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Saying Goodbye to Whitney Houston; Violence in Syria's Capital

Aired February 18, 2012 - 19:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

DON LEMON, CNN ANCHOR: Hello, everyone. I'm Don Lemon live from New York. And you're in the CNN NEWSROOM.

You know, with the world watching, a final goodbye to a music legend at the place where it all began for her. A spirited tribute that was all things at once -- mournful, joyous, moving. A celebration of the life of Whitney Houston.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

STEVIE WONDER, SINGER (singing): What God lives is never a coincidence and more than some happenstance --

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: It was a beautiful service. Stevie Wonder, just one of her friends, saluting her during the funeral services at Houston's hometown church in New Jersey.

Alicia keys, R. Kelly, BeBe and CeCe Winans, all honoring Houston with their voices. Stars like Tyler Perry and Kevin Costner told personal stories in memory of the superstar. Aretha Franklin was scheduled to be there but had to cancel because she wasn't feeling well today.

The service included a letter from Houston's daughter, Bobbi Kristina. And her mother Cissy Houston.

It read in part, "God said it's time, your work is done. Thanks for being a wonderful daughter." As for Houston's ex-husband, Bobby Brown, he was there for a while. He says in a written statement he wasn't happy about being asked to move three times and says security kept him from seeing his daughter Bobbi Kristina. So, he left because, quote, "I refused to create a scene."

In all, it was roughly a four-hour home-going tribute to Whitney Houston and punctuating the service today, a recording of Houston's "I Will Always Love You" as pallbearers carried her casket out.

(MUSIC)

LEMON: Gospel singer Marvin Winans, a long time friend, spoke at the service. He began by thanking Houston's mother, Cissy, for bringing the service back home to Newark.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) REV. MARVIN WINANS, GOSPEL SINGER: That took a lot of courage. And because of that, you brought the world to church today. We, the Winans, the four brothers, we were assigned to William Morris. And Whitney, this young new star, who I thought sounded a lot like CeCe when I heard her, but she was also assigned to William Morris agency at the time. And we both had the same agent, a man by the name of Marshall Resnick.

And so, he told us, he said, have you heard of Whitney Houston? I said, yes, I've heard of her. He said, well, this is her first album. And so, when she went on tour, he said, well, she's singing you guys' song. And I said, what song is that? He said, she sings your song "Tomorrow."

And he should have never told Carvin that, because he was going to stay awake day and night until he got in touch with Whitney Houston. And I remember going to the hotel in Beverly Hills and, Carvin and I, you know, we didn't know. He told us where she was staying, probably shouldn't have told us.

And we went and Whitney came down. When I looked at her and said, oh, Lord, I'm in trouble. She said, why? I said, you're going to be my missionary. You're going to sing, you're going to be my missionary. We were really thanking her for singing our song.

The gifts that we have are God's gift to us. But the life that we live, it's our gift to God. And God says, "I got you." So if you seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, then all these things shall be added. See, that's the part that allows you to work the foundation of your faith. To allow God to take you through a wilderness area, knowing that he's going to make you the better for it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: And CNN's Susan Candiotti is in Newark for us tonight, outside the Newark club restaurant.

Susan, I understand some of Whitney Houston's family and friends have gathered there and what they're calling the repass celebration really tonight in Newark.

SUSAN CANDIOTTI, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: That's right. I don't know how many of us obviously have attended funerals in our lives. And always afterwards, isn't it nice, Don, to get together with family and friends? So you can share fond memories, maybe some tears and maybe some laughs.

And certainly, there's a gathering and a dinner here tonight at this private club on the 22nd floor of this office building, private club in Newark, with a beautiful view of the city. And yes indeed we did see Cissy Houston. We believe that we saw Bobbi Kristina, keeping in mind we've been kept across the street and six lanes of traffic. But a lot of onlookers here, as well.

Seeing also Reverend Jesse Jackson and Tyler Perry and Angela Bassett. We saw Oprah and Gayle King, Jennifer Hudson and a number of other celebrities, people that you too would recognize. And a couple of them actually, when they came out, Kevin Costner was here, as well, waved to the crowd, to their delight, of course.

