The owner of Whigham Funeral Home that handled Whitney Houston’s service last month, held a press conference Friday denying anyone from the home took the casket photo of Whitney Houston that was published on the front of the National Enquirer in February.
Carolyn Whigham and two local pastors said they know who took the photo but they would not identify the person. “It’s up to the Houston family to release the name,” said the Rev. Jethro James, pastor of Paradise Baptist Church. They said the picture was taken the day before the funeral.
Ms. Whigham wants retractions and apologies from those who suggested either she or one of the employees took the picture and then sold it. “I want to clear my name and my funeral home,” said Whigham, who said she had received dozens of vicious and threatening emails and was also spit on following what Slaughter called “false and unsubstantiated rumors.”
VIEW THE PRESS CONFERENCE BELOW
I believe her! I seen how this woman ran he funeral during the service like a marine on t.v. You can tell she does not play and is on point! Cissy should come forth and clear this woman’s family business name if she knows the truth. However, if she doesn’t like the lady said, “GOD KNOWS”. #POW
why was she so rude about the w not being for whitney she act like she salty ay the family. i still dont trust this hoe
A hoe?
Really, Mon?
SMH
If she was a “hoe”, the media would have printed it. I can assure you that the media has dug deeply to try and find dirt on her, but they have nothing. Don’t call people “hoes”. It shows a lack of class.
I believe her. I’m no where near New Jersey don’t know nothing about NJ or there businesses, but I truly believe her, and her sincerity. That’s so unfortanate
Clear the lady’s name for crying out loud!!! She did a damn good job of making Whitney look good and not some, cake-faced corpse so clear her name so she can keep a reputable business. Don’t be so foul, Cissy!!!
Amen.
Being from Nj, and having some knowledge about how the Whigham Funeral home operates their business, I WHOLE-HEARTEDLY believe that Ms. Carolyn, her daughter, and her business partner are INNOCENT and did not take or release any pics of WH in her casket. Whigham Funeral Home has been a neighborhood institution here, in Newark, for decades and their business acumen and professionalism are what have partly enabled them to have such efficacy for so long. I, too, hope Whigham Funeral Home and its proprietors get a formal apology or are able to sue and win for defamation of character. SN: I thought it had been established that a family member took the pic and released it anyway(?) Whomever the true culprit was, s/he ought to be ashamed. Smh…
Exactly. Multiple sources said it was a family member, and even she is saying that they know who took the picture and I’m assuming shopped it around to the media. My only thing is who is she asking an apology from? The person that took the pic? I mean it’s safe to say people will make up their own minds and if they see her guilty there is nothing more she can do.
Alright now! What I got out of this is that the security staff hired by the Houston Family was involved
I agree. It could have been security or a family member. Either way, it’s sad & pathetic. I cannot really blame Whigman for wanting the clear the family name. It made them look bad because the picture was definitely taken in the funeral home. I wonder how they knew what kind of shoes she had on? It had to be someone who got a full view of the body. Whitney didn’t deserve this. The Enquirer (and the photographer) are the lowest of the low.
Security may not have done it, but they know exactly who did it. If it was not a high profile family member, the Houston family, the Funeral Home and Nippy, Inc. security would be screaming their name all over the headlines.
I know someone in the family is trying to capitalize on the photo. And they did, how much they got…..? I don’t know.
But who they pissed off is way way way more than any dollar amount they could have recieved!
I don’t think it was a family member it had to be someone on the nippy security staff because the pic was taken at the funeral home
I heard it was $500,000 that they received for the picture. I believe it was a family member. I read online that they tried to sell it to Harvey Levin from TMZ and he refused it. I also read that it was Bobby Browns sister Who knows I dont. I would certainly be upset if someone tried to corrupt my rep. because thats all you have how else can she make money if she has these types of practices. She would be the very first person people would think of. Doing a good job gets her more business and liked by the fans and more.
So Unfortunate…Weddings and Funerals somehow seem to bring out the worst in people
So why did she need the pastor Jethro James (smh @ his name) with her to do the news conference? These black pastors are always tryna get publicity. Back on topic. I agree with Realist. It probalbly someone from the security detail. Oh yea I’m black I just smh @ a lot of “christians”.
Christ died in public on a cross for each and everyone of us..so what is this such a big deal that whitney’s pic was posted on the front page of the tabloid?..PEOPLE GET OVER IT ..BIG DEALLLLLLLL
It’s a big deal because they published a photo of a woman at rest to make money while disgrading her in an article, funerals aren’t public and Whitney isn’t the savior of the world so why would someone want to see her at rest unless you knew her personally?
good point
I was saying good point to Helen, but point blank, YES it was utterly disrespectful. But guess what? It’s out & there’s nothing we can do about it now so we gotta move on. What Helen said was a great point & really puts it in perspective.
