Whitney Houston Death

TMZ obtained one of the programs distributed today at the family viewing for Whitney Houston.

The program -- titled, "I Will Always Love You" -- features photos of Whitney with some of the special people in her life -- including her daughter Bobbi Kristina, her mother and Clive Davis.

Bobby Brown is not photo'd in the program.

Cissy Houston (above) and several other members of Whitney Houston's family just arrived for the private viewing service in Newark, New Jersey -- one day before the singer's funeral.

The service is for close friends and family -- as we previously reported, the guest list is extremely small ... Dionne Warwick has also arrived (below).

Bobbi Kristina just arrived as well (below).

Clive Davis briefly attended (below), but has since taken off -- leaving shortly after the services were scheduled to begin at 5PM EST.

4:08 PM PT: It looks like things are wrapping up -- limos are starting to pull out outside the Whigham Funeral Home.

Kevin Costner had his hands full at LAX moments ago, where he's set to board a plane bound for Whitney Houston's "Home Going" ceremony in Jersey -- grabbing his wife with one hand, and a trolley bag with the other.

As TMZ previously reported, Whitney's funeral is expected to be star-studded -- with invites like Oprah, Stevie Wonder, and Aretha Franklin.

Mel Gibson was invited, but is unable to attend.

With his famous older sister Brandy by his side, a somber Ray J walked through LAX moments ago to board a plane bound for Whitney Houston's "Home Going" ceremony in New Jersey.

The siblings strolled quietly through the airport along with their mother. At one point, Brandy put her arm around Ray J as photogs fired off question after question about his relationship with Houston.

Mel Gibson was invited to Whitney Houston's funeral ... and the family extended the invite because Mel tried to help the singer during a very dark period in her life ... TMZ has learned.

Sources tell us ... several years ago, when Whitney was about as bad off with drugs and alcohol as she ever was, Mel quietly intervened and spent a lot of time with her, trying to help her break the addiction cycle.

Dolly Parton is eating her words after calling "I Will Always Love You" HER song -- despite it being made famous by Whitney Houston -- and now tells TMZ, she's happy to share it with the late R&B legend.

Dolly took a lot of flack after her previous statement following Whitney's death -- "I will always be grateful and in awe of the wonderful performance she did on my song."

But Dolly's loosening her grip on her country classic -- telling us, "I did not know Whitney, nor any of her family personally; but she will always be a part of my heart and I will always be grateful for her awesome performance and success with our song “ (emphasis hers).

Dolly adds, "My heart is with Whitney and her family as they lay her to rest ... I Will Always Love You."

Here's the official Whitney Houston invitation ... and Whitney's family is not referring to the singer's burial ceremony as a "funeral" ... but rather a "home going service."

The invite -- obtained by TMZ -- reads, "With heartfelt gratitude, the Houston Family requests the honor of your presence at the home going service for Whitney Elizabeth Houston."

A "home going" service is more common in the black community and is usually more upbeat and positive than a typical funeral. The focus is to honor the deceased as they go "home" to Heaven to be with God.

As we previously reported, the ceremony at The New Hope Baptist Church in Newark, NJ will be a very exclusive affair ... with a guest list hand-selected by Whitney's family.

The event will begin at 12:00 PM EST -- with several of Houston's famous friends expected to participate in the service ... including Kevin Costner, Stevie Wonder and Aretha Franklin.

Ray J has broken his silence on Whitney Houston's death, saying, "Over the past few days, I've tried to process the emptiness that I am experiencing. What my heart feels cannot be expressed in words. The world lost an icon, but I lost my close friend."

Ray J continues, "Nippy, I miss you so much!" Nippy was a nickname Whitney's dad gave her.

And Ray J adds, "You were so happy and full of love. Your smile will live in my heart forever."

Ray J was dating Whitney in the months before she died.

Bobby Brown gave an emotional tribute to Whitney Houston during a New Edition concert in Maryland last night ... and then he totally RUINED the moment.

The tribute was nice ... with Bobby thanking his fans and his family for support and saying, "Life is life ... you have to move on sometimes."

And then he said this, "I love [Whitney] like I love God ... my name is BAD ASS Bobby Brown."

You stay classy.

Bad Ass Bobby will continue the concert tour tomorrow night -- hitting the stage at an Indian casino in Connecticut just hours after Whitney is laid to rest in New Jersey.

Whitney Houston made three visits to the doctor in the week prior to her death, but the trips had NO illicit purpose -- she had a sore throat and got her teeth whitened.

Both family and law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... Whitney was recording the title track to "Sparkle" and got a sore throat ... so she went to a doctor to get it checked out. We're told the doctor gave Whitney an Rx for Amoxicillin.

