Whitney Houston For Private Family Funeral On Saturday

14 February 2012, 17:37 | Updated: 14 February 2012, 17:49

The 'I'm Every Woman' singer will be laid to rest in New Jersey this weekend with a private ceremony.

Whitney Houston's funeral has been confirmed as taking place this Saturday (18^th February) at the church where she used to sing as a child.

The 'I Wanna Dance With Somebody' singer passed away at the age of 48 on Saturday (11^th February), and her body was transported to new Jersey yesterday (13^th February) before being taken to Whigham Funeral Home in Newark ahead of the funeral. 

Whitney's funeral will take place at New Hope Baptist Church and will be a private affair involving only friends and family.

"They have shared her for 30 years with the city, with the state, with the world," funeral home owner Carolyn Whigham said in a statement. "This is their time now for their farewell."

While an autopsy took place on Sunday (12^th February) police are withholding the results while further investigation and toxicology tests are undertaken. 

Whitney Houston's career spanned almost three decades and saw the singer sell over 170 million records worldwide.