Carlo Allegri / Reuters

Donna Wesolowski of New Jersey throws a bouquet of flowers on the hearse that carries the casket of pop singer Whitney Houston at Fairview Cemetery before her burial the day after her funeral, in Westfield Township, N.J., Feb. 19. Houston, 48, died in a Beverly Hills hotel room February 11, the eve of the industry's Grammy Awards.

Slideshow: Whitney Houston, 1963-2012

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Born into a musical family, the singer's stunning voice wowed many, but drug use, erratic behavior and a tumultuous marriage ravaged her image.

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Fans and onlookers gathered in several places along the route the motorcade took from the Newark funeral home to the cemetery about 20 miles away. Many held signs wishing Houston farewell and some created impromptu memorials. Some even slowly ran alongside the hearse as it began the journey to Houston's gravesite. Several yelled out "We love you, Whitney" as the hearse, which had a black and white headshot of the star in a window, slowly drove away.

Barbara Davis, 53, of Newark, said she had been waiting outside the funeral home since 8:30 a.m., hoping to get a glimpse of Houston's final trip.

"To be here at her home-going is an honor and a blessing," Davis told The Star-Ledger of Newark.

-- Reported by msnbc.com news services

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Jason Decrow / AP

Whitney Houston fans gather around a television in a mobile phone store a few blocks from the New Hope Baptist Church to watch the singer's funeral in Newark, N.J.

Actor-director-writer Tyler Perry was among the first speakers at the service, and he reflected what he called the one constant in Houston's life -- her grace. Her described it as a "grace that kept on carrying her all the way through, the same grace led her all the way to the top of the charts. She sang for presidents." He told the congregation that no matter the trouble that she encountered in her life, Houston's faith remained constant.

Actor Kevin Costner, her co-star in "The Bodyguard" that spawned her greatest hit, remembered a movie star who was uncertain of her own fame, who "still wondered, 'am I good enough? Am I pretty enough? Will they like me?'

"It was the burden that made her great and the part that caused her to stumble in the end," Costner said.

--Reported by Today.com news services

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Carlo Allegri / Reuters

Bobby Brown, right, is denied entrance to the funeral service of ex-wife pop singer Whitney Houston at the New Hope Baptist Church in Newark, N.J., Feb. 18.

Jason Decrow / AP

Whitney Houston fans wave to a passing car as they gather a few blocks from the New Hope Baptist Church before the singer's funeral in Newark, N.J., Feb. 18. Houston died last Saturday at the Beverly Hills Hilton in Beverly Hills, Calif., at the age of 48.

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The hearse carrying the body of singer Whitney Houston leaves the Whigham Funeral Home on Feb. 18, in Newark, N.J., en route to a private funeral at the New Hope Baptist Church.

Rich Schultz / AP

Yamda Johnson, kisses a signed photo of Whitney Houston as she and her friend Regina Kujemya both from Staten Island, N.Y., pay their respects at New Hope Baptist Church, in Newark, N.J., Wednesday, Feb. 15. The 48-year-old pop star was found dead in the bathtub in her hotel room at the Beverly Hilton Hotel on Saturday, hours before she was supposed to appear at a pre-Grammy gala. Houston's funeral will be held at the church on Saturday.

Mike Segar / Reuters

Messages, which are a part of a makeshift memorial for the late singer Whitney Houston, are seen outside The New Hope Baptist Church.

MSNBC.com's Gael Fashingbauer Cooper reports: Singer Whitney Houston's family has decided against a public memorial for her at a New Jersey sports arena, and will hold an invitation-only service at the church where she first sang publicly, and where her mother, singer Cissy Houston, still attends services.

On Monday, it was reported that the Houston family was considering a wake and funeral at Newark's Prudential Center, home of the New Jersey Devils and temporarily of the New Jersey Nets. That facility can seat up to 20,000.

But Carolyn Whigham, owner of the Whigham Funeral Home in Newark, told the press that there will be no wake, and instead a private funeral at noon Saturday at New Hope Baptist Church in Newark, where Houston first publicly showcased her powerful voice.

The latest news about Whitney Houston's death and its aftermath

Rich Schultz / AP

A woman takes a photo as many fans pay their respects with flowers balloons photos and personal messages to Whitney Houston at New Hope Baptist Church.

Lucy Nicholson / Reuters

Singer Adele holds her six Grammy Awards at the 54th annual Grammy Awards in Los Angeles, Calif., Feb. 12. Soul singer Adele triumphed in her return to music's stage on Sunday, scooping up six Grammys and winning every category in which she was nominated including album of the year for

Slideshow: 2012 Grammy Awards

Matt Sayles / AP

Musicians Rihanna, Adele, Bruno Mars and more celebrate the year in music and remember Whitney Houston.

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As joyous as the show was for Adele, it was equally as serious with tributes to late pop star Whitney Houston, who died suddenly on Saturday. She was remembered by fellow artists in acceptance speeches and songs. Jennifer Hudson sang Houston's signature hit "I Will Always Love You," and Grammy host LL Cool J offered a prayer for Houston's family, friends and fans.

But it was Adele who stole the show. The 23-year-old, who has taken the music world by storm, underwent surgery on her vocal cords late last year and had been resting her voice on doctor's orders until music's biggest night. The British singer took the stage to belt out "Rolling In the Deep," and finished to a standing ovation.

--Reported by the Associated Press

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Mario Anzuoni / Reuters

Members of the audience applaud as singer Whitney Houston, who died Saturday, is shown on a video screen in a 1994 Grammy performance during the 54th annual Grammy Awards in Los Angeles, Calif., Feb. 12.

Slideshow: 2012 Grammy Awards

Jason Merritt / Getty Images

Musicians Rihanna, Katy Perry, Bruno Mars and more celebrate the year in music and remember Whitney Houston.

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The Grammys got under way on Sunday, with the Recording Academy trying to focus on music's biggest night after of the death of one of music's biggest names — Whitney Houston.

Houston died on the eve of the Grammys at the Beverly Hilton Hotel, where she was preparing to attend a pre-Grammy party. Her death cast a huge shadow over the event.

"We've had a death in our family," said host LL Cool J shortly after Bruce Springsteen opened the show by singing, with obvious poignancy, his new single, "We Take of Our Own."

--Reported by the Associated Press

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Kevork Djansezian / Getty Images file

Singer Whitney Houston accepts the Winner of International - Favorite Artist Award onstage at the 2009 American Music Awards at Nokia Theatre L.A. Live on Nov. 22, 2009, in Los Angeles, Calif.

Slideshow: Whitney Houston, 1963-2012

Kevin Winter / Getty Images

Born into a musical family, the singer's stunning voice wowed many, but drug use, erratic behavior and a tumultuous marriage ravaged her image.

Launch slideshow

Whitney Houston influenced a generation of younger singers, from Christina Aguilera to Mariah Carey, who when she first came out sounded so much like Houston that many thought it was Houston.

But by the end of her career, Houston became a stunning cautionary tale of the toll of drug use. Her album sales plummeted and the hits stopped coming; her once serene image was shattered by a wild demeanor and bizarre public appearances. She confessed to abusing cocaine, marijuana and pills, and her once pristine voice became raspy and hoarse, unable to hit the high notes as she had during her prime.

"The biggest devil is me. I'm either my best friend or my worst enemy," Houston told ABC's Diane Sawyer in an infamous 2002 interview with then-husband Brown by her side. -- Reported by the Associated Press

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