Whitney Houston laid to rest at private burial

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Whitney Houston laid to rest at private burial

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Singer Whitney Houston was laid to rest at a brief private ceremony in New Jersey.

20 February,2012 02:46 am

Whitney Houston was laid to rest Sunday at a brief private ceremony in New Jersey, the end of a weekend that saw the pop stars family and friends gather at a star-studded funeral to mourn her loss while celebrating her career.Fans and onlookers gathered in several places along the route the motorcade took from the Newark funeral home to the cemetery about 20 miles (30 kilometres) away in Westfield, where Houston was buried next to her father, who died in 2003.The 48-year-old singer died Feb. 11 in California, hours before she was to attend a pre-Grammy Awards party. No cause of death has been determined.On Saturday, she was mourned at an invitation-only funeral at the church in Newark where she sang in the choir as a child.She was remembered by the biggest names in the music: Stevie Wonder and Alicia Keys sang, and industry mogul Clive Davis was among those who spoke, as was Kevin Costner, Houstons co-star in The Bodyguard.The funeral was closed to fans, who were not allowed within blocks of the church. Still, many came to Newark to take part in what ways they could, some from as far as Miami and Washington, D.C.Fans gathered again near the funeral home Sunday morning, and some even slowly ran alongside the hearse as it began the journey to Houstons gravesite. Several yelled out We love you, Whitney as the hearse, which had a black and white headshot of the star in a window, slowly drove away.The burial came a day after an emotional, nearly four-hour service at Newarks New Hope Baptist Church that ended with the strains of Houstons biggest record, I Will Always Love You, filling the church.Her mother, gospel singer Cissy Houston wailed, My baby My baby as she was held up by two women and led out of the church behind the casket bearing her daughters body. A few steps behind her was the pop icons daughter, Bobbi Kristina, also crying uncontrollably as she was comforted by Houstons close friend, singer Ray J.Her death marked the end of a life of stunning achievement. Blessed with a voice of great power and beauty, Houston became one of pop musics most successful artists over a career that spanned nearly three decades and segued into film with hits like The Bodyguard.