Funeral service for Whitney Houston

(CBS/AP)�

Updated 2:00 p.m. ET

NEWARK, N.J. - Actor Kevin Costner joined friends and family gathered Saturday to pay their respects to Whitney Houston in her hometown of Newark, N.J. and brought smiles to the faces of mourners as he remembered his co-star in "The Bodyguard."

Earlier, mourners at the New Hope Baptist Church fell quiet as three police officers escorted Houston's silver casket, draped with white roses and purple lilies. White-robed choir members began to fill the pews on the podium. As the band played softly, the choir sang in a hushed voice, "Whitney, Whitney, Whitney."

"We are here today, hearts broken but yet with God's strength we celebrate the life of Whitney Houston," Rev. Joe A. Carter told the packed church after the choir behind him sang "The Lord is My Shepherd." "Whitney, you are the only woman that could bring all of us together. Whitney, today is your day."

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A gospel choir, members dressed in white and gold, opened the funeral with song, and churchgoers were swaying and clapping along. Some stood in the aisles in the full church. Others were more mournful; singer Ray J., who spent time with Houston during her last days, broke down crying. His sister, singer Brandy, put her arm around him.

Filmmaker Tyler Perry praised Houston's "grace that kept on carrying her all the way through, the same grace led her all the way to the top of the charts. She sang for presidents."

"There are two constants that I know about Whitney Houston," Perry said. "There was a grace that carried her from heaven down through Miss Cissy Houston, a grace that brought her up through singing. The other thing I know for sure: Whitney Houston loved the Lord."

Kevin Costner, Houston's co-star in "The Bodyguard," gave remarks, making the crowd laugh at various points while remembering their friendship and working relationship.

"I thought she was the perfect choice," he said about casting her in "The Bodyguard," her first movie role.

"Whitney if you can hear me now, you weren't just good enough," he said about Houston despite her insecurities. "You were great."

Costner, his voice cracking, ended by saying, "When you sing before Him, don't worry, you'll be good enough."

Watch live streaming video of Whitney Houston's funeral beginning 12:00 p.m. ET by clicking here.

Before her performance, Alicia keys, wiping tears, called Houston a "beautiful human being," adding, "She's an angel to us."

Houston's producer and longtime mentor Clive Davis then took the podium, saying, "She never took anything for granted ... She was always appreciative."

"Personally all I can say is that I loved her very much," calling her "one of a kind."

Davis acknowledged her public battles, adding, "But when I needed her she was there."

The music mogul talked about meeting with Houston shortly before she died. During that encounter, Houston said, "I'm committed to getting in shape ... Clive, I'll be ready by August" [when the movie "Sparkle" hits theaters.]

Close family friend Aretha Franklin, whom Houston lovingly called "Aunt Ree," had been expected to sing at the service, but she was too ill to attend. Franklin said in an email to The Associated Press that she had been up most of the night with leg spasms and sent best wishes to the family; "May God bless and keep them all," she wrote.

Houston's mother was helped by two people on either side of her as she walked in and sat with her granddaughter and other family. Houston's ex-husband, Bobby Brown, briefly appeared at her funeral, walking to the casket, touching it and walking out.

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Singers Chaka Khan, Brandy, Roberta Flack, Jordin Sparks and Jennifer Hudson were among those filling pews. The Rev. Jesse Jackson and actor Lela Rochon were also gathering as the choir began to sing gospel and the congregation clapped.

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A program featuring a picture of Houston looking skyward read "Celebrating the life of Whitney Elizabeth Houston, a child of God." Pictures of Houston as a baby, with her mother, gospel singer Cissy Houston and daughter, Bobbi Kristina filled the program.

"I never told you that when you were born, the Holy Spirit told me that you would not be with me long," Cissy Houston wrote her daughter in a letter published in the program. "And I thank God for the beautiful flower he allowed me to raise and cherish for 48 years."

"Rest, my baby girl in peace," the letter ends, signed "mommie."

A couple of hours before the funeral, the blockades parted to allow in the hearse carrying Houston's body in a silver casket, draped in black.

The service marks exactly one week after the 48-year-old Houston ? one of music's all-time biggest stars ? was found dead in a Beverly Hills hotel in California. A cause of death has yet to be determined.

Houston's death marked the final chapter for the superstar whose fall from grace while shocking was years in the making. Houston had her first No. 1 hit by the time she was 22, followed by a flurry of No. 1 songs and multi-platinum records.

Over her career, she sold more than 50 million records in the United States alone. Her voice, an ideal blend of power, grace and beauty, made classics out of songs like "Saving All My Love For You," "I Will Always Love You," "The Greatest Love of All" and "I'm Every Woman." Her six Grammys were only a fraction of her many awards.

But amid the fame, a turbulent marriage to Brown and her addiction to drugs tarnished her image. She became a woman falling apart in front of the world.

Her last album, "I Look To You," debuted on the top of the charts when it was released in 2009 with strong sales, but didn't have the staying power of her previous records. A tour the next year was doomed by cancellations because of illness and sub-par performances.

Still, a comeback was ahead: She was to star in the remake of the movie "Sparkle" and was working on new music. Her family, friends and hard-core fans were hopeful.

The funeral is for invited guests only. Houston is scheduled to be buried next to her father, John Houston, in nearby Westfield, N.J.

Source: http://feeds.cbsnews.com/~r/CBSNewsMain/~3/7-WIdLne5D0/

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