When we spoke with the people here, who came by, they talked about how inspirational and emotional it was to be here and to see these people after watching the funeral. Many of them at home on television and felt compelled to come down here. And no doubt for the people who were inside, certainly a comforting experience, Don.

LEMON: Susan Candiotti, no doubt. Thank you very much. Susan Candiotti from Newark for us tonight.

You know, Whitney Houston will be remembered as one of the greatest voices of her generation. And many of her closest friends say the troubled star was poised to make a comeback. But that comeback was tragically cut short with her untimely death.

Whitney Houston's soaring talent was shadowed by her troubles with addiction and her marriage sadly. And a special report next hour, I'm going to take a look at her rise to fame, fall from stardom and the final hours in her troubled life.

Here's a preview.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

(MUSIC)

LEMON (voice-over): That legendary ballad. That blinding beauty. That breathtaking voice.

Whitney Houston, the shy Jersey girl who belted her way to superstardom. Six Grammys and a record seven consecutive number one singles. For a time, she was pop's greatest love of all.

(MUSIC)

KELLY PRICE, SINGER: To hear her voice was a miracle, because for anybody to be able to do with a voice what she did with hers speaks to a divine order.

LEMON: Whitney Houston, the icon, unimaginably talented, but also fatally flawed.

ALEXIS CHIU, SENIOR WRITER, PEOPLE MAGAZINE: There were many different sides to Whitney. There was the performer, the consummate professional, there was the addict - and you never knew which Whitney you're going to get.

LEMON: If Houston was blessed by the heavens, she was most certainly cursed with her own demons -- a contradiction right up to her final days.

PRICE: This was not a woman who was depressed, upset, high, drunk. GERRICK KENNEDY, WRITER, LOS ANGELES TIMES: There was immediately, you could smell the stench of cigarette and of liquor. And I'm just like, oh, my gosh, she's a mess right now.

LEMON (on camera): Whitney Houston died here at the Beverly Hilton on February 11. The voice of a generation silenced forever. A tragic ending to life filled with promise that was almost preordained.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LEMON: And you can watch "Death of a Diva," one of the stories you don't want to miss on this week's "CNN PRESENTS," airing tonight immediately follow this newscast at 8:00 p.m. Eastern. Make sure you tune in.

Next, filmmaker and friend Tyler Perry delivers a moving eulogy to Whitney Houston. And later, Kevin Costner shares his memories of Whitney while they worked on the movie "The Bodyguard."

But first, BeBe Winans sings us to break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: Among the eloquent voices at the service today was actor, director, producer Tyler Perry. Perry reportedly gave Houston's family the use of his private jet to fly her body home to Newark.

Here are some of his very moving words.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TYLER PERRY, ACTOR/DIRECTOR/PRODUCER: There are two constants that I know about Whitney Houston, and one is that there was a grace that carried -- a grace that carried her from heaven down through Cissy Houston, a grace that brought her up through singing, a grace that brought her -- from what I understand, she wasn't supposed to be able speak, let alone sing because of an incident that happened to her as a child. But there was a grace that kept on carrying her all the way through.

This same grace led her all the way to the top of the charts, sold all of these albums and just done some amazing things, won all these awards, she's sang for presidents. And there was a grace that kept on carrying her. That's the one thing I know.

And the other thing I know, for sure, and this is more important than anything that she's ever done in her life, Whitney Houston loved the Lord.

(APPLAUSE)

PERRY: And in every conversation we had over these years, it was evident that she loved the Lord. She loved the Lord.

And when I think about her, there's a scripture that keeps burning in my heart, I keep thinking about the Apostle Paul and Romans when he was talking about I am persuaded that nothing shall separate me from the love of God.

So what I know about her is nothing separated her from the love of God. And if you look at what Paul was saying, he was describing her life so perfectly. He said, neither height, which meant no matter how far she went in the stratosphere, nothing separated her from the --

(APPLAUSE)

PERRY: Neither height nor depth, no matter how much struggle, no matter what she had to go through, no matter what she had to walk through, it still wasn't enough to separate her from the love of God, nor principalities, nor power, nor things present, nor things to come. Nothing was able to separate her from the love of God.

