Family, Friends Remember Whitney Houston at Hometown

 　　Family and friends of American pop music icon¹ Whitney Houston have said their goodbyes to the singer at a private funeral at her childhood church in Newark, New Jersey².

　　Celebrities³, including music greats, joined the final tribute at the New Hope Baptist Church, where Houston sang in the choir⁴ as a child.  Fans showed their love with hundreds of balloons, flowers and cards piled outside the church.

　　The service for the 48-year-old six-time Grammy award winner and actress took place a week after she was found unresponsive in a bathtub at the Beverly Hilton hotel in California.

　　A gold-painted hearse transported Houston's casket to the church Saturday morning, a day after her family attended a private viewing of her body at a Newark funeral home.

　　Her mother, Cissy Houston, and daughter Bobbi Kristina Brown, were joined at the viewing Friday by a host of relatives, including singer Dionne Warwick, Houston's cousin.  Her mentor⁵, music executive Clive Davis, also was there.

　　During Saturday's service, Warwick introduced a host of soul, gospel and pop music greats from the past and present, including Alicia Keys who performed the song Prelude⁶ to a Kiss.

　　Houston's mentor, Clive Davis told mourners, "You wait for a voice like that for a lifetime," while her co-star in the movie, The Bodyguard⁷, Kevin Costner, asked mourners to "remember the sweet miracle of Whitney."

　　Music legend Stevie Wonder was among the performers at Saturday's invitation-only service.  Houston's ex-husband, singer Bobby Brown, put in a brief appearance at the service but close family friend, Aretha Franklin, was unable to attend because of health issues.

　　The private church service was broadcast live on the Internet and TV.

　　After the nearly four-hour-long service ended, Houston's casket was carried out as the haunting ballad⁸ that she once sang, I Will Always Love You, played over loudspeakers.  She will be buried next to her father, John Russell Houston Jr., at a New Jersey cemetery⁹.

　　The cause of her death is not expected to be known for several weeks, pending¹⁰ toxicology results.

　　Houston sold more than 170 million albums, singles and videos, making her one of the world's best-selling artists. But in recent years, her career faced ups and downs as she struggled with drug and alcohol abuse.

1 icon   

n.偶像，崇拜的对象，画像

参考例句：

• They found an icon in the monastery.他们在修道院中发现了一个圣像。
• Click on this icon to align or justify text.点击这个图标使文本排齐。

2 jersey   

n.运动衫

参考例句：

• He wears a cotton jersey when he plays football.他穿运动衫踢足球。
• They were dressed alike in blue jersey and knickers.他们穿着一致，都是蓝色的运动衫和灯笼短裤。

3 celebrities   

n.（尤指娱乐界的）名人( celebrity的名词复数 )；名流；名声；名誉

参考例句：

• He only invited A-list celebrities to his parties. 他只邀请头等名流参加他的聚会。
• a TV chat show full of B-list celebrities 由众多二流人物参加的电视访谈节目

4 choir   

n.唱诗班，唱诗班的席位，合唱团，舞蹈团；v.合唱

参考例句：

• The choir sang the words out with great vigor.合唱团以极大的热情唱出了歌词。
• The church choir is singing tonight.今晚教堂歌唱队要唱诗。

5 mentor   

n.指导者，良师益友；v.指导

参考例句：

• He fed on the great ideas of his mentor.他以他导师的伟大思想为支撑。
• He had mentored scores of younger doctors.他指导过许多更年轻的医生。

6 prelude   

n.序言，前兆，序曲

参考例句：

• The prelude to the musical composition is very long.这首乐曲的序曲很长。
• The German invasion of Poland was a prelude to World War II.德国入侵波兰是第二次世界大战的序幕。

7 bodyguard   

n.护卫，保镖

参考例句：

• She has to have an armed bodyguard wherever she goes.她不管到哪儿都得有带武器的保镖跟从。
• The big guy standing at his side may be his bodyguard.站在他身旁的那个大个子可能是他的保镖。

8 ballad   

n.歌谣，民谣，流行爱情歌曲

参考例句：

• This poem has the distinctive flavour of a ballad.这首诗有民歌风味。
• This is a romantic ballad that is pure corn.这是一首极为伤感的浪漫小曲。

9 cemetery   

n.坟墓，墓地，坟场

参考例句：

• He was buried in the cemetery.他被葬在公墓。
• His remains were interred in the cemetery.他的遗体葬在墓地。

10 pending   

prep.直到，等待…期间；adj.待定的；迫近的

参考例句：

• The lawsuit is still pending in the state court.这案子仍在州法庭等待定夺。
• He knew my examination was pending.他知道我就要考试了。