National Enquirer publishes picture of Whitney Houston in casket

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6. Whitney Houston has certainly had her ups and downs, but one of the definite “ups” is her recording of the classic “Do You Hear What I Hear.” The song was written in 1962 by the husband and wife team of Noël Regney and Gloria Shayne Baker. Whitney’s version, which appeared on her A Very Special Christmas compilation album in 1987, is the most replayed version.

The National Enquirer has released a new cover featuring an alleged photo of Whitney Houston in her casket.

The photo appears be taken at pop star’s wake which was held Friday afternoon at the Whigham Funeral Home in Newark, New Jersey.

The photo has been heavily circulated today online and has sparked comments of outrage by many web users of popular sites like Fox’s 411 blog, Jezebel and The Daily Mail.

The headline of the Enquirer reads “Whitney: the Last Photo” and alleges she was buried in “jewelry worth $500,000,” and “wore her favorite purple dress’ and ‘had gold slippers on her feet.”

Information has not been provided as to how the Enquirer obtained the photo. Whingham Funeral Home and the Houston family have yet to comment.

This is not the first time celebrity gossip has stirred an ethical debate by publishing a candid photo of a dead celebrity.

In 1977 the Enquirer featured a photo of Elvis Presley in his casket on its cover, and sold a reported 6.5 million copies.

Follow Chris Witherspoon on Twitter at @WitherspoonC