Fans gather as family and friends prepare to say their final goodbyes to Whitney Houston

Stars including Kevin Costner, Dionne Warwick, Aretha Franklin and Alicia Keys are expected to attend the star's private funeral in Newark, New Jersey later today

Whitney Houston will be laid to rest today in a private funeral attended by family friends and celebrities, including her Bodyguard co-star Kevin Costner and cousin Dionne Warwick.

They will gather for a service at New Hope Baptist Church in Newark, New Jersey, where Houston sang as a child.

Many fans have already started to gather with balloons and posters in tribute to the tragic star, who was found dead last weekend aged 48.

To the rest of the world, Whitney Houston was the pop queen with the perfect voice, the dazzling diva with regal beauty, a troubled superstar suffering from addiction and, finally, another victim of the dark side of fame.

But to her family and friends, she was just someone they loved who they nicknamed "Nippy".

The church, which seats about 300 people, will be filled with friends, family members and some of her famous connections.

Costner is scheduled to speak, as is Clive Davis, the music mogul responsible for launching and guiding her career.

Cousin and fellow singer Dionne will be on the programme, as will friends including Alicia Keys, Tyler Perry and gospel stars Donnie McClurklin, Kim Burrell and Cece Winans.

Ray J, who spent time with Houston in her last days, will also be in attendance.

In a statement released yesterday, he expressed his devastation over her loss and added: "Nippy, I miss you so much."

Aretha Franklin also remembered Houston as Nippy and recalled how Houston used to refer to her as Aunt Ree.

"Hard to believe," Franklin wrote in an email as she prepared to sing at the funeral for the girl she watched growing up.

Houston, 48, was found underwater in a bath by a member of her staff at the Beverly Hilton Hotel last Saturday.

It will take weeks before toxicology results determine what medications and quantities, if any, were in Houston's system at the time of her death.

After the funeral, Houston is scheduled to be buried beside her father, John Russell Houston, at Fairview Cemetery in Westfield, near where she grew up.