Whenever a celebrity dies, we get an initial rush of stories and there’s lots of interest in all of the details of their last days and who we should blame and whether or not drugs were involved and all of that sordid stuff. But after the first rush, does anyone else lose interest? I’m still sad that Whitney Houston died, and I have an enormous amount of sympathy for her family, particularly for her daughter. But I also get to the point – very quickly – of “I just don’t want to know anything else about this situation.” It feels ghoulish and macabre very quickly.

So, with that in mind, let’s discuss Whitney Houston’s death some more. Whitney takes the cover of both Us Weekly and People Magazine this week – and I suspect Whitney will take more covers too. There’s not a ton of new information – here’s Us Weekly’s report:

It will be a solemn occasion this Saturday, when close friends and family gather at the New Hope Baptist Church in Newark, New Jersey for the late Whitney Houston’s funeral.

At the request of her mother Cissy Houston, the Grammy winning singer — who developed her extraordinary vocal talents at the church — will be eulogized by gospel singer Marvin Winans. The brother of gospel star CeCe Winans (who dueted with Houston, 48 when she died, on the song “Count on Me”), Marvin officiated at the 1992 wedding of Houston and Bobby Brown at Houston’s $11 million estate in Mendham, NJ.

“She was able to leave us with so many wonderful memories of that God-given gift,” Pastor Joe Carter, who is leading the private, invitation-only service, told CNN. “That’s what we are celebrating on Saturday.”

New Hope Baptist Church seats 1,500 people. Carter said he expects “all these empty pews to be filled with people whose hearts are broken.” A public service planned at a local stadium in Houston’s honor has been cancelled at her family’s request.

New Jersey Governor Chris Christie says flags will fly at half-staff at government buildings all day Saturday.

Houston was found lifeless, partially submerged in a bathtub, in her room at the Beverly Hilton last Saturday. She was pronounced dead at 3:55 p.m. An investigation into her death is ongoing, though sources told TMZ the singer (who was frank about her struggles with substance abuse in the past) likely died from a lethal combination of prescription pills and alcohol.

[From Us Weekly]

It’s interesting that “the family” requested that the public memorial be cancelled. I’ve read that Whitney’s mom really wanted Whitney to be buried in Atlanta, which is where Whitney lived for many, many years (and where her mom still lives, I believe).

People Magazine has devoted their cover story to “the life of Whitney Houston” – which means more details about her early days, her start in gospel music, and her struggle with becoming “America’s Pop Princess”. A record executive told People: “She was in pain from living almost a double life. She wanted to be down with her community. That’s who she really was. But because of her career, she also had to portray this pure pop princess in gorgeous gowns, singing songs the white community adored.”

What else would you like to know? Whitney’s family is pissed off at Clive Davis for not canceling his pre-Grammy party on the night Whitney died (and was supposed to perform). Davis denies that story, though, so who knows? Radar also did an extensive timeline of Whitney’s last days – I suspect that the print edition of People Magazine will have one as well.

Covers courtesy of People, Us Weekly. Additional pics by WENN.