I’m just laughing at the way people choose to talk when they are trying to sound intelligent. “False and unsubstantiated rumors.” I can see false, but unsubstantiated? The definition of rumor includes unsubstantiated. And if it’s false, then it’s definitely unsubstantiated.
Forgive me, but I have been on a grammar kick lately, and have been noticing how people talk and the words they use. Word choice says so much about a person.
You should not speak of a person’s grammar when your sentence structures are incorrect. It is not wise nor fair to judge another person before you look at your own flaws and mistakes. I speak well, but I am not always perfect in my word usage or expression.
This lady is well known in Northern Jersey for her good funeral services, did you see that precision..please. The family needs to support her and make sure she is taken care of like she took care of Whitney. Someone from the family got some money from that picture, money makes some people lose their minds.
This lady and her staff shouldn’t have to go through this mess. Because they did a good handling Whitney’s service. I read on another blog and some poster said that there were surveillance camaras at the funeral home. So I’m assuming it some shady relative or shady friend.
there is something iffy about this press conference, why doesnt she just clearly say , ME AND THE THREE STAFF MEMBERS who saw Whitney are NOT responsible for the leaking of the photo?
she is defending the rest of her staff who didnt see whitney in this press conference and saying GOD KNOWS to defened herself and the other staff who saw Whitney
maybe I’m looking too much into this but if your life, and career and family is compromised wouldnt you just say WE DID NOT DO IT AND ARE NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR THE LEAKING OF THE PHOTO???
hmm I’ll be following this one closely……..
YES THAT OLD LADY IS FULL OF HERSELF , AND SEEM’S VERY OVER THE TOP .
She said upfront that she “Would not do that. Whitney was a friend”.
I really feel she pretty much had to clear her Staff, probably for their SAFETY, as well. Whereas, these pastors could very well be a link to Whigham’s establishment…ppl don’t always have a church home or a pastor to eulogize at time of death; therefore almost all funeral homes have Clergy of which they “Staff” to call on in such times. #CissyHouston…Should’ve BEEN come forth, w/an APOLOGY or at least an ISSU’D STATEMENT, just as she OPENLY blast’d Whigham’s establishment! I’ve always heard, been told #WH’s Mother “IS/WAS something else to DEAL with!” I met #WH’s Cousin, #DionneWarwick, few yrs ago…WOW!…Real piece of work, to deal with..NO JOKE..Apples DON’T fall far from their trees, #BELIEVETHAT! I was most Impress’d w/Whigham’s Service toward #WH, her Fam..I could tell Ms. Carolyn went over, above the norm, not only to please #WH, but as her *Friend* and love for their Fam, her whole heart was put into this! *I pray, God will heal Ms. Carolyn’s heart, as I’m sure she’s very much hurt, as they’ve known each other waaay down thru the years*~
i’m not saying she , or the other three staff did it but might have or might have been aware of the selling ofthe photo before it was leaked, i’m just not fully convinced.
A funeral home will try very hard to accommodate a family’s wishes. So, if a family member showed up with a camera, and wanted to take pictures, the funeral home probably would not try to stop them unless they had been given orders from Cissy that no one including family was not to take photos. The family, the security and Ms. Whigham probably saw the family member(s) taking photo(s). The family is not going to spill the beans about which one of them took and sold the photo; the Funeral Home is not going to say because of the customer client relationship (kind of like the privacy between a Dr. and patient), and security is not going to say because they probably need to get employment elsewhere and know that talking will prevent others from hiring them.
Bobby probably had something to do with it.
She knew that this was a high profile case she should have had her own security. Nippy security should have not been used because this her establishment. She should have slept in the darn funeral home just for extra security reasons. She was left in her care and this is her business so she should have done everything in her power to protect her business.
In death, the family pays the funeral home and calls the shots on what they want the funeral home to do, and the funeral home will comply, unless it is something illegal. If the family had said no photos, the funeral home nor security would have allowed any photos.
ok what i got out of this interview is that the people Cissy should be going after is “Nippy Security” team not the funeral home..Because there security should’ve been on point, and if someone would’ve took a pic of the body it had to be someone with inside access of whitney (NIPPY SEC. TEAM, The lady speaking or her daughters are prime suspects) Although i think that the interview sounded too abrasive it still sounded somewhat convincing…but i think she’s not telling the whole story though
PS her daughter look good!!!!!!
