Outraged over the National Enquirer Whitney Houston casket photo?
My coffee table.
Are you outraged over the National Enquirer’s cover photo of Whitney Houston lying in repose?
It’s generated a great deal of criticism, but it’s not a new idea.
The photo on the right is the National Enquirer from Sept. 6, 1977, showing Elvis in his open casket. I bought it at a silent auction for 20 bucks at a charity event last year. I keep it on my coffee table, to keep me humble and reflective.
When John Lennon died in 1980, the National Enquirer was back with more necro journalism, featuring the slain Lennon’s final image on its front cover. This time the photo was in color, and was a closer shot of Lennon’s face, but the layout was otherwise very similar to the Elvis shot, which was in black and white. Even the text blocks about “The Untold Story” and “The Last Picture” were identical. Makes you wonder if they had a celeb death template at the ready.
These covers have much in common with the Whitney Houston open casket photo that the National Enquirer just ran. The current cover’s headline says “Whitney: The Last Photo!” while the others say “The Last Picture.” (Coincidentally the Elvis cover teases to a story on how to be more creative.)
Celebrity open casket photos aren’t common (thank goodness) but not terribly rare, either.
AP photo
When James Brown died a few years ago, photos of his open casket were kind of hard to avoid. Images of his final viewings ran in numerous publications.
The hardest working man in show business kept a busy tour schedule even days after he’d gone on to glory, with viewings at the Apollo Theater in Harlem, and then a huge public home going service held in the Augusta venue that bears his name.
More than 8,000 people filed past the late Godfather of Soul when his carefully coiffed remains were laid out in the James Brown Arena. Celebrity guests included Michael Jackson, and Brown’s widow Tomi Rae performed, serenading her late husband’s body. It was a memorable event.
But back to Houston. The National Enquirer, never a stranger to controversy, is taking quite a bit of flack for running the unauthorized photo from Houston’s funeral. (Actually it’s thought to have been taken during the funeral home viewing, not the home going service).
This Detroit Free Press article notes that the National Enquirer publisher says the photo was “beautiful,” but that the decision to publish it has been criticized by a number of other media outlets. And questions are swirling. Who took the photo? How did they spirit a camera into the service? Did they get paid? Scratch that. How much did they get paid?
My point: this is nothing new.
- Jennifer Brett/The Buzz/jbrett@ajc.com
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278 comments Add your comment
phil
February 24th, 2012
10:35 pm
Did Bobby kill Whitney? America wants to know…
Well, not really.
You must be joking?!?!
February 24th, 2012
10:36 pm
Where’s the dam picture?
3d
February 24th, 2012
10:39 pm
I worked for the NE for 7 years. 7 years too long.
It is a pathetic company to be employed by.
KimZ'sPackage
February 24th, 2012
10:40 pm
Whitney, Elvis, Jimi, Morrison, and Janis are all living care free on US Samoa.
KimZ'sPackage
February 24th, 2012
10:41 pm
@3d and being employed by Whitney would have been any better?
havesumrespect
February 24th, 2012
10:55 pm
For everybody saying forget her she was a drug addict u must not know any thing about addiction its a disease and ppl do it to cover up pain…I hope someone close or even u becomes a addict then maybe u will have some respect…now all addicts are bad ppl when u die ppl should say forget them they were a judgmental ass!
KimZ'sPackage
February 24th, 2012
11:02 pm
havesumrespect…..funny she never had the DRUG ADDICTION until she met Bobby Brown and actually used drugs. An Alcoholic isn’t until they actually start to drink. She NEVER would have been a DRUG ADDICT if she never tried drugs. Hell I think I must be a SEX ADDICT.
askcathy1966
February 25th, 2012
12:14 am
This is the deal. I can’t blame the National Enquirer or the person who took the picture. Anyone should have known that a picture of Whitney in her casket could be worth a lot of money. It was the family’s responsibility to make sure that didn’t happen. How does someone take a picture without ANYONE noticing it? That’s my question. Why did the family not safely guard the situation to ensure that this wouldn’t happen? Why did the family not think of this scenerio and prepare for it ahead of time like having everyone frisked to ensure that they didn’t have cell phones or cameras. This is the family’s fault and it is their negligence that is at question. An opportunist is an opportunist. They should not have let an opportunist have the opportunity to take this picture. Her wake couldn’t have been properly guarded for this to happen. That’s my opinion.
BEAU
February 25th, 2012
12:24 am
COMPLETELY DISRESPECTFUL
3d
February 25th, 2012
12:37 am
Kim, why would you say something like that?
My only point is the company was just as bad to it’s employees as it is disrespectful to others only to make a buck.
Sounds like you’ve got some issues you need to deal with.
I dealt with mine by resigning and finding a great company to work for.