So what I know about her is that she loved the Lord. And if there was a grace that carried her all the way through, it was the same grace that carried her home.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: Tyler Perry today.

You know, Bishop T.D. Jakes says he got to know Whitney Houston while producing the soon-to-be released movie "Sparkle." Jakes is the senior pastor of the Potter's House, a 30,000-member church in Dallas. And he reminded listeners that the pain they are feeling today is not forever.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BISHOP T.D. JAKES, SENIOR PASTOR, THE POTTER'S HOUSE: I know to some of you today, it looks like death has won. But I rose to tell you that 2,000 years ago --

(APPLAUSE)

JAKES: -- love rode into the ring and said wait a minute, death, you've been bullying people for a long time. But I want to set the record straight. Love is greater than death. Rolled up his sleeves and they fought all over Jerusalem and wrestled all through the cross and the fight went down to the grave and death said see, I did to you just like I did all the rest of them. Death started having a party on Friday night.

It was one of those weekend parties. Lasted all the way through Friday night and all Saturday, looked like death had won.

But early Sunday morning, love rolled up his sleeves and said wait a minute, wait a minute, wait a minute, snatched death and took the sting out of death and the victory out of the grave.

And I want you to understand, I'm not going to preach, I'm not going to start, but I feel it. I want you to understand in a very practical and pragmatic way that death has not won.

Your tears may flow. Your pain may come. The flowers will wither. The cards will be found (ph) away. The phone will stop ringing. Momma says they're going to stop ringing after a while and the cakes and pies will stop coming.

Don't you dare think that death has won. You will learn what all of us know what have lost people that we love. You'll be driving down the street one day and you'll hear Whitney's voice talking in your head, something she said or something she did will pop up in your spirit and you'll giggle inside of yourself as if she were sitting in the car with you. And you will find that people that you really love, they may leave you outwardly, but they never leave you inwardly.

May the love of God, the peace of the Holy Spirit, the sweet communion of knowing that you are a child of the King keep you through this period in life when it might appear as if death has won. But it's a lie. Love will last forever, for God is love.

(APPLAUSE)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: Bishop T.J. Jakes, everyone.

Straight ahead, other special moments from Whitney Houston's funeral, including an emotional eulogy by Kevin Costner, sharing his memories of Whitney while co-starring in a movie "The Bodyguard."

But first, the Reverend Kim Burrell who personalized one of Whitney's favorite songs.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REV. KIM BURRELL (singing): Because Whitney understood, somebody's waiting beyond the sky, it's been a long, long time coming

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SRI KANNAN, ATLANTA RESIDENT: What are we doing today to prepare the children in schools understand the markets and economy better to face the challenges of tomorrow?

STEVE PERRY, CNN EDUCATION CONTRIBUTOR: There's a lot that's expected of us as educators in preparation for many of our states' standardized tests. There is nothing up there that requires us to teach children about the markets. And as result, we don't.

There are some teachers who take it upon themselves in certain schools to do something with it. So, there's opportunities there, but there's very little that we're doing.

So, this is where parent's come in. You guys can talk about what you think is important, not just to your own child, but you can come to the school and offer after school activities. Become a volunteer and tell us what you think we need to know about the markets. At the end of the day, we're educators and we're not professionals in the markets. So we could use your help either as a parent or as a member of that profession who could come in and help our school out.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: Whitney Houston was already, already a music superstar when Kevin Costner approached her about starring in the movie "The Bodyguard." And in his touching tribute today, he talked about the struggle to convince the studio to take a chance on her and convincing Whitney herself that she was good enough for the part.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KEVIN COSTNER, WHITNEY HOUSTON'S CO-STAR IN "THE BODYGUARD": It's a tree we can all hang from, the unexplainable burden comes with fame, call it doubt, call it fear. I've had mine, and I know the famous in the room have had theirs.

I asked her to trust me and she said she would. Half hour later, she went back in to do her screen test and the studio fell in love with her. The Whitney I knew, despite her success and worldwide fame, still wondered, am I good enough? Am I pretty enough? Will they like me?

