Why Did Whitney Houston's Family Cancel Her Public Memorial?
Newark City Mayor Cory Booker confirmed that plans for a public memorial in honor of Whitney Houston have been cancelled at the request of her family.
"The Houston family has no plans to set up a public viewing at the Prudential Center this Friday. In compliance with the family's wishes the city is not moving forward with any public ceremony," a rep for Booker told TMZ.
While a funeral is still being held for the late singer this Saturday at New Hope Baptist Church in Newark, N.J., Houston's family have decided against the two-day memorial which was reportedly being planned early Tuesday.
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Although Houston's family are yet to confirm why exactly they cancelled the public viewing, sources suspect that it is likely due for privacy reasons.
The funeral will be a private and invitation only event, strictly limited to close friends and family of the iconic entertainer.
Fans of Houston, who died at the age of 48 and was renowned for her timeless classics including "I Will Always Love You" and "I Wanna Dance with Somebody," took to Twitter to express their disappointment in the Houston family's decision to cancel the public memorial.
"How can you NOT have a public memorial for Whitney Houston? It's WHITNEY HOUSTON. #FansGrieveToo," Mandy Baldwin tweeted.
"OH MY GOD! I've read that there will be no public memorial for Whitney Houston. Are they serious?" a shocked Nick Lewnsky tweeted.
"I'm thinking they should let her fans pay their respects... #whitney," Sammy Mitch tweeted.
Houston's family's decision to cancel may have been attributed to her grief-stricken 18-year-old daughter Bobbi Kristina's current state, with new reports suggesting that she is now on suicide watch after being hospitalized twice since learning of her mother's untimely death.
While Bobbi has not yet spoken out, Houston's 78-year-old mother, Cissy, expressed her own pain of losing her legendary daughter.
"We are devastated by the loss of our beloved Whitney. This is an unimaginable tragedy and we will miss her terribly. We appreciate the outpouring of love and support from her fans and friends," Cissy said in a recent statement.
Houston's was pronounced dead on Saturday after her body was found in her hotel room bath tub and it is believed she died after downing a cocktail of prescription drugs.
SEE VIDEO OF WHITNEY HOUSTON'S HIT "I WILL ALWAYS LOVE YOU" HERE
SEE VIDEO OF WHITNEY HOUSTON'S FINAL PERFORMANCE BEFORE DEATH
