else. he wanted only whitney houston. he helped support when the ultimate song from that incredible movie and soundtrack "the bodyguard," "i will always love you." a lot of officials in the film industry and the music industry, they said maybe this isn't the song to do. he said yes, it is. a powerful twosome who produced her number one single of all time and my absolute favorite song. it's one of those songs that is just so powerful. i want to get the tough business out of the way and ask you about the investigation. you're out there. you've been out there all of this week following things. what is the latest on how long it will be until we find a cause of death and also the latest on the fact that the lapd, they want to talk to everyone who was around her, talk to doctors.

what is it that they were trying to find out? >> they're trying to found out, obviously, exactly why she died and if this could have been prevented. if she was taking medicines that she shouldn't have been taking. were doctors prescribing her medicines she shouldn't have been taking. so far all of her doctors have been very cooperative. they've given her list of information and the last time they saw her, what they actually gave her and they've had no problems in that sense and it will take six weeks before they get the toxicology reports back to tell them what was in her system and what contributed to her death. the main thing is they're trying to make sure everyone understands that in the music industry people will be held accountable in the music industry. if you can provide celebrities like whitney houston and michael jackson, if you are providing them medicine that are harmful to them and i think this is a wake-up call just like michael jackson was to the medical industry as a whole and the

music industry that everyone is accountable and everyone has to keep a check on each other and if you know someone has a problem, like whitney did, you have to be very conscious of of what you're prescribe for example them. that's where the investigation stands right now. >> i think where you are and where we are here just adjacent to newark, new jersey, we are at the places the epicenter of the whitney houston furor. we're watching a celebration of her life. allison is out there at the place where she died in beverly hills at the beverly hilton hotel one week ago today. craig melvin is outside the new hope baptist church for us. craig? >> alex, good day to you. we just got some new information on aretha franklin. of course, we've been reporting that she's not going to be performing. th that she's not even going to be at the funeral. >> aretha franklin just e-mailed me and she wanted me to give

everyone this message. and i'm just reading, this is in a series of e-mails, so just forgive me if i'm reading this for the first time. it says, sean, regretfully i cannot attend service for nippy. up until 4:00 a.m. with leg spasms and locked leg muscles. felt it very important to stay off my leg as long as possible until the concert tonight. my heart goes out to cissy -- reading the next e-mail now. >> cissy houston. >> bobbi chrykristina, and the of the family. would greatly appreciate if you would mention it. i have every intention of being there, just going to be -- it says necessary to keep leg elevated and stay off of it until the concert. >> so the very latest there on aretha franklin, why she's not

going to be here. let's listen in now. the funeral's starting, alex. i'lls to it back to you. >> we'll miss that wonderful voice of arc reetha franklin. pastor joe carter of the new hope baptist church. >> i am also the minister of music here at the new hope baptist church. [ applause ] so we welcome you to our home, and we're going to have church today. because we believe in a mighty god. he's awesome through it all, it is well with my soul. we please ask that you not use your cell phones.

♪ >> we actually ask that you turn them off. no recording, please. ♪ >> no picture taking. ♪ >> and in case of an emergency, we're going to ask you to go to the nearest exits. you'll have an exit in the rear, to my left to your right. you have an exit on the right in the rear. we have two exits on the right here. ♪ >> and now i present to you the mayor of this great, beautiful city called newark, new jersey, the honorable corey bookner. ♪ ♪ ♪ >> ladies and gentlemen, it is my privilege to welcome you all here to our great city.

we are here to mourn our loss, but to celebrate her life. >> god is in heaven, and with him is one of our angels, whitney houston. ♪ ♪ >> as the heavens reverberate in joy and gladness may we understand, weeping may endure through the night, but joy -- joy cometh in the morning. we thank you for gathering here, and i again want to say we love you, whitney houston. thank you. ♪ ♪ >> would everyone please rise.

♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪

♪ >> as asleep in the morning. they're like grass which grows up, in the morning it flourishes and grows up. in the evening it is cut down and withers. for we are consumed by thine anger and by thine wrath are we troubled. i set our inequities before thee, our sins and the light of our countenance, for all of the days are passed away in thy wrath, we spend our years as a

tale that is told. the days and years are three score years, and by reason and strength may be four score years yet for the strength, labor and sorrow for it is cut off and we fly away. who knows the power of thooin anger even according to thy fear, so is thy wrath. so teach us to number our days that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom. return, o, lord, how long and let it repent thee concerning our circles. oh, satisfy us with thy mercy, that we may rejoice and be glad all our days.

make us according to the days the therein that has afflicted us in the years wherein we have seen you. let thy work appear unto thy service and thy glory unto the children and let the beauty of the lord, our god, be upon us, service the work of thy hands upon us, yes, the work of thy hands establish the end. ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪

♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ the lord is my shepherd ♪ ♪ ♪

