A photo taken of Whitney Houston lying in her coffin that was published by the National Enquirer is causing controversy. INSIDE EDITION has the story.
It's the image now shocking the world—"Whitney: The Last Photo"—on the front cover of the National Enquirer.
Whitney lies serene in her coffin, and the magazine says she was buried in jewelry worth $500,000, wearing her favorite purple dress with gold slippers on her feet.
In the photo you can see her nickname, "Nippy" along with music notes inscribed on the lid of the silk-lined coffin.
The photo was taken inside the Whigham Funeral Home in Newark, New Jersey, during the private viewing reserved for Houston's family and closest friends. The owner of the funeral home told INSIDE EDITION Houston's family is furious the photo was taken and they're devastated someone who may or may not have been in their inner circle would violate their trust.
The National Enquirer has no comment about who took the photo. People INSIDE EDITION spoke to had this reaction seeing it on newsstands today.
"I think it's appalling," said one woman.
Another woman said, "It's despicable."
"The woman gave us everything. Give her some peace," said another.
INSIDE EDITION viewers posted these comments on our Facebook page:
"Over the top. Disrespectful," said one Facebook fan.
"Let her RIP for cryin' out loud," said another.
But others disagree:
"I don't see anything wrong with that," commented on Facebook fan.
"Why not? The media has shown everything else about her death," replied another.
On The Talk, Sharon Osbourne said, "It's not the paper, it's the person that took the photo and sold it."
The National Enquirer quotes a family source as saying Houston's purple dress and jewelry were personally selected by her mother Cissy, daughter Bobbi Kristina, and cousin Dionne Warwick.
The jewelry reportedly includes a diamond brooch, a gold and ruby cross necklace, and $200,000 diamond earrings that Houston bought for herself to celebrate her success in the movie, The Bodyguard.
The photo of Houston in her coffin is the latest in a line of celebrity death photos that have rocked the world.
The National Enquirer put the famous photo of Elvis Presley in his coffin on it's front cover. While the New York Post created an uproar with a morgue photo of John Lennon.
Now, add Whitney Houston to the sad list.