It was the burden that made her great and the part that caused her to stumble in the end.

Whitney, if you could hear me now, I would tell you, you weren't just good enough. You were great. You sang the whole damn song without a band. You made the picture what it was.

A lot of leading men would have played my part. A lot of guys -- a lot of guys could have filled that role. But you, Whitney, I truly believe you were the only one that could have played Rachel Marron at that time.

(APPLAUSE)

COSTNER: You weren't just pretty. You were as beautiful as a woman could be. And people didn't just like you, Whitney. They loved you.

I was your pretend bodyguard once not so long ago. And now you're gone, to soon leaving us with memories -- memories of a little girl who stepped bravely in front of this church, in front of the ones that loved you first, in front of the ones that loved you best, and loved you the longest. Then boldly you stepped into the white hot light of the world stage.

And what you did is the rarest of achievements. You set the bar so high that professional singers, your own colleagues, they don't want to sing that little country song, what would be the point?

Now, the only one who sings your songs are young girls like you, who are dreaming of being you some day.

And so to you, Bobbi Kristina and to all those young girls who are dreaming that dream, but maybe thinking they aren't good enough -- I think Whitney would tell you, guard your bodies and guard the precious miracle of your own life, and then sing your hearts out knowing that there's a lady in hemp who is making God himself wonder how he created something so perfect.

So off you go, Whitney. Off you go. Escorted by an army of angels to your Heavenly Father. And when you sing before him, don't you worry. You'll be good enough.

(APPLAUSE)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: Whether it was on the bill board charts or on the big screen, Whitney Houston certainly made her mark. She was remembered at last night's NAACP Image Awards.

The award featured performances dedicated to her, including this one by gospel singer Yolanda Adams and it was amazing performance. She ended by saying, "We love you, Nip." Nip was Whitney Houston's nickname. Really, it was Nippy. Nip for short.

And straight ahead here on CNN tonight, more on today's service -- services remembering Whitney Houston.

And a look at the other top stories making headlines, including unrest in the streets of Syria, just blocks away from the presidential palace.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: I want to get a check of the headlines for you right now here on CNN.

The world watched as Whitney Houston's family and friends said their goodbyes at her -- to her today. A funeral was held for the superstar at her hometown church in Newark, New Jersey. So many famous faces were on hand to pay their last respects. Tyler Perry, Kevin Costner, Stevie Wonder, Alicia Keys and so many more.

A crowd of mourners in Damascus, Syria, flee as security forces fired on them. Two people were killed as the funeral march in the capital turned into a protest against President Bashar al-Assad. Fifty more were killed across Syria. Meanwhile, Bashar al-Assad hosted China's vice foreign minister. The Chinese official said he urged Syrian leaders to negotiate with the opposition.

Iranian navy ships including a destroyer have passed through the Suez Canal into the Mediterranean Sea. A deployment one year ago seen here stirred fears in Israel and other nations. And Iranian news agency "an admiral is saying the deployment is meant to show friendship and support for countries in the region and to display Iran's military resolve. Egypt is going ahead with the trial of 43 foreigners who worked for pro democracy organizations, including several Americans. The proceedings will take place in a criminal court on February 26. The activists are accused of receiving illegal foreign funding. Some U.S. lawmakers are threatening to review aid to Egypt over the issue.

Fire officials in Honduras are desperately searching for answers as a cause, to the cause of a prison fire that killed 382 people. A U.S. arson team has been called in to help. They're looking into a theory that a mattress fire started this blaze. Tuesday night's fire has angered families because many of the victims were not even convicted criminals. This is the third fatal prison fire in Honduras in recent years.

To presidential politics now, Republican hopefuls. Rick Santorum is mocking Mitt Romney's role in turning around the Salt Lake City Olympics back in 2002. He says Romney's solution was to ask Congress for millions of dollars in federal earmarks. Santorum says that makes Romney a hypocrite. Romney has criticized Santorum for bringing home federal dollars while serving in the Senate.

