[photogallerylink id=76748 align=left]Thanks to the presence of cameras in the New Hope Baptist Church, fans of the legendary Whitney Houston were able to attend today’s very personal celebration of the life of the superstar.

While there were rumblings of a disturbance with the exit of Bobby Brown, those of us peeking into the New Hope Baptist Church would have had no idea of that.  Instead, we were given an inside glimpse of a woman who was deeply loved by those she knew personally, and were allowed to witness that love poured forth in both words and song.

Introducing speakers and singers alike, Houston’s cousin, singer [lastfm link_type="artist_info"]Dionne Warwick[/lastfm] demonstrated incredible poise.  Among the speakers who seemed to resonate with the crowd in the church and the crowd at home were Houston’s friends and colleagues Tyler Perry and Kevin Costner.

Tyler Perry

Kevin Costner