Whitney Houston funeral tribute to include Stevie Wonder, LI's Donnie McClurkin

Whitney Houston will be celebrated Saturday with an all-star tribute at the church where she gave her first performances -- in the choir. Stevie Wonder and Grammy-winning Pastor Donnie McClurkin of Perfecting Faith Church in Freeport are set to perform during the funeral of the superstar at New Hope Baptist Church in Newark. The funeral starts at noon.

McClurkin said the family wanted him to perform his song "Stand," which features the lines, "When there's nothing left to do, you just stand, watch the Lord see you through. . . . Yes, after you done all you can, you just stand."

"It's a song I wrote a while ago -- Whitney loved it, Dr. Cissy [Houston, Whitney's mother] loved it," McClurkin said. "That's what they asked me to sing."

Houston was found dead in her Beverly Hills hotel room last Saturday. The Los Angeles County coroner's office has not issued a cause of death and has opened an investigation, but the Beverly Hills Police Department said there were no signs of foul play.

The funeral for the 48-year-old singer will be invitation-only, with a guest list that reportedly includes Oprah Winfrey, Elton John, David Bowie, Bill Cosby, and Beyoncé and Jay-Z. According to E! News, Kevin Costner, who co-starred with Houston in her hit movie "The Bodyguard," will speak at the service. Pastor Marvin L. Winans, who married Houston and her ex-husband Bobby Brown and was part of the gospel superstar group The Winans, will deliver the eulogy.

Police plan to block off a six-block area around the church to maintain the service's privacy and they encourage fans to stay home and watch the service, which will be broadcast live online and on television.

McClurkin said it has been hard for him watching how some have only praised her after her death.

"I got angry when she passed and was reading all the tweets about how great she is from people who I know good and well had maligned her and used her addictions or her struggles or whatever they called it in their comedy or using it to vilify her," he said. "Now, all of a sudden, she's the greatest singer in the world? She was always the greatest singer in the world. She had personal problems and issues like everyone does. She just had to live hers out in the public eye."

Friday night's NAACP Image Awards also paid tribute to Houston. Yolanda Adams sang the spiritual song "I Love the Lord, He Heard My Cry" as part of the tribute, saying, "We love you, Nip," as she finished the song, referring to Houston's nickname.

Houston accepting the award for outstanding female artist in 1994 was shown, as was Denzel Washington's presentation of that award, in which he called the singer an "artist of unparalleled stature."

Gospel singer Kirk Franklin closed Friday's program with a version of Houston's "The Greatest Love of All."With AP

Radio, TV, online

Coverage of Whitney Houston's funeral will air Saturday on CNN, MSNBC, Fox News, E!, BET and Centric, with most programing starting at 11 a.m. Coverage will stream online on many sites, including Newsday.com, and can be heard on radio on WRKS (KISS-FM/98.7) and Sirius XM Channel 48 starting at noon.