And in New York, police say they have found human remains in a wooded area on Long Island, but it's not clear if they are connected to at least 10 other sets of remains already under investigation by Suffolk County Police. The latest discovery is about 40 miles from where the other remains have been found, but they have raised concerns about a potential serial killer.

Dealing with the challenges of being in the spotlight. Whitney Houston was often quoted as saying she was her own worst enemy. Next, we'll talk about the sheer weight that comes with living on the world stage.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: Let's talk more about the Whitney Houston story and other stories. Cultural commentator and critic Goldie Taylor joins me now. Hey Goldie, how are you doing today?

GOLDIE TAYLOR, CULTURAL COMMENTATOR AND CRITIC: Hi Don.

LEMON: Tonight I should say.

TAYLOR: I'm better now.

LEMON: Listen, before I get to, before I get to, you know, the question that we have here on this teleprompter for you, what did you think of today's service?

TAYLOR: I think it was - I'm all prayed up for the week, I don't know if I have to go to church tomorrow. No disrespect to my own home pastor here in Atlanta. But we had church today. And church extended itself across the social networks and onto Twitter and we were together today and that was something great.

LEMON: That was great. But you said church but you didn't say it has a lot of Us and Rs.

TAYLOR: We went to church.

LEMON: There you go. Today.

TAYLOR: Yes we did.

LEMON: Listen, sometimes her personal struggles, I shouldn't say it outweighed her talent, because she was so talented but it overshadowed it at times. What do you make of that? Everyone is flawed in some way and we certainly don't want to say, you know, on the day of her memorial service anything bad about Whitney Houston, but what we're trying to say is, we're trying to talk about the challenges of stardom for anyone.

TAYLOR: You know, the pressures the world stage that Whitney Houston and others like her know is a level of scrutiny that, you know, most of us will never know or understand. I liken it to having three coats on in the dead of the summertime. It's hot, you know, it's weighing, you know, it's heavy, and sometimes it can be just about unbearable. And if you're in the right heat, it can break you.

LEMON: Yes.

TAYLOR: And so for Whitney and I had the pleasure of knowing her here in Atlanta, you know, it was - I watched her struggle with it, and it was a miracle to me how often she came back with a new victory. I'm not certain that I could have been as strong.

LEMON: Yes. You know, she's not the only one. There have been so many others, and I think in all of it today, including - in Marvin Winans' eulogy, I think the message was, love people, don't judge, because Whitney may have had an addiction that she admitted to. There's no different than having an addiction to food which will kill you longer. It will take longer but it will kill you. Addiction to cigarettes will take longer but it will kill you. Addiction to alcohol, it will take longer but it will kill you and many other things. Even an addiction to sex and adrenaline, it will take longer but it will certainly kill you. So we shouldn't judge that. And maybe out of all of this, we can start talking about this and not being in denial about it.

Let's talk - go ahead.

TAYLOR: What I've said about this is Whitney gave us a cast of incredible gifts. But she paid for that. There was a price for the life she led to give us what she had.

LEMON: We talked a lot about this week about how Whitney Houston changed the music industry. So what legacy do you think that Whitney Houston leaves for younger artists?

TAYLOR: You know, I think she broke down so many doors, she opened so many pathways. And so we know Mary J. now. We know Alicia. We know Jennifer Hudson now. We know so many, you know, incredibly strong voices, you know, who while we might have heard them, we may not have heard them with as much clarity. They may not have come across the deals that they've been blessed with. And so she did so much for so many both on and off the stage and I think that will be her enduring legacy. I think there are, you know, so many people who lived on the world stage, who have had other tragedies in their lives. But I think as the ages go on, we will remember this incredible gift that she left us with.

LEMON: And a gift that Cissy Houston gave us today by having that ceremony in that church rather than the Prudential Center.

TAYLOR: Absolutely. I think it was, you know, in so many ways a homegoing service, so that meant both for them, the physical church and her home in heaven. I think that's what has been missed today.

LEMON: Yes. Goldie Taylor, I'm going to see you live in studio in Atlanta tomorrow. Make sure you are there. We are going to talk more, not only about this but also about other events in the world. Thank you, Goldie Taylor.

TAYLOR: Thank you, Don. Looking forward to it.