♪ he leadeth me ♪ beside quiet, still waters ♪ he restored my soul ♪ he restored my soul ♪ he restoreth my soul ♪ yeah, yeah ♪ oh, yeah ♪ he leadeth me in the path of

righteousness ♪ ♪ for his, for his name's sake ♪ oh, yeah ♪ though i walk through the valley of the shadows of death ♪ ♪ they do comfort me, yes, they do comfort me ♪ ♪ yes, they do comfort me yes, they do comfort me ♪

♪ hallelujah, they comfort me ♪ they comfort me, oh, yeah ♪ oh, yeah ♪ he prepareth the table ♪ in the presence of my enemies ♪ ♪ ♪ my head, my cup

♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ oh, and you know that sure ly shall follow ♪ ♪ and i shall dwell forever ♪ from this moment, forever and ever ♪

♪ from this moment, and ever and ever ♪ ♪ and i shall dwell in the house of the lord ♪ ♪ from this moment and ever and ever ♪ ♪ i shall dwell ♪ >> forever and ever ♪ ♪ forever and ever and ever ♪ shall dwell ♪ from this moment ♪ ♪ from this moment ♪

♪ from this moment ♪ amen ♪ ♪ ♪ and i shall dwell in the house of the lord ♪ ♪ i'm going to see my jesus ♪ forever and ever and ever, yes, hallelujah ♪ ♪ yes, hallelujah ♪ ♪ from this moment ♪ won't be alone ♪ forever and ever

♪ and ever and ever and ever ♪ going to meet my jesus ♪ amen ♪ amen ♪ ♪ >> come on and give him praise, give him praise. ♪ >> god bless you. say amen for the choir. say amen for the choir.

god bless you today. repeat after me. lord, we welcome you. >> lord, we welcome you. >> have your way. >> have your way. >> lord, we welcome you. >> lord, we welcome you. >> have your way. >> have your way. >> in jesus' name, amen. if you love the lord clap for him. come on, clap for him. clap for him if you love jesus, clap for him. hallelujah! glory to god. glory to god! glory to god! glory to god! god be praised, god be praised! god be praised! god be praised! god be praised! god be praised! god be praised! oh, my, my, my, my.

yeah! ♪ ♪ >> god bless you. ♪ ♪ >> we're gathered here today because when you're a child of god, when you are dedicated you are dedicated at an altar. when you're fellowshiped into the body of christ, it's at an altar. when you make your wedding vows, it's an altar. and when god has spoken, you're laid to rest and yet celebrated at an altar.

we are here today, hearts broken but yet with god's strength we celebrate the life of whitney houston. today. [ applause ] >> now i want to say this as protocol has already been set. this is not my house, this is not your house. you all can finish that next part. this is god's house. whitney, you are the only one that could bring all of us together. whitney, today is your day.

we celebrate. today is your day, whitney. today is your day. now i want to just say that we came here to celebrate and this is how we celebrate. we have church. we have church. the loving people you see, this family, they love the lord and that is their faith that is holding them together, and so it's not about anybody, but whitney today and we celebrate and we want to support and strengthen this family in this hour. if you love god, clap for jesus, if you love him. ♪ ♪

the 23rd psalm, the lord is my shepherd, i shall not want. he makes me to lie down in green pastures. he leads me beside the still waters. he restores my soul. he leads me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake even though i walk through the valley of the shadow of death, i fear no evil. for thou art with me, thou rod and thy staff may comfort me. thou prepares a table for me in the presence of my enemies, you a point my head and my cup runs over. surely, goodness and mercy shall follow me all of the days of my life, and i will dwell in the house of the lord forever. amen. john, chapter 14.

verse 1 through 6. let not your heart be troubled. if you believe in god, believe also in me. in my father's house are many mansions. if it were not so i would have told you. i go to prepare a place for you, and if i go to prepare a place for you i will come again and receive you unto myself and while i'm there you may be also. where i go and in the way you know, thomas said to him, lord, we know how can we know the way? jesus says unto him i am the way, the truth and the life and no man comes unto the father, but by me.

this is the word of god. we'll now have a selection by reverend donnie mcclurkin at this time. let the church say amen. >> amen. ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪

♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪

♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ after you've done all you can, you just stand ♪ ♪ tell me how do deal with shame ♪ ♪ tell me how can you keep on smiling while your heart has been broken ♪

♪ and your soul filled with pain ♪ ♪ tell me when you've given your all ♪ ♪ and it seems like you can't make it through ♪ ♪ child, you just stand when there's nothing left to do, just stand and watch our lord see you through ♪ ♪ yes after you've done all you can you just stand ♪ ♪ you just stand

♪ god has a plan ♪ tell me what do you do when you've done all that you can ♪ ♪ and it seems like -- somebody help me out ♪ ♪ child, you just stand ♪ you stand, you stand ♪ you just stand ♪ stand up through the rain ♪ stand up through the pain ♪ don't you bow

