Whitney Houston funeral to be held Saturday in N.J.

Topics: Music ,; Celebrity

The body of Whitney Houston arrives at Whigham Funeral Home, in Newark, N.J., Feb. 13, 2012.

(Credit: AP Photo/Rich Schultz)

(CBS/AP) Whitney Houston's funeral service will be held Saturday in the New Jersey church where she first showcased her singing talents as a child.

The owner of the Whigham Funeral Home in Newark said Tuesday that Houston's funeral will be held at noon at the New Hope Baptist Church in Newark. The funeral home said that no wake would be held and that there would be no public memorial at Newark's Prudential Center, the sports arena that the family had discussed as a possible venue. The funeral service will be by invitation only.

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The 48-year-old Houston was found dead in her hotel room in Beverly Hills on Feb. 11. Her body was returned to New Jersey late Monday.

TMZ reports that Houston's mother, Cissy, and cousin Dionne Warwick, wanted the funeral to be held in Atlanta, where the pop star had experienced many good memories. But the rest of the family was reportedly rooting for Newark, Houston's birthplace and career launching pad.

An insider claims Cissy said, "Michael Jackson did not want to be buried in Neverland, and Whitney did not want to be buried in New Jersey."

Houston was born in Newark and was raised in nearby East Orange. She began singing as a child at New Hope Baptist Church, where her mother led the music program for many years. Warwick also sang in its choir.

In Monday, mourners left flowers, balloons and candles for Houston at the wrought-iron fence around the tall brick church, which sits near the edge of an abandoned housing project near the train line leading to New York City.

After an autopsy Sunday, authorities said there were no indications of foul play and no obvious signs of trauma on Houston. It could be weeks before the coroner's office completes toxicology tests to establish the cause of death.