Enlarge Star-Ledger Wire Services Singer Whitney Houston performs on stage during the 183rd edition of the Let's Make a Bet TV show Oct. 3, 2009 in Freiburg, southern Germany. (Joerg Kooch/AFP/Getty Images) Whitney Houston dies at age 48 gallery (21 photos) 
NEWARK — The funeral of Whitney Houston has been tentatively scheduled for Friday at the Prudential Center in Newark, according to a local community leader with ties to the family.
Houston's body is being flown to New Jersey courtesy of filmmaker Tyler Perry, according to a law enforcement official with knowledge of the Houston family's plans, and her remains are expected to arrive in the Garden State around 10 p.m.
The family has not yet disclosed the funeral plans other than to say it will be in Newark, where Houston was born.
The arena, which seats more than 18,500 people, represents the largest indoor venue in Newark and could accommodate far greater crowds than the New Hope Baptist Church, the red brick house of worship that served as Houston’s childhood church.
Whigham Funeral Home in Newark will be handling the arrangements. Whigham handled the funeral for Houston's father in 2003, as well as the one for Arthur Lee Warrick, the mother of Dionne Warwick, Houston's cousin, and for Ann Drinkard Moss, a legend in the gospel community and Cissy Houston's sister.
The source declined to be identified because he was not authorized to speak for the family.
Enlarge John O'Boyle / The Star-Ledger Arwillie Thomas of East Orange places a photo outside the Whitney Houston at the Whitney E. Houston Academy of Creative and Performing Arts in East Orange. Houston, who went to the school with Thomas' child, gave Thomas the photo after she graduated from high school. East Orange, NJ 2/13/12 John O'Boyle/The Star-Ledger Whitney Houston remembered at her childhood school gallery (8 photos) 
If plans proceed as expected, the service would take the route of Michael Jackson’s 2009 public memorial service at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, which brought out tens of thousands to bid the pop icon’s final farewell in a star-packed event that included appearances by Stevie Wonder, Lionel Richie, Mariah Carey, Usher, Kobe Bryant and Magic Johnson.
But what most people remember from the Jackson service was the tearful goodbye from his little-seen daughter, Paris, who told the crowd, “Ever since I was born, Daddy has been the best father you can ever imagine. And I just wanted to say I love him so much.”