♪ don't give in ♪ got to hold on, hold on ♪ hold on, hold on ♪ stand ♪ don't give up ♪ wait a minute, wait ♪ after you're done, after you've done all you can ♪ after you've gone through the start ♪ after you've gone through the rain ♪

after you've gone through the hurt in your life ♪ ♪ after you've gone through the pain ♪ >>. ♪ you prayed and cried, you prayed and cried ♪ ♪ prayed and cried ♪ you prayed and cried ♪ and prayed and cried ♪ prayed and cried ♪ but what you've got to do is stand ♪ ♪ stand, stand ♪ don't you dare let go don't lose faith ♪ ♪ throughout all of the pain

♪ after you've done all you c can ♪ ♪ wish i had worshippers here today that would give love ♪ ♪ sometimes the lord gets a little too heavy to bear ♪ ♪ i promise to give strength in the midnight hour, in the midnight hour ♪ ♪ we don't know why god does what god does ♪ ♪ everything god does, he does it well ♪ ♪ do i have a witness here? ♪ and you pray and cry, pray and cry ♪

♪ hold your head high after you've done all you can, you just stand ♪ ♪ when you get up tomorrow, you just stand ♪ ♪ don't let go of your salvation ♪ ♪ you just stand ♪ ♪ ♪ hallelujah

>> after you've done all you can. after you've done all you can, just stand. yes, now. reverend mcclurkin, we thank you for being here and giving us what we asked for. this song means an awful lot to cissy, and meant a great deal to whitney and we do thank you and

love you. i would now ask tyler perry to deh÷ expressi expression. [ applause ] >> god bless you. the houston family, i know this -- i know this grief. it was pat who introduced me to whitney a while back, and she and i sat in a restaurant in atlanta, just the two of us, and sat there talking for about an hour and a half about four years ago, and during this time she

was telling me about her life and i was very surprised about how candid and open and revealing she was as she was talking to me and she had talked about some things that she went through and things that made her sad and things that were tough, and as i would see her talk about this i would see this heaviness come upon her and i'm the type of person that would like to say something encouraging, but before i would say things to encourage her, she would say "but the lord". and the conversation went on, and the conversation went on and we'd talk a little bit more and she'd go back into her sadness and just as i'm about to say "but my lord and jesus christ and his amazing grace". it was at that moment that i knew i would do all i can to stand with her, and from that moment until now i've been standing with the family and her and i am thankful to god for all he has done in her life.

there are two constants that i know about whitney houston and one is that there was a grace that carried. a grace that carried her from heaven down through miss cissy houston. a grace that brought her up through sing, from what i understand she wasn't even supposed to be able to speak let alone sing because of an incident that happened to her as a child, but there was a grace that kept on carrying her all of the way through. this same grace led her all of the way to the top of the charts and sold all of these albums and done all of these amazing things and won all these awards and sang for presidents. there was a grace that kept on carrying her, and that's one thing i know and the other thing i know for sure and this is more important than anything than she's ever done in her life. whitney houston loved the lord, and -- and in every conversation we had over these years it was evident that she loved the lord. she loved the lord, and when i think about it there's a skrpt you are that keeps burning in my

heart. i keep thinking in romans when i am persuaded that nothing shall separate me from the love of god. so what i know about is that nothing separated her from the love of god, and if you look at what paul was saying he was describing her life so perfectly. no matter how far she went in the stratosphere nothing separated her from the lord. neither height no depth, no matter how much struggle and no matter what she had to go through, it still wasn't enough to separate her from the love of god nor principalities nor power nor things to come, nothing was able to separate her from the love of god. so what i know about her is that she loved the lord, and if there was a grace that carried her all of the way through, it was the same grace that carried her home.

and i just want to close by saying this because pastor paul said something that fascinates me as i read the word sometimes, he said what then say you to these things? that if god before you who can be against you? so say whatever you want, god was for her and she is resting singing with the angels. god bless you, family. god bless you. god bless you, whitney. we love you so much. ♪ ♪ [ applause ]

>> we just heard from somebody that truly knew whitney. yes, she loved the lord and still does. >> the young man that has been around for quite a while in our family, we asked if he would come and sing for us, bebe winans. [ applause ] ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪

♪ ♪ ♪ >> i don't mind -- i don't mind. i don't mind. i asked cissy to come up here. we spent a lot of time together and we talked about her voice and we talked about her talent which was a beautiful thing. what i'm going to miss is crazy

whitney. [ applause ] ♪ >> i had a chance to sit back a little bit and start remembering until last night when we were here and i said cece, if anything i want to share in what i'm going to miss is that whitney when we were getting ready to do our first major headline tour and whitney told us we had to come over. so we came over to the house, and she said -- okay, she was sitting in her closet and her closet about big as this church, though. we weren't crowded and so we're sitting there and she said okay, so, i have to tell you what we're going to do. we're going to -- i went and i -- i had some uniforms made. we looked at her and said -- she said i've got the dresses for

the girls and the three girls in the cream, and -- and -- and i got the band and the cream for the church and bebe, i got you a cream suit made and cece, i got you a melon. -- a melon dress made and i got me a green one. she made her a green one. she said because we -- we going to headline and she was determined and i know clive is here. she made clive so mad. because she decided at the height of her career she was going to come sing background with bebe and cece. and so we sat down and we said, whitney. you can't do that. nobody told you to do that. girl, this is not a material relationship. she said okay, okay, okay. look, let me just say this. you're my brother and sister, right? we said yeah. and i'm your sister, right?

