Whitney Houston's Burial: Private New Jersey Ceremony

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WESTFIELD, N.J. — Whitney Houston was laid to rest Sunday at a brief private ceremony in New Jersey, the end of a weekend that saw the pop star's 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 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, Houston's 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 Houston's grave site. 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.
Barbara Davis, 53, of Newark, said she had been waiting outside the funeral home since 8:30 a.m., hoping to get a glimpse of Houston's final trip.
"To be here at her home-going is an honor and a blessing," Davis told The Star-Ledger of Newark.
Also among the crowd was Newark resident Eva Aquino and her two granddaughters, ages 10 and 13. All three stood on a street corner as the hearse passed by, and they used cellphones to snap photos of the procession.
The girls were wearing T-shirts and buttons of Houston that their grandmother had bought from vendors outside the funeral home Saturday.
"We came here and bought all these things of her to cherish the memories," said 13-year-old Nalani Velez of Kearny.

Kevin Costner was among the list of high-profile figures who spoke at Whitney Houston's funeral service, held Saturday at New Hope Baptist Church, in Newark, New Jersey.
In a speech that was both somber and poignant, the 57-year-old actor recalled anecdotes from shooting 1992's "The Bodyguard." The film was the pop star's first movie role and also helped establish Houston as one of the world's most preeminent singers, featuring a Houston-led soundtrack that sold more than 42 million copies worldwide and a career-defining performance of "I Will Always Love You."
"At the height of her fame as a singer I asked her to be my costar 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 said it out loud, but it was a fair question. It was. There would be a lot riding on this. Maybe a more experienced actress would be the way to go. It was clear that I had really had to think about this," Costner said.
"I told everyone that I had taken notice that Whitney was black," he added, to some laughter.
He continued: "It was the burden that made her great, and the part that caused her to stumble in 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 was. A lot of leading men could have played my part, a lot of guys could have filled that role. But you Whitney, I truly believe, were the only one who could have played Rachel Marron at that time. You weren't just pretty. You were as beautiful as a woman could be. And people just didn't like you, Whitney. They loved you."
Coster also shared that he and Houston had both been raised in the Baptist Church.
"[Whitney] 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,'" Costner said, adding that one of Houston's favorite stories of Costner involved him growing up as a young boy in church.