We will always love you – tragic star’s songs head for No 1

Early sales figures show the late star could have as many as seven singles in the top 40, with the highest – former chart-topper I Will Always Love You – on target to reach number 10.

The rush to buy her songs means 27 of her singles could figure in the top 200, according to figures from the Official Charts Company.

Details of this chart success came as arrangements for her funeral were confirmed. The service will be held on Saturday at noon at the New Hope Baptist Church in New Jersey where she first showed her singing talents as a child.

Mourners have left flowers, balloons and candles at the fence around the tall brick church.

The singing star, who has struggled with drug addiction, was found underwater and apparently unconscious when she was pulled from a bath at a Beverly Hills hotel on Saturday. She had prescription drugs in her room, authorities said, but it could be weeks before the results of toxicology tests confirm if these played any part in her death.

In the last few days, fans have rushed to buy her hits and if sales levels continue by the weekend, Houston will account for more than an eighth of the entries in the top 200. Her 1987 single I Wanna Dance With Somebody could reach number 13, while One Moment In Time, along with four others, could make the top 40.

A Charts firm spokesman said: “Again, the British public is demonstrating its love of Whitney, just as it did for Amy Winehouse last year and Michael Jackson in 2009.”