we said, yes, you're our sister. she said okay, and we love each other, right? whitney, yeah, we love each other and this is what i will miss. she said and you all broke, right? ♪ ♪ ♪ >> and then she said, i'm rich, right? so i can buy what i want to for you all, right? but that is the whitney -- that is the whitney and so one of the songs that came to my heart, cece, stay right there, is a song that i actually wrote for my brother when he passed and he was 48, and whitney was walking down the aisle and coming to the

service and -- and i was standing here when she would start coming into the service and when she walked into the service she just raised her hand and said family, family! i'm here, family. and so family is here today. ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ with tears on my pillow ♪ refusing to let go ♪ when i heard you left here ♪ felt alone on the playground, i'm lost in your hometown ♪ ♪ since you left here

they say time makes it better ♪ ♪ but in time, but in time i'll see you later ♪ ♪ we'll be together a long time forever ♪ ♪ when i leave here ♪ but i'll miss your wit ♪ i'll miss your charm ♪ ♪ just want to hold you in my arms ♪ ♪ hearts in blue, you have no clue ♪ ♪ how i'll miss you ♪ i'll miss your voice when you

would call ♪ ♪ i'll miss your smile most of all ♪ ♪ just us two with nowhere to go ♪ and nothing to do, i'm going to miss you ♪ ♪ i take simple precautions ♪ i think of you often since you left here ♪ ♪ life a bit harder, i'll love a lot smarter since you left here ♪ ♪ the days that i can't take it ♪ ♪ i know how we'll make it with jesus and memories, it will help

us in keeping since you left here ♪ ♪ i'll miss your wit, i'll miss your charm ♪ ♪ just want to hold you in my arms ♪ ♪ my heart is blue because you have no clue how i'll miss you ♪ ♪ i'll miss her voice when she would call ♪ ♪ i'll miss her smile most of all ♪ ♪ nowhere to go and nothing to do ♪ ♪ i'm going to miss you ♪ ♪ i'll miss you ♪ so just hold her ♪ lord, just hold her in your

arms ♪ ♪ wrap her in your arms ♪ i'll miss her voice when she would call ♪ ♪ i'll miss her smile most of all ♪ ♪ with nowhere to go, when we had nothing to do ♪ ♪ i'm going to miss ♪ there will be tears on my pillow ♪ ♪ it's hard to just let go ♪ what i know for sure it was a great celebration ♪

♪ and jesus was waiting when she left here ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ >> we're going to ask bishop t.d. jake jakes to come and have words of expression for us at this point >> can the church say amen? can we say amen again? i want to convey and take just a

moment. i realize the dichotomy that the family faces at this time surrounded by a world full of friends and admirers who are enthralled by the beautiful whitney houston, her voice, her song, her poise, her class, but that is not what brings you here because you knew who she was, not just what she did. you paid a tremendous price in life. you shared her with the world, and we want to take a moment and say thank you. [ applause ] moments like this, it feels like death is wrong.

the bible says love is stronger than death. your hearts are heavy, tears flow down. your spirits are wounded. i feel that, too. i didn't have the privilege of knowing whitney as long as any of you have done. i met her on the set of the remake of "sparkle," but i understand what it is to be in pain. you look around and everybody you love and everybody you can count on and everybody you can trust seems to be slipping through your fingers, and it feels as though death is wrong. the first family, when cain killed abel, it seemed like it was wrong. though he escaped the flood he still died. he looked at death as wrong. isaiah could see thousands of

miles and years away, still, he died. it looked like death had won. he had come as a prophet to israel, spoke truth so powerful and so profound, but no matter how close he was to god, and still, he died. it looked like death had won. we've seen scientists and ast astronauts and great thinkers of the ages and no matter how bright, prolific they were, still they died. it looked like death had won, but the bible kept saying that love is stronger than death. and they were like two gladiators in the fight. it looked like death was wrong, and i know to some of you today it looked like death had won.