Good night!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Cheryl
February 25th, 2012
1:04 am
Why the uproar about a pic of her in her casket. Most of us have seen people in a casket. There’s nothing shameful, embarrassing, or private about death – especially since most of the media has bombarded us for a week with every detail of her life, drugs, affairs, career, child, mother, friends, etc. We’ve been exposed to everything about her. Now a pic in a casket is crossing a line?? Give me a break.
how do bail bonds work
February 25th, 2012
1:11 am
I tend not to leave a leave a response, however after looking at through a bunch of comments on this blog name. I actually do have a couple of questions for you if it’s allright. Is it simply me or do a few of the comments appear like they are coming from brain dead people?
And, if you are posting on additional places, I’d like to follow you. Would you list of the complete urls of all your social pages like your linkedin profile, Facebook page or twitter feed?
eener
February 25th, 2012
1:32 am
@ flabby mcghee…hon its U. Get you some glasses if U don’t wear them and if you do
get your eyes rechecked. Whitney looks nothing like John Lennon dead or alive. GTHOOH
Whitney looks like a sleeping beauty in her casket. And John U wish???Ugh!!! Rest IN PEACE
Whitney~~~ This picture is very disrespectul to her Mom & daughter. Whitney would be outrage!!
if she knew this. Thank God they can’t hurt her no more. God Comfort the Family Heavy Hearts.
Nancy
February 25th, 2012
2:13 am
Death is a natural part of life. Photos of people in their caskets are not bad.
Terry
February 25th, 2012
2:44 am
What does it matter? If not them, someone else would’ve taken the photos. If it bothers someone, then don’t look. If it matters to someone else, buy it and keep it.
hope
February 25th, 2012
2:57 am
discusting piece of rag why do people still buy this mess,and the publisher is a piece of mess too!!!!!!!!!!!!
Whitney Houston’s mom Cissy wants funeral goers to take lie detector test | Simply-Showbiz.com
February 25th, 2012
3:15 am
[...] John Lennon died in 1980, the National Enquirer was back with more necro journalism, featuring the slain Lennon’s final image on its front [...]
zeze
February 25th, 2012
4:17 am
thats james brown up there and not whitney everybody comment and not reading the words smdh
jojo
February 25th, 2012
5:31 am
Can ou still hear tyhe old media milking machine going………chuga chuga..all the coverage at times is sickening…non stop..same story and rport over and over day after day when these tragedies occur….can’t they leave the milking machines in the barn where it belongs and spare us the on going agony of repitious reporting…Shes gone (RIP)..shes burried..let it be now find another story to milk and trouble us news junkies with…ugh..grrr
FAS1
February 25th, 2012
7:18 am
While y’all are pissin’ and moanin’ about Miss Attitude……I couldn’t care less!!!!
Betty Ford
February 25th, 2012
7:34 am
I think the pic was taken by somebody that works for the funeral home and was paid hansomly for the pic, that person should be fired and that funeral home just lost alot of business for their lack of
professionalism.
Diana
February 25th, 2012
7:42 am
I saw an Enquirer cover when I was in the 3rd grade that my uncle had that showed a photo of Lee Harvey Oswald..after the autopsy..covered with a sheet to his waist and with a large corded scar up the center of his body where they sewed him up. VERY graphic. This photo of Whitney wasn’t bad..some folks need to see to accept; that’s the point of viewings. RIP Whitney.
Joann
February 25th, 2012
7:54 am
SHE HAD PASS SO NOW LET HER REST IN PEACE AND GET OVER IT, WHO WILL BE THE NEXT BIG STAR TO PASS??????
Devon
February 25th, 2012
7:59 am
Seeing how beautiful the angel lay in the casket I am not at peace that she was at peace.
Who my baby daddy?
February 25th, 2012
8:04 am
F Whitney n awl uze dum azz racist azz “afrikan amuricans”
AsICit
February 25th, 2012
8:19 am
While it’s quite understandable that many people have favorite entertainers and appreciate their talents, the cultlike worship of celebrities in the world today is ridiculous. They put their pants on just like everyone else, one leg at a time. Get over it!
Cobra
February 25th, 2012
8:43 am
The REAL tragedy here is nobody cared about Whitney until she died. People talked about her and the problems she had in life, then she dies, and now everyone wants to talk about what a wonderful person she was. I’ve seen this for years, and this pattern has to stop. Let your loved ones know you care BEFORE they pass on, not after. As for the photo, while I understand the need for privacy, the fact of the matter is Whitney was a public figure. At the very least, Cissy should have allowed a public memorial to give the fans closure. No one was allowed near the church for the funeral, so while I don’t condone what NE did, I don’t totally disagree.
truthfulster
February 25th, 2012
8:46 am
What a lot of you people don’t understand is that a number of countries believe that taking pictures of the coffin at a wake is customary. Even in this country I can remember my own father taking a picture of his father and mother at their wake. I hope that the outrage that some feel is due to the Enquirer being the one showing the photo and them making money off the sale. Now if they would donate a portion of the profits of that edition to Whitney’s favorite charity I think most of the problem would go away.
