Sharkpixs/ZUMAPressOutside the church where nearly 200 mourners gathered to pay their respects to Jennifer Hudson's slain family members, the actress' stepbrother told reporters Monday that the private memorial service held today served to give the family "some sort of closure."
"We just want to thank you all for supporting our family [after] everything we've been through," Samuel Samson, the eldest son of Hudson's late father, said. "We just want to thank you for giving us some closure. We thank you all very much."
"This gave us some form of closure. Just keep praying and God is going to take care of everything."
When asked how Hudson has been holding up since the shooting deaths of her mother, brother and nephew, Samson replied, "Right now she is just praying and staying strong. Just pray for her."
Today's service was invitation-only and the guest list was limited to family, friends— including Oprah Winfrey, Usher and Fantasia Barrino, who sang the gospel song "Your Grace and Mercy"—and officials such as Chicago Mayor Richard Daley.
—Reporting by Ken Baker