National Enquirer publishes Whitney Houston casket photo

Sensationalized tabloid the National Enquirer has published a photo on its cover that appears to be Whitney Houston in an open casket at her wake.

The controversial image bears the headline “Whitney: The last photo.” It shows Houston with her hair in an up-do and dressed in a purple gown, which may have been her favorite dress, according to the Enquirer.

The photo, posted online by gossipdavid, was reportedly taken inside the Whigham Funeral Home in Newark, where her family attended a private wake last week. However, it’s unclear who may have snapped the photo.

If the image is real, Houston was donned in several pieces of jewelry for the wake, including a diamond broach and earrings, reportedly valued at $500,000. The Enquirer says she was also buried in a pair of gold slippers. 

This isn’t the first time a profit has been turned since her death. Several items from her costume wardrobe from hit film “The Bodyguard” have already been set aside to go up for auction and the cost of downloading her songs was hiked on iTunes.