LEMON: All right. Whitney Houston was staging a big, big screen comeback before her death. She had just wrapped a remake of the 1976 film "Sparkle." How many of you remember that? (INAUDIBLE) of course in that movie. We'll talk with an "Essence" magazine reporter about what Houston told them about her role and what would be her last interview for that magazine.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: We all get a chance, a chance to see Whitney Houston on the big screen one last time this August in the movie "Sparkle." The movie's producer, Bishop T.D. Jakes said it would have relaunched her career. And "Essence" magazine's Cori Murray interviewed Houston about "Sparkle" and she joins us now from New York. So Cori, you spent time with her and I spoke with Shawn Robins from "Access Hollywood." You did an interview with her for "Essence." What did you make of her and how she was doing during this interview?

CORI MURRAY, "ESSENCE" MAGAZINE: You know, Don, speaking with her, she was so, you know, spirited, she was full of life. She was clear. Like, you know, you go in there and you think, oh, my god, what is this Whitney going to be like. Everybody at work was like, tell us what she looks like but she was just alert.

LEMON: Yes,

MURRAY: Focus.

LEMON: Healthy, good spirits.

MURRAY: Just full of life.

LEMON: And she was in good spirits.

MURRAY: Yes, she was. I mean she was joking. I interviewed her and Debra (INAUDIBLE), her producer on "Sparkle." They were joking with each other and telling great stories of when they saw the original "Sparkle." It was -

LEMON: What did she say about returning to the big screen and "Sparkle," I mean that's a lot to live up to, right?

MURRAY: But you know, she didn't talk a lot about returning to the big screen but she talked about how "Sparkle" is really her heart project. Because, you know, she was originally going to do it with Alea. What was so eerie what she told me that you know, God needed Alea more, and now here we are talking about her because she has gone on herself, all around "Sparkle."

LEMON: And for those of you who don't know, it was - the movie is about - sort of loosely based on the Supremes.

MURRAY: Yes.

LEMON: And it was a 1976 movie. Lonette McKee and Irene Cara -

MURRAY: Philip Michael Thomas.

LEMON: It's a culturally iconic movie. I remember watching it when I was a kid. That was a lot to live up to.

MURRAY: It was and she was having such a ball filming it. Her and Deborah Martin chase joked about the fact that, I guess initially Whitney was going to be like a younger hot momma. And now 10 years later, she's like, I'm still going to be fly. She said that. This momma still fly.

LEMON: I'm going to be a mother instead of a hot momma.

MURRAY: Yes.

LEMON: Why did she take the part? Because it kind of paralleled her life a little bit - not a little bit, a lot.

MURRAY: But I think, you know, I think it was little disappointing with the last album she did. And I say she still has to save space in film and so it was such a heart project for her that she just wanted to see it come to light.

LEMON: Let's talk about this, because, you know, we don't know what happened to Whitney Houston, but we do know from her, from her own mouth that she had a problem with substance abuse and everyone, you said she seemed fine. If you've ever dealt with someone who has had abuse issues they can, for years, they can be fine, on the wagon and then fall off. A sip of wine, one drink, anything can be a trigger and then all of a sudden - Chaka Kahn talked about that.

MURRAY: You know, Chaka Kahn's interview with Piers Morgan was so enlightening because she talked about - even though she has been clean for seven years, she's still vulnerable. And I thought it was really interesting that she said that someone like her should have not (INAUDIBLE) Whitney, should not have been in L.A. for that long a bit of time. She should have come in, or either the day of the performance and then leave. You know, not to be around - I think she said around rift raft.

LEMON: She said she needed a team of people around her to keep the rift raft away. And if she - and if the people around her really were serious about her recovery, being a recovering addict, they would have brought her in a day before or right before the event that she had to perform for, and then leave immediately after.

MURRAY: And I thought that was so telling that maybe that's what should have happened with Whitney. I mean Whitney (INAUDIBLE) had been in rehab just as recently as May. You know, so she still had a lot of demons to deal with.

LEMON: But Cori Murray that part of our conversation is to get people to learn and to not be in denial about this, right? About abuse issues, if there's any good that will come out of this. But today is a day to honor Whitney Houston.

