Fans of Whitney Houston have assembled outside the New Jersey funeral where the singer's body is being held.
Mourners flocked to Whigham Funeral Home in Houston's hometown of Newark where they signed a book of condolence and laid tributes, including flowers, balloons and teddy bears.
It is expected that fans will be blocked off the site once the 48-year-old star's family arrives for her wake ahead of tomorrow's funeral.
Let the mourners come: Fans of the late Whitney Houston gathered outside the Whigham Funeral Home in Newark, New Jersey, today where the singer's body is being held ahead of tomorrow's funeral. Family are expected to arrive shortly for a wake and private viewing
Paying their respects: Fans lefts touching tributes including notes, balloons and teddy bears
Family including daughter Bobbi Kristina, 18, along with her grandmother Cissy, 78, Miss Houston's mother, are due to say a more private goodbye at the pre-funeral service.
The gold hearse which conveyed her body to the funeral home remained parked outside.
Tomorrow, a galaxy of stars are to pay tribute to Houston at her funeral in a gathering not seen since the death of Michael Jackson.
David Bowie will supposedly be among those attending the private service as will Janet Jackson, rapper Jay-Z, Mariah Carey and R n B singer R Kelly.
Alicia Keys will reportedly perform, as will Stevie Wonder and Aretha Franklin, who was Miss Houston’s godmother.
Capturing a moment in history: People took photographs of the scene as they stood outside
From the heart: A fan signs a memorial book as she pays her respects to the late singer, who died last Saturday
Police presence: A cordon has been put in place to keep the entrance area cleared head of the family's arrival
The late singer’s husband Bobby Brown will also be attending after her family put aside their grievances and begrudgingly sent him an invitation.
It had been thought he would be kept away amid resentment he led his wife astray and fears he was trying to get his hands on her £25million fortune.
The 90-minute service will take place at noon local time at the New Hope Baptist Church in Newark, New Jersey, where Miss Houston was first discovered as a teenager.
It will reportedly be a mixture of religious music and celebrity tributes including a speech from Kevin Costner, Miss Houston’s co-star in The Bodyguard.
The church’s choir will perform the processional and the opening and a house band will be on stage throughout.
The song list and who will be in the backing cast for each artist has not yet been worked out.
Birth of a star: The New Hope Baptist Church in Newark where the funeral will be held and where Whitney used to sing with her mother as a child
We Will Always Love You: A throng of balloons have been tied to the gates of the church
Wiping away tears: A man holds a handkerchief to his face, while a young girl has her photo taken next to the tributes outside the church. Right, a man signs the book of condolence outside the nearby funeral home, the same home which dealt with her father John Russell Houston's funeral in 2003
Among the others who will reportedly attend the service are Dionne Warwick, Miss Houston’s cousin, Bill Cosby and U.S. chat show queen Oprah Winfrey.
R n B singer Brandy will be there as will The Rev Jessie Jackson, Chaka Khan and US X Factor judge Antonio 'L.A.' Reid.
Sir Elton John has denied reports he will be there.
The eulogy will be read by the Pastor Marvin Winans, who married Miss Houston and Brown in 1992.
Family: Houston, left, pictured just two days before her death with daughter Bobbi Christina Brown, centre, seen in a family shot with then-husband Bobby Brown in 2004 and, right, with mother Cissy in 2010
Missed the world over: A Filipino fan signs a message wall with the portrait of late US singer Whitney Houston at a mall in Quezon City, east of Manila, Philippines
All the proceedings will be streamed live on the Internet and roadblocks will be in place around the church to keep the public back and ensure those attending can get there on time.
Just hours later Brown, 43, will apparently split from the rest of his grieving family and travel to Connecticut - where he will play a lucrative concert at a casino.
The funeral comes one week after Houston was found dead in the bath of her hotel room in Los Angeles.
Police have reportedly obtained her medical records and are investigating what drugs were supplied to her in her final days.
No cause of death has been identified yet and officials are waiting for the results of toxicology tests.
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-2102714/Whitney-Houston-funeral-Mourners-pay-respects-singers-family-prepare-attend-wake-New-Jersey-hometown.html#ixzz1mfO3Qqgl
