It was the image that stopped everyone in the grocery store checkout line. People were just trying to buy milk and eggs, and then they looked up and saw it. There she was. Whitney Houston, the "Voice," lying in a gold casket.
The Whitney Houston open casket photo became a flashpoint for one of the biggest media ethics debates of the decade. It wasn't just a picture; it was a betrayal of the highest order. Honestly, it still feels a bit surreal thinking back to 2012 when the National Enquirer decided to run that cover. People were livid.
But why did it happen? Who actually took it? And what did it do to the family she left behind?
The National Enquirer Cover That Broke the Internet
On February 22, 2012, the world got its first look at the National Enquirer issue that would go down in tabloid infamy. The headline screamed "Whitney: The Last Photo!" in massive, sensationalist font. Inside, the photo showed Whitney resting in her casket at the Whigham Funeral Home in Newark, New Jersey.
She looked peaceful. She was wearing a purple dress, her favorite color, and a beautiful brooch. The tabloid claimed she was buried in $500,000 worth of jewelry and gold slippers. Her nickname, "Nippy," was stitched into the casket lining.
The backlash was instant.
Major news outlets like the Washington Post and CBS News basically said the Enquirer had crossed a line that should never be crossed. But the publisher, Mary Beth Wright, didn't back down. She actually told Fox News she thought the photo was "beautiful" and called it a work of art.
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It was a classic tabloid move.
The Enquirer has a history of this stuff. They did the same thing with Elvis Presley back in 1977. That Elvis issue sold over 6.5 million copies. They knew exactly what they were doing. It was "checkbook journalism" at its most aggressive.
The Whodunnit: Who Actually Snapped the Shot?
For weeks, everyone was playing detective. The Whigham Funeral Home was under siege. People were literally spitting on the owner, Carolyn Whigham, as she walked to her car. She was devastated because Whitney wasn't just a client—she was a family friend.
Whigham eventually held a press conference to clear her name. She was adamant. Her staff didn't do it. She pointed out that Whitney was under 24/7 security provided by "Nippy Inc.," the singer’s own security team. These guards even slept at the funeral home.
So, how did someone get a camera in there?
Whigham dropped a massive hint: she said the photo was taken on February 17, the day of the private family viewing. That narrowed the list of suspects down to a very small circle of "inner sanctum" guests.
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The Raffles van Exel Theory
If you dig into the reporting from that time, one name pops up more than others: Raffles van Exel.
He was a known Hollywood "hanger-on" who had managed to embed himself in Whitney’s circle. Forbes and other outlets reported that a funeral home employee allegedly saw him snapping the photo.
He was even in the car with Pat Houston on the way to the service. Talk about being close to the fire. While Van Exel never explicitly admitted to it, and no charges were ever filed, the suspicion followed him for years.
What the Family Said
Cissy Houston, Whitney’s mother, was reportedly "heartbroken" and "disgusted." You have to imagine the pain of trying to grieve your daughter while her final, private moment is being sold for six figures to a tabloid.
Pat Houston, Whitney's sister-in-law and the executor of the estate, took a slightly different path. In a later interview with Oprah, she basically said she didn't care to know who did it. She wanted to focus on the legacy, not the scandal.
But the damage was done. The "Whitney Houston open casket photo" became a permanent part of her digital footprint, a sad footnote to a career that was supposed to be about the music.
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Why We Are Still Obsessed With These Images
It’s kinda dark when you think about it. Why do people want to see these photos?
Psychologists say it's about closure or a morbid curiosity with the "fall" of an icon. But there's a human cost. When Michael Jackson’s trial showed photos of his body, it was for legal evidence. This was different. This was for profit.
Estimates at the time suggested the Enquirer might have paid anywhere from $100,000 to $500,000 for that single image. That's a lot of money for a betrayal.
Fact-Checking the "Gold Slippers" and Jewelry
One thing that often gets lost is that a lot of what the Enquirer wrote was just... wrong.
- The Jewelry: They claimed $500k in jewels. Carolyn Whigham later called that "crazy" and totally untrue.
- The Vibe: The tabloid tried to make it look like a scene of excess, but those who were actually there described a somber, deeply religious private viewing.
Actionable Insights: Navigating Celebrity Grief and Ethics
The Whitney Houston saga taught us a lot about how we consume celebrity "news." Here is how you can look at these situations more critically:
- Question the Source: If a photo looks like it was taken in a private space where cameras were banned, it’s a leak, not a "report." Supporting those publications funds future betrayals.
- Respect the "Private Viewing" Boundary: There is a reason families hold private wakes. It is the one time a celebrity isn't a "brand" but a daughter, a mother, or a sister.
- Verify Tabloid Claims: The National Enquirer is famous for "checkbook journalism," which often leads to exaggerated details (like the $500k jewelry claim) to justify a high purchase price.
- Focus on the Legacy: Instead of searching for the Whitney Houston open casket photo, revisit her 1991 Super Bowl performance or her "I Will Always Love You" live recordings. That is the real Whitney.
Ultimately, the leak was a symptom of a culture that sometimes forgets celebrities are human beings. The photo exists, but it doesn't define her.
If you want to understand more about the legalities of celebrity estates after a high-profile death, you should look into how the Houston family handled the subsequent passing of Bobbi Kristina, which unfortunately faced similar tabloid pressures.