MURRAY: And watching that funeral today, you know, is like - I know we joked about it, but it's like we went to church.

LEMON: That's nice.

MURRAY: We went to church and the first person that got up said we're going to go to church today. And coming here today even to talk to you I was getting emotional. Because I was like "oh my god, she's really gone." I felt like I went to the funeral of a family friend. You know, just everything, the preaching, the singing, the -

LEMON: Everything.

MURRAY: Everything.

LEMON: I said before, when I thought about it, everyone was like, you know, why aren't they having a big ceremony? And I said these are church going people -

MURRAY: Yes, yes.

LEMON: All of their lives and that's what they want to have. That's what my family would want to have the same sort of thing. They don't care who you are to the world. This is how they want to send you off. I knew we were going to go to church and there was going to be shouting and crying.

MURRAY: The impromptu of the Winans coming up and singing "Tomorrow," just everything, it was beautiful.

LEMON: The family needed it and we all did, too.

MURRAY: Yes.

LEMON: We all got a chance to exhale.

MURRAY: Yes. LEMON: Another Whitney Houston movie. Thank you, Cori Murray.

MURRAY: Thank you.

LEMON: "Essence" Magazine. Appreciate it.

And we have a program reminder for you. You can catch "Death of a Diva," one of the stories you don't want to miss on this week's "CNN Presents" airing tonight airing immediately following this newscast 8:00 p.m. Eastern. It's just about 10 minutes or so. And if you miss Whitney Houston's funeral, we'll show you some of the most poignant moments coming up.

(MUSIC PLAYING)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ALICIA KEYS, SINGER: And it is a long, long way to heaven but I got to get there.

LEMON: We'll let you know that tonight at 10:00 Eastern, (INAUDIBLE) Walton who wrote the songs "How Will I Know" and "I Want to Dance with Somebody," that Whitney Houston turned into number one hits will join us live to talk about working with her. That's tonight at 10:00 p.m. Eastern.

The biggest moments of today's service for Whitney Houston we're going to play them for you next.

But first, Donnie McClerkin sings us to break with his song "Stand."

(MUSIC PLAYING).

LEMON: I am Don Lemon in New York. I will see you back here at 10:00 p.m. Eastern. "CNN Presents Whitney Houston, the Death of a Diva," is next.

But first, we leave you with the most poignant moments of today's service for Whitney Houston.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: She was born in Newark. She was heaven sent.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We are here to mourn our loss but to celebrate her life, one of our angels, Whitney Houston.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: A long time coming, but a change had to come -

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What I know about her is that she loved the lord and if that was a grace that carried her all the way through, it was the same grace that carried her home.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: But I know she wasn't afraid to die -

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So say whatever you want. God was for her, and she is resting singing with the angels. God bless you, family. God bless you, Whitney, we love you so much.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Whitney understood somebody is waiting beyond the sky -

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: She told god she was going to be Aretha, like her famous cousin Dione, like her beautiful mother, Cissy. There can be little doubt in this room that she has joined their ranks and as the debate heats up this century, and it surely will, about the greatest singer of the last century, as the lists are drawn, it will have little meaning to me if her name is not on it.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes, because Whitney is an angel. She is an angel.

CLIVE DAVIS, MUSIC PRODUCER: Without knowing of her love of music, her passion, and her absolutely natural genius in interpreting songs, certainly don't know all of Whitney Houston.

Personally, all I can say is that I loved her very much.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We never forget what you done for us no, no, no -

DAVIS: Everyone in heaven, including god, is waiting, and I just know you will raise the roof like no one else has done before.

STEVIE WONDER, SINGER: No more, Whitney, no more do you have to cry. You will always be our ribbon in the sky -

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Today we ask a family celebrate the life of our sister, our daughter, our mother, and our friend.

WONDER: Can't you hear Whitney telling us love today -

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Don't grieve for me. For now I am free. I am following the path god laid for me.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Do I hear a song - I look to you -

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: God wanted me now. He set me free.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes, Jesus loves me, for the Bible tells me so - I love you Whitney.