We're on the scene at New Hope Baptist Church in Newark, N.J., and will be bringing you updates as they happen, as the world remembers the singular pop icon. (All times are Eastern.)
1:38 p.m. Keys sits in front of a piano and says, "In so many ways, [Whitney] reached back to people: to me, to Brandy, to Jordin [Sparks]. All these young artists, and they just feel strong and capable and loved...I think she's an angel to us, and a beautiful human being." Keys then launches into a stirring rendition of her song, "Prelude to a Kiss."
1:25 p.m. Kevin Costner speaks to the congregation, and remembers how he and Houston talked about going to Baptist churches when they were growing up: "We both grew up in the Baptist Church. My grandmother played the piano and led the choir. The days of church were good ones for us, and we both remembered how our parents tried to explain God, and his plan for our lives, and this promise that if we listened carefully, God's voice would somehow come to us."
He added: "Whitney, if you could hear me now, I would tell you, you weren't just good enough, you were great. You made The Bodyguard the picture that it was. A lof of leading men could have filled my part. But Whitney, you're the only one who I believed could have played [the character of] Rachel Marron at that time. I was your pretend-bodyguard once long ago, and now you're gone too soon."
MORE: Whitney Houston Wake: Bobbi Kristina Brown, Clive Davis, Dionne Warwick Start Saying Goodbye
1:01 p.m. A teary-eyed BeBe Winans steps up and says, "I"m gonna miss crazy Whitney!" before launching into song while sniffing back tears.
12:50 p.m. Dionne Warwick introduces Tyler Perry, who remembers his beloved friend: "There are two constants that I know about Whitney Houston," he says. "There was a grace that carried her from heaven down through Miss Cissy Houston, a grace that brought her up through singing. The other thing I know for sure: Whitney Houston loved the Lord."
12:40 p.m. Rev. Donnie McClurkin steps up to the pulpit and launches into the song "Stand," which Houston's family reportedly asked him to sing. As the service began, Bobby Brown was spotted arriving outside the church. Although there were reports that Brown was not permitted to enter the church, his publicist says that Brown and son Landon Brown chose to leave the service early in order to make it to his New Edition concert tonight in Connecticut. Brown was spotted being consoled by fellow mourners shortly before exiting.
12:22 p.m. Newark mayor Cory Booker delivers his remarks: "May we understand that while we weep now, weeping may endure through the night, but joy—joy cometh in the morning."
12:18 p.m. Music minister A. Curtis Farrow begins the service by saying, "We welcome you to our home and we gonna have church today because we believe in a mighty God!"
12:16 p.m. Bobbi Kristina arrives outside the church, just as service begins inside.
MORE: Ray J to Whitney—"I Miss You So Much...Your Smile Will Live in My Heart Forever"
12:12 p.m. The Rev. Al Sharpton arrives and mills outside the building for a few moments.
11:48 a.m. The church choir, clad in glorious white outfits, sings and claps jubilantly as guests continue to fill the building.
11:26 a.m. Mary J. Blige arrives at the church and enters through the front door. Jordin Sparks, Houston's costar in the upcoming film Sparkle, was also seen earlier.
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. Aretha released a statement saying she really wanted to be there but "I had terrible back spasms following my concert last night" and is sad to be unable to make it." Alicia Keys will reportedly be stepping in for her.
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."
MORE: Whitney Houston Wake—Bobbi Kristina Brown, Clive Davis, Dionne Warwick Start Saying Goodbye
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."
9:35 a.m. A golden hearse bearing Whitney Houston's body pulls up alongside the funeral home.
9:17 a.m. A SWAT team can be seen on the rooftops of nearby buildings, and the area is on police lockdown.
8:35 a.m. The Rev. Jesse Jackson pulls up in a black SUV, one of the first to arrive at the church.
8:30 am. Media and early fans stationed outside the church are kept at bay by cops on horseback, along with at least a dozen police officers standing in front of the building.
PICS: Whitney Houston Funeral—Farewell to a Diva
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