Los Angeles, Feb 18 (IANS) Whitney Houston fans are being asked by a New Jersey police chief to maintain distance from the star's funeral Saturday. They have been advised to stay home and watch it on TV instead.

The pop superstar, who died here Feb 11, will be remembered in a private memorial service in her hometown of Newark, New Jersey at the weekend.

Her friends, including Kevin Coster and Aretha Franklin, are expected to attend the service along with family members, but officials have warned fans not to attempt to get close to the funeral at the New Hope Baptist Church, reports contactmusic.com.

A number of streets around the venue will be closed, and Newark Police Director Samuel DeMaio has told the public to stay away.

"I would advise the public that there really is going to be nothing to see here at the church. The best thing to do would be to stay home and watch the service on television. The privacy the family is seeking for the funeral... the Npd (Newark Police Department) is going to do everything they can to ensure that," said DeMaio.

Houston's publicist has confirmed a single camera will be allowed inside the church to broadcast the service on the internet, while a local news channel will stream the feed live for the fans.