Whitney Houston’s Funeral: Celebs Attend, Brown Leaves

  (Image Source: E! Online ) BY LAUREN ZIMA Whitney Houston’s funeral services on Saturday were called a going home celebration. Celebrities attended, spoke and performed in her honor. Her co-star from "The Bodyguard" -- Kevin Costner, said Houston always wondered if she was ‘ good enough .’ “It was the burden that made her great, and the part that caused her to stumble in the end. ... You were great. You sang the whole damn song without a band.” R. Kelly, Alicia Keys and Stevie Wonder were among performers. Music mogul Clive Davis, Houston’s longtime mentor, also spoke. E! has highlights from Davis and Wonder. Davis spoke directly to Houston’s daughter, Bobbi Kristina. “Always be proud of your mother. She loved you so very much.” “No more, Whitney. No more do you have to cry.” A writer for The Baltimore Sun applauds the ceremony, saying Costner’s speech was refreshingly real, and the numerous gospel performances were appropriately emotional. “ … watching six hours of cable TV coverage of Whitney Houston's funeral was a spiritual experience, and I am not using that word carelessly. It was profound and elevating, and the way in which media bring us together for such experiences …” CNN, Fox News and more live-streamed most of the service. The Houston family had asked that the funeral be kept private, but agreed to a camera in the church -- which captured a choir performance. The AP reports Bobbi Kristina and Houston’s mother, Cissy, sobbed, while Dionne Warwick introduced performers and speakers. And -- where was ex husband Bobby Brown? MTV reports … “... he apparently attempted to bring nine people to sit in the front row at the ceremony and was turned away. A source at the funeral told MTV News that Brown was encouraged not to cause a scene at the funeral by walking out, but the singer reportedly got on his tour bus and took off, saying he loved Whitney but felt disrespected by the church.” But Brown told People magazine … “We were seated by security and then subsequently asked to move on three separate occasions. I fail to understand why security treated my family this way and continue to ask us to move. … I gave a kiss to the casket of my ex-wife and departed as I refused to create a scene …” Aretha Franklin was scheduled to perform at the services, but fell ill. Houston passed away Feb. 11.