Hearse arrives at NJ funeral home handling Houston

NEWARK, N.J. (AP) - A hearse under heavy police escort arrived late Monday at a funeral home officials said was handling the arrangements for late pop star Whitney Houston.

The hearse traveled from Teterboro Airport, where officials had told The Associated Press Houston's body would arrive Monday night on a flight from the Los Angeles area.

Several officials familiar with funeral planning said arrangements were being made by Newark's Whigham Funeral Home, which handled the 2003 funeral of Houston's father. They spoke to the AP on Monday on condition of anonymity because they weren't authorized to speak for Houston's family.

Houston died Saturday at a hotel in Beverly Hills, Calif. She was 48. Officials say she was underwater and apparently unconscious when she was pulled from a bathtub.

Houston was born in Newark and was raised in nearby East Orange.

A woman at the funeral home, where several police officers were stationed, said she could neither confirm nor deny reports that it would handle the arrangements. A white tent was set up leading into the funeral home's rear entrance, and two opulent golden sarcophaguses stood at the front entrance.

About a dozen Houston fans went to the funeral home, where they played her songs, sang and lit candles to remember her.

Houston's family raised the possibility of holding a wake Thursday and a funeral Friday at Newark's Prudential Center, which hosts college and professional sporting events and seats about 18,000 people. City officials were awaiting the family's arrival to complete the funeral planning.

A picture of Houston appeared Monday night on the electronic board outside the arena, one of the nation's busiest entertainment venues, with a New Jersey Devils game Friday night posing a logistical challenge to a planned funeral that day.

Houston began singing as a child at Newark's New Hope Baptist Church, where her mother, Grammy-winning gospel singer Cissy Houston, led the music program for many years. Her cousin singer Dionne Warwick also sang in its choir.

On 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.

"She was an inspiration to everybody," said Gregory Hanks, an actor who grew up in the neighborhood and who dropped off a bouquet of flowers.

Hanks said he saw Houston perform at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center years ago.

"I grew up listening to her as a little boy, and to hear her sing, you knew she was special," the 26-year-old said.

Sandy Farrow, a technology consultant from Mitchellville, Md., who was in the area visiting relatives, said she was a senior at Clifford J. Scott High School in East Orange when Houston was a freshman.

"We felt like she put East Orange on the map," she said.

Farrow said Houston's death came as a shock.

"We lost somebody who I thought, after all her troubles, was coming back," Farrow said.

Across the street from the church, Bashir Rasheed set up shop with a duffel bag full of T-shirts reading "In Memory of Whitney Houston 1963-2012." He said he had sold 24 shirts at $10 apiece within a few hours.

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Adele triumphs at Grammys, clouded by Houston death

British soul diva Adele made a triumphant return to the stage at the Grammys, winning a clean sweep of six awards and a standing ovation, in a show clouded by the death of Whitney Houston.

The 23-year-old Londoner, who has been out of action since October to undergo throat surgery, wowed a star-studded audience with a storming rendition of her worldwide hit "Rolling in the Deep."

The tune won best song Grammy, to add to Adele's haul of awards for best record, best album for her breakthrough "21," best short video, best pop album and best pop artist -- wins in all six categories in which she was nominated.

"This record is inspired by something that is really normal .. just a rubbish relationship," said Adele, adding: "It's been the most life-changing year."

"Oh, I got a bit of snot!" she said in her trademark cockney accent, wiping her nose and fighting back tears at the climax of the three-and-a-half hour show, which ended with a Beatles medley led by Paul McCartney.

The other hotly-anticipated comeback of the night was by iconic 1960s California surfer band the Beach Boys, who played together live on stage for the first time in over two decades.

A three-song tribute started with a close-harmony version of "Surfer Girl" by Maroon 5, and then the falsetto strains of "Wouldn't It Be Nice" by Foster the People, against a backdrop of multicolor surf boards.

After a standing ovation, the Beach Boys themselves, all now in their 60s, then took to the stage to play "Good Vibrations," with famously glum-looking Brian Wilson almost smiling as he hit the high notes with his old bandmates.

Another blast from the past came in the form of country legend Glen Campbell, currently on a farewell tour after being diagnosed with Alzheimer's, who had the audience singing along with his classic "Rhinestone Cowboy."

But while Adele was the big winner, the show was punctuated with tributes to Houston, the 1980s and 1990s superstar who died on Saturday at age 48 at the Beverly Hilton hotel on the eve of the US music industry's big awards night.

The Grammy show began with a prayer for Houston from host LL Cool J.

"There is no way around this. We've had a death in our family," he said, adding: "The only thing that feels right is to begin with a prayer for a woman who we loved, for our fallen sister."

The audience, with stars including McCartney in the front row, then watched a clip of Houston singing one of her greatest hits, "I Will Always Love You," and gave her a standing ovation.

"Whitney, we will always love you," said the US rapper host. "This night is about something truly universal and healing; this night is about music."

Later in the show, singer Jennifer Hudson -- who was presented with a Grammy by Houston in 2009 -- gripped the audience in silence with a classy rendition of "I Will Always Love You," the smash hit from Houston's film "The Bodyguard."

"Whitney, we love you," she said as she closed the performance sung to a piano accompaniment, spotlighted in the dark in a plain black dress.

Houston's family issued a statement before the show, saying: "We are devastated by the loss of our beloved Whitney. This is an unimaginable tragedy and we will miss her terribly." 

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