Oprah Winfrey was there, as was Queen Latifah, record producer Clive Davis, and rapper Missy Elliot. The celebrities joined about 2,500 other mourners at the private funeral for actress Jennifer Hudson’s murdered mother, brother and 7-year-old nephew yesterday.
According to news reports, Hudson bid an emotional farewell to her slain relatives while her former “American Idol” competitors sang rousing gospel selections.
The Chicago Tribune reports that shortly before the open casket service began the Oscar winner rose from her second-row pew at Chicago’s Apostolic Church of God and spent a few moments with her mother, Darnell Donerson; her brother, Jason; and her nephew, Julian King.
The singer reportedly stood over her beloved nephew’s body and murmured a few words before proceeding to her mother’s light pink casket. While there mourners say Hudson gently touched her mother’s cheek before leaning down to kiss her goodbye one last time. Hudson then reportedly lingered at her brother’s blue casket before returning to her seat.
The heartbreaking goodbye comes exactly one week after police discovered the body of Hudson’s young nephew in an SUV parked on the city’s West Side. The bodies of Hudson’s mother and brother were found inside the family’s Englewood home on October 24th. Hudson’s sister’s estranged husband William Balfour has been named a “person of interest” and is being held by police, though formal murder charges have not been filed.
Yesterday, police blocked streets around the church to keep the crowds at bay. Inside, the funeral included readings by Chicago Mayor Richard Daley and Rev. Jesse Jackson. The “emotional crescendo” of the service came from “American Idol’s” season 3 winner Fantasia Barrino. The talented songstress, who beat Hudson for the “American Idol” title, sang the gospel classic “Your Grace and Mercy.” Mourners say during the song, Barrino walked into the aisle where she took Hudson’s hand and sang directly to her. Another “Idol” finalist, George Huff, followed Barrino with another rousing rendition of a gospel favorite.
Following the service two hearses carried the bodies of Hudson’s mother and brother to a local cemetery. Meanwhile, Julian’s small white coffin was reportedly carried in a horse-drawn carriage covered in red roses and a large teddy bear. The three victims were then buried on a small knoll overlooking a pond.