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February, 19

Funeral tributes paid to Houston

Some of the biggest names in the music industry bade an emotional farewell to Whitney Houston with the sounds of her most enduring hit playing out as her funeral came to a close.

I Will Always Love You was played as the marathon service at New Hope Baptist Church in Newark, New Jersey, where she performed as a child, concluded.

Stevie Wonder, Alicia Keys, R Kelly and a host of gospel stars performed during the three hour and 45 minute ceremony, while actor Kevin Costner fought back tears as he gave a moving eulogy.

Keys described Houston as an "angel" and a "beautiful human being", while Costner, who starred with Houston in The Bodyguard, described her as the "greatest pop star in the world".

But Houston's former husband Bobby Brown walked out of the heavily religious service, designed to be a celebration of Houston's life and career.He was seen to approach her flower-covered coffin at the front of the church and touch it before leaving. Their tumultuous 15-year marriage came to an end in 2007 following allegations of domestic abuse.

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 with only a single camera allowed in to film it.

Despite the hundreds of mourners present, the Baptist service retained an intimate feel, with many personal tales of Houston recited to laughs and applause from the congregation.

Describing working with her on the 1992 film, Costner said. "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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