Aretha Franklin will pay tribute to her tragic goddaughter Whitney Houston by performing at her funeral, according to a new report.

A memorial service for the soul superstar, who died in Los Angeles at the weekend, is due to be held in Newark, New Jersey on Saturday - at New Hope Baptist Church, where Houston sang in the choir as a child, and Franklin will reportedly sing at the ceremony.

ETOnline.com reports the Respect hitmaker was personally asked by Houston's mentor Clive Davis to take the stage - and Franklin accepted.

Gospel singer and pastor Marvin Winans, who officiated the late singer's 1992 marriage to Bobby Brown, will deliver the eulogy at the funeral.

Meanwhile, TMZ reports Houston will be laid to rest beside her father John Houston, Jr.'s grave at Fairview Cemetery in Westfield. He died in 2003.

Houston died in Los Angeles on Saturday