2,000 years ago love rolled into the ring and said wait a minute, death. you've been bullying people for a long time, but i want to set the record straight. love is greater than death. rolled up his sleeves and they fought all over jerusalem and wrestled and the fight went down to the grave and death said, see? i did to you just like i did all of the rest of them. death started having a party on friday night. it was one of those weekend parties. that lasted -- sunday morning, love rolled up his sleeves and said wait a minute, wait a minute, wait a minute, snatched death and took the sting out of

death and the victory out of the grave, and i want you to understand i'm not going to preach and i'm not going to start, but i want you to understand in a practical and pragmatic way that death has not won. your tears may flow, your pain may come. the flowers will wither and. you will learn what all of us who have lost people that need love, you'll be driving down the street one day and you'll hear whitney's voice talking in your head, something she said or something she did will pop up in your spirit and you'll giggle inside of yourself as if she were sitting in the car with you. and you will find the people that you really love will leave you outwardly, but they never leave you inwardly. may the love of god, the peace

of the holy spirit, the sweet communion of knowing that you are a child of the king, keep you through this period in life when it might appear as if death has won, but it's alive. love will last forever for god is love. [ applause ] ♪ >> yes, god is love. i'm going to ask reverend burrell to come forward and do a song that was whitney's favorite

song and she loved to sing it. >> imaginative, beautiful, brilliant, smart, funny, all of those things have come to my mind all week long about her, and she was special, and she had a loving heart. i'm thankful today because she was not selfish. as popular and powerful as she was, she was so brilliantly liberal with who she was with others. she, too, saw great in me and contributed to that. i want to thank pat and cissy houston for embracing and allowing me to sing this song "i believe in you and me" to her, and i was going to try and do it today but there's a little song i want to do that i personalized

for her if that's okay? okay. ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ she was born in newark ♪ she was heaven sent ♪ she's been busy ever since it's been a long, a long time coming ♪ ♪ oh, but a change had to come ♪ oh, yes it did ♪ sometimes when we talk it felt like it's too hard living, but i know she wasn't afraid to die ♪

♪ because whitney understood, somebody's waiting beyond the sky ♪ ♪ it's been a long, long time coming ♪ ♪ a change had to come, oh, yes it did ♪ ♪ sometimes she'd say i got to call my mother ♪ ♪ i got to call her because i'm in me ♪ ♪ because when she when she called you she already knew mother, that immediately,

whatever she was going through you would get down on your knees ♪ ♪ oh that was a time ♪ that she thought she couldn't last ♪ ♪ i know those cares have passed ♪ ♪ it's been a long, a long time coming ♪ ♪ but i know ♪ a change, an immortal change has come ♪ ♪ no more tears, no more rehearsals, no more flying, no more crying ♪ ♪ oh, a change, a change, a

change has come ♪ ♪ the best outfit to put on to be with god ♪ ♪ yeah, a change, a change, a change has come ♪ ♪ it's been a long time, it's been a long time, but i know she's with jesus ♪ . ♪ it's been a long time coming ♪ but a change has come ♪ it's been long, a long time coming ♪ ♪ whitney, a change has come ♪ ♪ ♪ oh, yes, it did ♪

♪ ♪ >> a change has come. i'll ask mr. kevin costner to come and say some words regarding whitney. [ applause ] >> this feels right.

i'd like to thank cissy and dionne for the honor of being here, for everybody in the church treating my wife and i so gracefully. i'll say some stories, maybe some of them you know, maybe some of them you don't. i wrote them down because i didn't want to -- i didn't want to miss anything. a song "i will always love you ♪ almost wasn't. it wasn't supposed to be in the movie. the first choice was going to be "what becomes of a broken hea heart", but it had been out the year before in another movie and we felt it wouldn't have the impact, and so we couldn't use it. so what becomes of our broken hearts? whitney returns home today to the place where it all began,

and i urge us all inside and outside, across the nation and around the world to dry our tears, suspend our sorrow and perhaps our anger just long enough, just long enough to remember the sweet miracle of whitney. never forgetting that cissy and bobbi kristina are sitting among us. your mother and i had a lot in common. i know many at this moment are thinking, really? she's a girl, you're a boy. you're white. she's black. we heard you like to sing, but our sister could really sing. so what am i talking about? kevin costner and whitney

houston, they don't have anything in common at all. well, you'd be wrong about that. we both grew up in the baptist church. [ applause ] >> it wasn't as big as this. my grandmother played the piano, and she led the choir, and her two daughters, my mom and my aunt both sang in it. the rest of my family, uncles, aunts and cousins sat every sunday out front and watched. my earliest memories are tied to that old church in paramount. i remember seeing a gold shovel going into the ground and people praying about it and thinking, wow, something big was going to go here, and i watched my father and the rest of the men build it from the ground up. i was probably 4 years old and seemed to be always in the way. i wanted to help. i wanted to be in on the action.

one of the men snapped down a red line where the choir would be standing one day and said, "have at it", as many nails as you want all in this line. i always took great comfort in watching my mom and aunt sing knowing that they would never fall through that floor where i had worked. the church was the center of our social life and whitney and i would laugh knowing it was also the place where we could really get into big trouble especially when you were allowed to sit with your friends and not your parents in the big church. i remember more than once being pulled from the pew for whispering and passing notes. i don't believe my feet ever hit the floor as my father hauled me outside in front of everyone.