Whitney was also scheduled to film a commercial for her sister-in-law's candle line, so she went to a dentist twice to get her teeth whitened and cleaned.

And law enforcement sources have reiterated to TMZ ... Whitney was NOT doctor shopping for prescriptions and they believe none of the doctors crossed the line in their treatment of her.

As we first reported, Beverly Hills cops retrieved 6 medication bottles in Whitney's room, including Xanax and Amoxicillin. She also had Midol and ibuprofen.

And as we reported, it is increasingly looking like Whitney mixed Xanax and alcohol before getting in the tub, and that she may have died from a reaction to the drugs ... not from drowning.

Whitney Houston's family has finally reached out to Bobby Brown ... and have formally invited him to attend Whitney's funeral in NJ on Saturday ... TMZ has learned.

Houston family sources tell us, "At the last minute, the family felt that it would keep the peace at the funeral [to have Bobby there] ... even though some family members were against it."

As we previously reported, several Houston family members were strongly opposed to inviting Brown to the funeral because they blame him, in part, for contributing to Whitney's downfall.

Sources close to Bobby tell us family friends had warned him not to go to the funeral ... but now, with the change of heart, Bobby will definitely be there.

Brown has agreed to perform at a concert at an Indian casino in Connecticut hours after the funeral ... and we're told he plans to leave NJ on a private jet so he can make it to the show on time.

Hours after Whitney Houston is laid to rest, her ex-husband Bobby Brown will hit the stage at an Indian Casino in Connecticut ... TMZ has learned.

Brown is booked to perform with the guys from New Edition at the Mohegan Sun Indian Casino at 8 PM EST on Saturday night.

Whitney's funeral is scheduled to begin at noon EST in Newark, NJ. It's unclear if Bobby plans to attend the funeral.

It's kind of like bookends, because hours after Whitney died Bobby performed on-stage with his group in Mississippi.

Whitney Houston's family has scheduled a private viewing for tomorrow at the funeral home where the singer's body is currently being held ... TMZ has learned.

Sources tell TMZ, the viewing at Whigham Funeral home in Newark, New Jersey is invite only ... with an EXTREMELY tight guest list.

We're told Bobbi Kristina will be there -- it will be the first time she's seen her mother since she passed.

Sources say the family wanted to have a special moment together without cameras around ... and that's why the decision was made to have a viewing the day before the funeral.

TMZ broke the story ... Bobbi tried to get into her mother's Beverly Hilton hotel room the day she died -- but was denied access by law enforcement.

Whitney's funeral is still scheduled for Saturday at the New Hope Baptist Church in Newark.

Oprah Winfrey has made the cut ... and is one of the stars who has received one of the coveted invitations to Whitney Houston's funeral on Saturday ... TMZ has learned.

Houston family sources tell us ... several of Houston's famous friends have been invited, but Oprah is by far the most famous person on the guest list.

We're told Houston family members are hopeful Oprah will attend.

Bobby Brown is about to make a money grab by leeching onto his daughter, the sole heir to Whitney Houston's fortune -- at least that's what Whitney's mom and other family members believe.

Family sources tell TMZ ... Cissy Houston is aggressively trying to block Bobby from getting close to 18-year-old Bobbi Kristina, fearing it's just a ploy to line his pockets.

The family is convinced ... Bobby is broke, and he's making a play for his daughter's affection to latch on to what could be an estate worth around $20 million, and that figure could double by the end of this year.

As TMZ first reported ... Bobby tried to visit his daughter earlier this week, but the family shut him down.

We're told friends of the Houston family have already contacted Bobby and warned him he is persona non grata at Whitney's funeral and in Bobbi Kristina's life.

There's a lot of bad blood between Whitney's family and Bobby Brown, because they believe he was the driving negative force in her life that led her down the substance abuse path. They also believe he's largely responsible for Bobbi Kristina's drug and alcohol struggles.

As for Bobby Brown ... people in his camp tell TMZ, he's well aware of the family's animosity toward him and wants to bury the hatchet for the sake of his daughter.

Whitney Houston was not doctor shopping or using aliases to score prescriptions ... TMZ has learned.

Law enforcement sources tell us ... although the L.A. County Coroner is subpoenaing medical and pharmacy records, there is nothing to suggest Whitney or her doctors did anything inappropriate or illegal.

Sources tell us ... subpoenas will go out to 5 or 6 doctors, as well as some pharmacies that filled various prescriptions for the singer. So far, all of Whitney's doctor visits, as well as the prescriptions that were filled, seem legit.

And, we're told, the doctors and pharmacists contacted by the Coroner's Office have all been cooperative.