Vladimir Sonovabitch
February 25th, 2012
8:48 am
I personally don’t give a crap about any of this.
truthfulster
February 25th, 2012
8:53 am
I’m sorry but I can’t help myself but looking at the picture of Whitney in her coffin in this story she looks more like the King of Soul “James Brown” WOW the good lord is seeing some show.
outspoken1
February 25th, 2012
9:27 am
If I don’t want to see the picture, I just won’t look.
Rest in Peace, nipples.
Reality
February 25th, 2012
9:27 am
NEWSFLASH!!! we all gonna die! Whitney didn’t do nothin that ain’t been done before, and we all gonna go one day…get over it. Bet you strong money Whitney wouldn’t care if any of us croaked.quit living vicariously through someone else.
RooBarb
February 25th, 2012
9:48 am
Is there even a such thing as INVASION OF PRIVACY anymore?
disgusted
February 25th, 2012
10:10 am
Viewing our deceased prior to final Homegoing Service has long been a tradition in the Black Community. Perhaps Whitneys’ Mom could have allowed for a public viewing of her much beloved daughter and the underhanded dealing of stealing a quick shot and then selling it to a Newspaper whose sole purpose is to sell Newspapers would not have happened. Who knows???
Bottom line is the morbidly curious have their final look at a very deceased Ms. Whitney Houston, the outraged are blogging in this and similiar blogs around the World and life goes on until it doesn’t…….
Loosing Managar = Loosing Record
February 25th, 2012
10:17 am
What does this have 2 do with the Braves?
Leanna
February 25th, 2012
10:22 am
I’ll admit.. posting these pictures were out of line but what I’m going to say is I don’t mean to disrespect the Houston family at all.. I grew up with Whitney’s music for 26 years and she touched many people’s lives.. however it made me furious that her family didn’t have something public for her fans. Her family needs to understand, we are grieving as much as they are.. we needed that proper farewell to her instead of a surprise coffin picture of her. we are the reason that she is a star and we dese
Leanna
February 25th, 2012
10:23 am
I’ll admit.. posting these pictures were out of line but what I’m going to say is I don’t mean to disrespect the Houston family at all.. I grew up with Whitney’s music for 26 years and she touched many people’s lives.. however it made me furious that her family didn’t have something public for her fans. Her family needs to understand, we are grieving as much as they are.. we needed that proper farewell to her instead of a surprise coffin picture of her. Whitney will be deeply missed
whocares
February 25th, 2012
10:53 am
And all of this means WHAT?
No disrespect, but she is buried and gone…you guys need to get on with more important things!!!!
Greg S.
February 25th, 2012
11:20 am
I would say “Just don’t dwell on it if you don’t want to look at the picture” but these days self-righteousness rules. So the new rule is “If I think the picture is wrong, you shouldn’t have taken it!”
liberalefty
February 25th, 2012
11:36 am
all this outrage over a pic? folks stop putting these celebrity junkies on a pedestal please…
another junkie put on a pedestal
February 25th, 2012
11:42 am
after all is said and done WHITNEY is no role model…she was a selfish junkie who wasted her talent and now everybody wanna cry crocodile tears for her..her family will make a lot of money off the “unauthorized “photo…i wonder how much CISSY charged the ENQUIRER to take the photo..
boo boo kitter cats
February 25th, 2012
11:43 am
“I Will Always Haunt You”
blady
February 25th, 2012
11:45 am
Enuff already…
meomine
February 25th, 2012
11:48 am
I think her mom had a right to some sort of privacy. She was generous to share what she did with the world and it was well done. Let Whitney RIP, the bible never lies, the LOVE of money is surely the root to ALL evil. This person made a few thousand of dollars (enough to buy a car), meanwhile the enquire made millions. Stop selling your soul to the devil.
Who my baby daddy?
February 25th, 2012
11:56 am
Dionne a cranky ol washed up racist beeatch too. She pruved dat on da Apprentis.
another junkie put on a pedestal
February 25th, 2012
12:04 pm
@meomine
and how much did CISSY make off the photo…i bet she got paid millions
No Opinion?
February 25th, 2012
12:08 pm
Jennifer are you no longer outraged? Originally you answered your own question with “Me too.” Why did you delete it?
Mimi
February 25th, 2012
1:02 pm
To the idiot who compared this to Emmett Till: Emmett Till’s mother wanted his corpse to be photographed and distributed to show the ugly face of RACISM. He was lynched in MS idiot. Why don’t you study history.
It was one of the guards hired to stand guard over Whitney’s body. The funeral home wouldn’t open itself to liability like this. Open caskets are standard in funeral homes unless the body is in very bad condition. Viewing is not for public consumption. I hope her family sues the National Enquirer and at the very least, the suit compels the Enquirer to disclose the name of its source.
another junkie put on a pedestal
February 25th, 2012
1:19 pm
@mimi
i bet CISSY authorized the photo…its called making money..
CISSY authorized the photo
February 25th, 2012
1:22 pm
cant u folks see this, she knew a pic would be worth millions..