i believed even the preacher prayed for me. whitney's favorite story of mine was me sneaking into the church kitchen after communion. i liked the little glasses of grape juice that were left over. i liked how they felt in my hand. i couldn't have been over 6 at the time, but i would lean against the table and one by one i would knock them back. having some image near conversation with someone my father would find me and ask me what i was doing. i told him i was a cowboy and i was drinking whiskey. i don't think my feet touched the floor that day either. [ applause ]

it was easy for us to laugh. the church was what we knew. it was our private bond. i can see her in my own mind running around here as a skinny little girl knowing everyone, everyone's business, knowing every inch of this place. i can also see her in trouble, too. trying to use that beautiful smile, trying to talk her way out of it and cissy and not having any of it. mostly the days of church were good ones for us and we both remembered how our parents tried to explain god and the plan he had for our lives and we agreed that there was this feeling, this promise that if somehow we listened carefully god's voice would somehow come to us. i told whitney that i always worried god was going to ask me to be a etch proo preacher.

i wasn't sure how much fun ours had. whitney told me she wasn't worried at all. she wasn't going to wait for a whisper. she was going to be like her cousin dionne and her beautiful mother cissy. there is no doubt that she has joined their ranks and as the debate heats up this century and it surely will, about the greatest singer of the last century, as the lists are drawn, it they will have little meaning to me if her name is not on it. [ applause ] >> but as sure i am in whitney's place in musical history, from the first time she took center stage here as a teenager, flushed with the excitement that she had exceeded everyone's

expectations and awesome promise of what was to come. it's still needing to hear from her mother about how she was received. was she good enough? could i have done better? did they really like me? or are they just being polite because they were scared of you, cissy? these are the private questions that whitney would always have that would always follow her. at the height of her fame as a singer i asked her to be my co-star in a movie called "the bodyguard." i thought she was the perfect choice, but the red flags came out immediately. maybe i should think this over a bit. i was reminded that this would be her first acting role. we could also think about another singer, was a

suggestion. maybe somebody white. nobody ever said it out loud, but it was a fair question, it was. there would be a lot riding on this, maybe a more experienced person was the way to go. it was clear, i needed to think about this. i told everyone that i had taken notice that whitney was black. the only problem was i thought she was perfect for what we were trying to do. there was a bit of a relief in the room when we found out that whitney was going to be on tour and she wouldn't be available for our movie. the anxiety came right back when i said we should postpone and wait a year.

[ applause ] >> that was a lot for the studio to accept, and to their credit, they did but not without a screen test. whitney would have to earn it. that was the first time i saw the doubt. the doubt creep into her that she would not be handed the part. she would have to be great. the day the test came and i went into her trailer after the hair and makeup people were done, whitney was scared. arguably, the biggest pop star in the world wasn't sure if she was good enough. she didn't think she looked right. there were a thousand things to her that seemed wrong. i held her hand and told her that she looked beautiful. i told her that i would be with her every step of the way, that

everyone there wanted her to succeed, but i could still feel the doubt. i wanted to tell her that the game was rigged. that i didn't care how the test went, that she could fall down and start speaking in tongues, that somehow i would find a way to explain it as an extraordinary acting choice. [ applause ] and we could expect more to follow, and gee, weren't we lucky to have her. that wouldn't have been fair. it wouldn't have been fair to lawrence who had written the screen play 15 years earlier. it wouldn't have been fair to my

brothers at warner brothers and it wasn't the right signal to send to whitney. she took it all in and asked me if she could have a few minutes by herself and would meet me on the set. i was sure she was praying. after about 20 minutes later she came out. we hadn't said four lines when we had to stop. the lights were turned off, and i walked whitney off the set and back to her room. she wanted to know what was wrong, and i needed to know what she'd done during those 20 minutes. she said, "nothing." in only the way she could, nothing. so i turned her around so that she could see herself in the mirror and she gasped. all of the makeup on whitney's face was running.

it was streaking down her face and she was devastated. she didn't feel like the makeup we put on her was enough so she'd wiped it off and put on the makeup that she was used to wearing in her music videos. it was much thicker and the hot lights had melted it. she asked if anyone had seen -- if anyone had saw, i said i didn't think so. it happened so quick. she seemed so small and sad at that moment, and i asked her why she did it? she said i just wanted to look my best. it's a tree we can all hang from.

unexplainable burden that comes with fame, call it doubt, call it fear. i've had mine, and i know the famous in the room have had theirs. i asked her to trust me and she said she would. a half hour later she went back in to do her screen test and the studio fell in love with her. the whitney i knew, despite her success and worldwide fame still wondered am i good enough? am i pretty enough? will they like me? it was the burden that made her great, and the part that caused her to stumble in the end. whitney, if you could hear me now i would tell you you weren't just good enough, you were great. you sang the whole damn song without a band.

