VIDEO: Whitney Houston Live Funeral Coverage

Whitney Houston's Funeral: Moment by Moment
New Hope Baptist Church in Newark, N.J.
(All times are Eastern.)

11:48 a.m. The church choir, clad in glorious white outfits, sing and clap jubilantly as guest continue to fill the building.

11:26 a.m. Mary J. Blige arrives at the church and enters through the front door.

11:24 a.m. Fans are congregating in two areas near the church, but police are encouraging them to step aside. Some fans sing, while one enterprising man sells buttons with Houston's image.

11:20 a.m. In an interview with CNN, Jackson reveals that Aretha Franklin, who was expected to sing at the service, will not be performing. "She was at a tremendous event last night at Radio City [Music Hall]. She was up much of the night hosting guests, she had leg spasms. She's all right, but she can't do that and reconcile this with her feelings and her schedule." Alicia Keys will reportedly be stepping in for her.

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10:50 a.m. Houston's grade-school principal from her days in South Orange, Henry Hamilton, tells reporters: "It's a beautiful day, the sun is shining, she's up there, this is Whitney's day...People asked me, 'Should [the funeral] have been here or there?' This is where the family wanted it, this is where it should be." He also recalled her days in school: "She was a very good student. A little quiet when she was young. Talked a bit more once she got older, but a beautiful person."

10:26 a.m. The Rev. Michael Dyson, who is not presiding over the service, tells E! News that he knew Houston well, and that daughter Bobbi Kristina possesses "deeply entrenched faith taught to her by her mother," which will "help sustain her."

10:15 a.m. Guests begin to line up outside the church, amid makeshift memorials featuring balloons and handwritten signs. The church's digital board reads, "We Will Always Love You."

9:45 a.m. Outside the church, Jackson tells reporters that Houston had "God's gifts," adding that "she didn't go to Juilliard; she went to New Hope. [She comes from] an environment that honed her talents. We find joy in her singing...Forty-eight years is not a very long time. Jesus [died] at 33. Sometimes bright lights burn out quickly. But when we have them, we get so much illumination. From her, we got that joy."

Read more: http://www.eonline.com/news/whitney_houstons_funeral_moment_by/295412#ixzz1mkpmtXN2