Whitney Houston's Funeral: Bobby Brown Invited, But Will Bobbi Kristina Attend?
Whitney Houston's ex-husband Bobby Brown has been invited to her funeral, sources tell ABC News, refuting rumors that he had been barred from attending by Houston's mother Cissy and other members of the singer's family. Instead, it's Houston's daughter, Bobbi Kristina Brown, that has friends and relatives worried she may not be able to come to terms with her mother's death. Reuters

Whitney Houston's ex-husband Bobby Brown has been invited to her funeral, sources tell ABC News, refuting rumors that he had been barred from attending by Houston's mother Cissy and other members of the singer's family.

Instead, it's Houston's daughter, Bobbi Kristina Brown, that has friends and relatives worried, voicing concerns that she may not be able to come to terms with her mother's death.

Funeral Rumors Are 'Inaccurate'

Earlier this week, TMZ reported that Whitney Houston's family was planning to keep Bobby Brown from attending the legendary singer's funeral. Houston will be laid to rest at noon on Saturday at the New Hope Baptist Church in Newark, N.J. The service will be private and invite-only.

According to the entertainment news source, the singer's mother Cissy Houston was especially set against her daughter's ex-husband.

Whitney Houston and Bobby Brown had a very tumultuous marriage, one riddled with substance abuse and alleged domestic violence. The marriage ended in a messy divorce battle in 2007.

According to those close to Brown, however, rumors that he was not invited to Whitney Houston's funeral are patently untrue. A source tells ABC News that reports that there is significant tension between Brown and Houston's mother Cissy are also inaccurate.

In fact, for Whitney Houston's family, Bobby Brown is the least of their worries. Instead, it's Houston's daughter Bobbi Kristina that has family and friends concerned.

'It's almost a survival mode.'

Bobby Brown has five other children from previous relationships, but Bobbi Kristina Brown is his only child from his marriage to Whitney Houston.

After hearing that she had to be hospitalized after Houston's death, Brown canceled his reunion tour with New Editicion and flew to Los Angeles to be with her.

Bobbi Kristina Brown was incredibly close with her mother, and reports by friends and family members indicate she acted almost as a parent for Whitney Houston as the singer struggled to overcome her drug addictions.

It's very common, when a parent has an addiction, for the child to be parentalized, Dr. Drew Pinsky, host of HLN's Dr. Drew, told ABC News.

It's almost a survival mode to try to control and maintain that addictive parent safely, the child takes on the role of parent or parents.

In the aftermath of finding her mother dead in the bathtub of their Beverly Hills hotel room, Bobbi Kristina was rumored to be suicidal. Singeer Kim Burrell, who sees herself as a surrogate aunt for the 18-year-old, said Bobii Kristina felt overwhelmed by the loss, and noted that Houston's daughter was very like the iconic singer: She loves hard.

'You have to move on.'

Although Bobby Brown has since released a statement saying she's doing much better, figures like Janet Jackson continue to be very concerned for her well-being.

You have to come to terms at some point, Jackson said in an interview with Anderson Cooper.

You have to actually give it up to God, and... it sounds so mean but you have to move on. You can't hold on to that. It can be very devastating.

So far, it appears that Bobbi Kristina will be well enough to attend her mother's funeral, so long as she stays out of the hospital and can begin to accept the reality that her mother is gone. Still, the road ahead for Whitney Houston's daughter will be far from an easy one.

She idolized Whitney, a source told US Weekly. She wanted to be just like her mother.