Whitney Houston to be Laid to Rest in Hometown

Singing legend Whitney Houston is to be laid to rest in her hometown this Saturday, a week after she was found dead in a hotel bathtub.

The funeral service for the star, who died at the age of 48, will be held at New Hope Baptist Church in Newark, New Jersey, where she sang as a child, Associated Press reported.

Houston's family began to make arrangements for the funeral as her body was flown to New Jersey by private jet after having been released by the coroner in Los Angeles.

Although, the funeral home has denied rumours of a possible wake or public memorial at Newark's Prudential Center, Houston's family has reportedly arranged to have her buried in a gold coffin.

The I Will Always Love You hitmaker, who struggled for years with drug and alcohol abuse, tragically died at the Beverly Hilton hotel.

A post-mortem examination was carried out to establish the cause of death, although officials have said there were no indications of foul play and no obvious signs of trauma on her body.

Hundreds of fans and mourners left flowers, balloons and candles at the wrought-iron fence around the Newark church, the home of the singer's humble beginnings.

Houston and her cousin, singer Dionne Warwick, sang in the church choir there for years before finding fame.