you made the picture what it s was. a lot of leading men could have played my part. a lot of guys -- a lot of guys could have filled that role, but you, whitney, i truly believe were the only one that could have played rachel mirren at that time. [ applause ] you weren't just pretty, you were as beautiful as a woman could be. people didn't just like you, whitney. they loved you. i was your pretend bodyguard once not so long ago, and now you're gone, too soon, leaving us with memories -- memories of a little girl that stepped bravely in front of this church, in front of the ones that loved you first. in front of the ones that loved

you best and loved you the longest. the bolder you stepped into the white-hot light of the world stage, and what you did is the rarest of achievements. you set the bar so high that professional singers, your own colleagues, they don't want to sing that little country song. what would be the point? now the only one who sing your songs are young girls like you who with are dreaming of being you some day, and so do you bobbi kristina and to all those young girls who are dreaming that dream, that maybe thinking are they good enough? i think whitney would tell you guard your bodies, guard the precious miracle of your own life, and then sing your hearts out knowing that there's a lady

in heaven who is making god himself wonder how he created something so perfect. so of a you go, whitney. off you go. ers ko escorted by an army of angels to your heavenly father, and when you sing before him don't you worry, you'll be good enough. [ applause ]

>> we thank you for those wonderful, wonderful stories and words of encouragement to bobbi kris and cissy of which we know you'll get a lot of those still got come. i'd like to ask -- alicia keys. if she will come. [ applause ] ♪ ♪

she's a young lady that whitney adored, and always said boy, she's got a lot of talent and she does. here's alicia keys. mren applause ] ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪

♪ keys on the keys. ♪ i don't know where it came from. which is i guess how nicknames happen. she called me mima, and i called her mima. so whenever i'd text her i'd say hey, mima and just last night we were getting ready to come on the plane to come back and my

mom said mima, mima, mima. he kept saying mima. he didn't know that. i thought that was beautiful and i just felt surrounded by her. i was just thinking about the way it was so obvious that she just crept into everybody's heart. in a way that she was such a beautiful human being, really, really caring and beautiful, thoughtful human being that would call you for no reason at all. but to say "hi." that's rare, i think, sometimes.

so i feel in so many ways she reached back to so many people. she reached back to me. she reached back to monica and brandy and jordan and all these beautiful young artives, you know? so many artists, and just, in a way they feel strong, capable and loved and just, hey, mima. so i think she's an angel to us, and she's been an angel to us and just in a beautiful human being, you know? so i think we've been sent an angel for a long time. ♪ ♪ ♪

♪ ♪ ette ♪ sometimes i feel like i don't belong anywhere ♪ ♪ it is going take so long for me to get somewhere ♪ ♪ sometimes i feel so heavy

hearted ♪ ♪ and i can't explain because i'm so guarded ♪ ♪ that's a lonely road to travel ♪ ♪ and a heavy load to bear ♪ and it's a long, long way to heaven ♪ ♪ but i've got to get there ♪ can you send an angel ♪ can you send an angel can you send an angel to guide me. ♪ ♪

♪ sometimes i feel like a door with no key, like a door with no key ♪ ♪ the answers are locked away but they're so hard to find ♪ especially when i'm feeling lost and so blind ♪ ♪ but that's a lonely road to travel ♪ ♪ and a heavy load to bear ♪ and it's a long, long way to heaven ♪ ♪ but i gotta get there

♪ can you send an angel ♪ can you send an angel ♪ please send me an angel ♪ can you send me an angel ♪ i don't want to feel like a dove with no wings ♪ ♪ and i don't want to know what a heart of stone would bring ♪ ♪ but that's a lonely road to

travel ♪ ♪ and a heavy load to bear ♪ and it's a long, long way to heaven ♪ ♪ but i gotta get there ♪ because whitney's an angel ♪ see, she is an angel ♪ angel she is an angel ♪ ♪ oh, yeah, she -- she is an angel ♪ ♪ oh, we're never going to forget you, no, no ♪ ♪ ain't never going to forget what you done for us, no ♪

♪ you loved us so good and so strong and you showed us, you showed us how to get along ♪ ♪ so guide you home ♪ guide you home ♪ thank you for guiding me ♪ i will send you home ♪ our angel ♪ ♪ [ applause ] >> thank you. ♪ ♪

>> alicia, thank you so very, very much. i'll ask clive davis to come to the podium to speak. [ applause ] >> i can't tell you how moved, touched, inspired i am today. i feel the spirit in this great church. i'm feeling the faith that's

helped the grief in my heavy heart. what i do know is about passing. i lost my parents when i was a teenager. my mother was 47 when she passed away. my father passed away the following year so then i was left an orphan, no money. but i did feel my mother's guidance, spirit to this very day, and she has helped me through every part of my life. if you'll permit me, i want to talk from my experiences in

music with whitney. you wait for a voice like that for a lifetime. you wait for a face like that, a smile like that, a presence like that for a lifetime, and when one person embodies it all, it takes your breath away, and that's the way i felt in 1983 when in the middle of your act at sweetwater, cissy, your daughter stepped forward and shattered me with her version of "the greatest love of all", and that night we connected and we connected with each other every night thereafter. i thought of that just this past week when whitney and i spent

