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Houston's ex walks out of funeral

Whitney Houston's former husband dramatically walked out of her funeral as some of the biggest names in the music industry gathered to pay tribute to her.

Bobby Brown was seen to walk to her flower-covered coffin at the front of New Hope Baptist Church in Newark, New Jersey, and touch it before walking out. Their tumultuous 15-year marriage came to an end in 2007 following allegations of domestic abuse and her much-publicised battle with drug addiction.

Gospel choirs filled the church, where Houston herself performed as a child, with song while Alicia Keys, who described her as an "angel" and a "beautiful human being", also performed.

Meanwhile actor Kevin Costner, who starred with Houston in The Bodyguard, described her during the service as the "greatest pop star in the world".

Houston, 48, was found submerged in the bath in her hotel room on the fourth floor of the Beverly Hilton in Los Angeles last Saturday.

The death of the star, one of the world's best-selling artists in the 1980s and 1990s, prompted a worldwide outpouring of grief, but her family decided that they wanted her funeral to be a private invitation-only event.

Stevie Wonder also performed, describing it as "such an emotional moment". Sitting at a grand piano, he said: "I had so much respect for her love for music."

Describing working with her on the 1992 film, Costner said Houston was "as beautiful as a woman could be".

He went on: "The people didn't just like you Whitney, they loved you.

"You're gone too soon, leaving us with memories of a little girl who stepped 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. Then boldly 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."

Source: music.uk.msn.com
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