tuesday afternoon in my bungalow at the beverly hills hotel. i looked at her on the couch, saw that she'd applied a little makeup, and i was once again taken aback. she was one beautiful woman. [ applause ] >> we talked nonstop music, a subject that we both fervently loved, and as we spoke, i couldn't help, but silently reminisce about all that we had shared together over the years. in the past, every hit we shared with pure joy. neither of us could believe the incredible worldwide explosion when it happened. when she broke that all-time

record of seven consecutive number ones we just felt utter disbelief. i would ask her, are you pinching yourself? and she would say with wide open eyes, i'm pinching myself. she never took anything for granted. she was never arrogant. she was always grateful and appreciative and then, yes, then, thanks to you, kevin, came "the bodyguard." she knew how much i was worried about her transition to film. she had to hold my hand, reassuring me that it would be all right. i said, look, i've got to worry, it's my job to worry so i pleaded with her, let me worry,

but you know, she and kevin were right. she literally lit up the screen, and when kevin stood up and told us the movie had to be changed us the movie had to be changed and opened up to much more music forget how she looked when she mesmerized everyone in that stunning head dress with "i have nothing". how she dazzled in her close-ups during "run to you". how she reinvented "i'm every woman" and how she captured the world forever. with "i will always love you". and then she followed with those two special films "waiting to exhale" and "the preacher's wife". were they ever memorable. was there anything she could not do musically? was there any performance of the

star-spangled banner that remotely compares to her? plauz plauz [applause ] >> will there ever be? and then there came a time in 1998 because of the passing of years for what they called a comeback album. as material accumulated, we would meet in my hotel bungalow, frankly in our pajamas at 1:00 a.m. she ordering the hamburger that she loved with french fries from room service. and i'll never forget the expression on her face when she first heard my love is your love, and "it's not right but it's okay." she listened to each song carefully on the character. and we played each song over and over. and gradually to my amazement she already had learned the

lyrics. and she started singing. with each playback she started over and it wasn't -- it really wasn't long before she stood before me and totally owned each song. finding meaning, i'm sure the composers never even suspected was there. and that's the way it was. song, videos, right from the beginning. can you picture her on that big theater stage starting our hearts with "the greatest love of all" and then turning to run to the wings into her mother's outstretched arms? in a flash you can visualize the verb the vitality of "i want to dance with somebody" and "how will i know". the camera just loved her. "c

can you ever forget that video of heart break hotel as she approached the water draped in fur? memories. part of your lives. i have them scorching my brain right now. with every album we toured together, at least two continents, previewing her new album with pride, playing each cut to a house, and that includes the last album, "i look to you." we went to london. i would do the talking and deejay and she would come out at the end to acknowledge everyone. but with this album, a definite difference emerged. she wanted to acknowledge, she wanted to speak. and did she speak out. was she ever articulate.

she did this with such assurance. you know, whitney was no longer the shy one. she was no longer introverted. she was there among music. she was returning to music and that was her passion. the lord and her religion obviously was her life guiding force, music, as well, was her passion. whitney lived music. whitney loved music. this was her world and she was so glad that we were back, and that's why i'm talking about the professional whitney today without knowing of her love of music, her passion and her absolutely natural genius in

interpreting songs, you certainly don't know all of whitney houston. personally all i can say is that i loved her very much. whitney was purely and simply one of a kind. yes she admitted to crises in her life, yes, she confessed to oprah about her battles. but when i needed her, she was there. [ applause ] she was there for me. an eternally loyal friend. whatever the cause or event, she was there dominating the stage, stunning the audience, and creating still another lifetime

memory. i believe in you and me, she sang, looking me straight in the eye. showing she knew we've always been in it together. yes, i was her industry father and i was and am so proud of it. and bobbie kristina you too always be proud of your mother. she loved you so very much. [ applause ] she defined not only pure talent but true heart and soul, as well. she'll forever be looking after you and will never let go of your hand. so as i said earlier last week,

last week whitney came by my hotel. that hotel bungalow alone, no bodyguards, no security, just whitney and me. and she played her new cuts from "sparkle". and i played so new music that i like for her. it was like old times. and she looked at me and quietly said, "i want you to know i'm getting in shape. i'm swimming an hour or two a day. and i'm committed to get my high notes back. no cigarettes, plenty of vocal exercising. clive, i'll be ready by august." well, whitney, i'm going to hold you to it.

[ applause ] everyone in heaven including god is waiting. and i just know you're going to raise the roof like no one else has done before. [ applause ] >> we thank you, clive, for those wonderful, wonderful memories that you have of whitney. and you just reminded me of something. i remember sitting in a room with friends of mine and they all said, girl, did you hear your cousin do the star-spangled banner? i said not only did i hear it, i

was there. and when she sold 1 million copies out of the box of the star-spangled banner, i looked at her and i said, well, i guess the telephone book is next, huh? she is as much family to us as anyone could ever be. please, ms. aretha franklin.