Just so you know Ms. Carolyn’s daughter is an ordained minister and she ain’t just playin the part. I believe 100% that the Whigham family is NOT responsible.
Some things she is not going to say because of the confidentiality between the family and the funeral home.
she can clear her own damn name by saying who leaked photo…her refusal to do that just dosent sit right. Especially since she made a big deal about how the funeral home guarded the body 24/7.
She probably can’t because of the client confidentiality, and professional codes of ethics.
Not sure who to believe…whoever leaked it, sure got a nice piece of change to survive this economy. I’m thinking someone will come forward and say who leaked the photo, but that person will probably come forward wearing a disguise so they don’t get recognized.
I never have, and still do not believe the funeral home was responsible. It is not her place to name the person who did. She was a pro when she allowed strangers to sleep in her business for the sake of the family. Until now, I believe everyone thought she provided the security, and that thought has caused a lot of pain and anger to be thrown on this family.
I hope whoever spat on her or got in her face so to speak, will be just as quick to let her know they did the wrong thing and allow her family to resume their business and lives. Nothing they did to her would change the situation, but show premature ignorance.
That is a common mistake that has cost people their lives, just because a situation seems so clear in their heads when they do not know the facts. I had an opinion, but never would spend a second making anger physical.
I find that my concern is, if the family planned to sell footage, did they take the picture and intend to include it in the footage, but someone got greedy and sold it to a public trash rag. If this is the case, the person would be looked upon harshly for selling the picture for their own gain, but the picture itself was taken with family knowledge.
However it is, I hope the funeral home owners can remain as professional about the situation as they seemed to have so far. So we see, voicing our opinions equals one thing, but acting violent is another. Most people would have fired back at the bold ones who had the nerve to confront these people in person.
I have really had it with the bad talk about Bobby, the unstable twenty year old experimenting boy who met and fell in love with an older woman who already knew what drugs were and what they did.
Also, the article about Cissy not wanting Whitney’s play son to live with Bobbi…what legal rights do she have to control a legally grown lady’s home without a court order?
Welp. Oprah is going to interview B.K maybe she will have insight.
what if bobbie christina did it to get her drugs!
How do you know that bobbi kris is on drugs? Defaming someone’s character isn’t cool at all.
By addressing the public, it seems to me that Carolyn Whigham is doing the right thing. She is clearing her name and reputation, however; the story sounds a little shaky. The reason why it sounds shaky is because when the photos first leaked out and blame was placed on Whigham, she said that she had her security watching Whitney Houston’s body 24/7.
Now her story has changed and she is telling us that Whitney Houston’s management security, form “Nippy Inc.” were the ones watching her, that makes a huge difference, but why not state that from the beginning?
None the less. I believe Carolyn Whigham.
In my personal opinion, I feel it was poor judgment to allow “Nippy Inc.” security, to guard Whitney Houston’s casket, but the damage is done, now it is time to find the oust culprit.
TMZ claims that the picture was offered to them before being Published by the Inquirer, but TMZ passed up on the offer because they felt that it was distasteful, however they have posted on their website pictures of what was said to be “Whitney Houston’s Last Meal” and “The Bathtub Whitney Houston Died In,” therefore I believe even TMZ has an idea of who either took or tried to sell those pictures.
I believe the same person that took (and more than likely sold) pictures of Whitney Houston’s “Last Meal” and the pictures of “The Bath Tub that Whitney Houston Died In” inside of the Beverly Hills Hilton Suite she stayed in, also took those pictures of her in her casket.
It has to be someone “close,” to her and the Houston family, and since most of her “entourage” was a part of her family, it is probably someone with the Houston’s last name.
I suppose it has to be someone that once worked for Whitney….possibly her “right hand man”/ woman.
Being that Whitney has passed away, this person need money to hold them until they find other means of providing for their self and their family.
I would also believe it is a “business person” or at least someone that is “business minded.”Perhaps, someone that took care of and Managed Whitney’s business affairs when she was alive….hopefully someone is following my drift.
By the way, it reminds of this advertisement I saw on yahoo, two days after Whitney Houston’s death. The ad was selling/ promoting “commemorative” candles inspired by Whitney Houston. Whitney Houston’s manager used Whitney’s name to sell candles on her website. She wrote on there that those candles were Whitney’s favorite gifts and she loved to buy them and give them as gifts on various occasions.
I remember reading the ad and thinking of how insensitive it was that Whitney Houston’s body wasn’t even flown back to her home town yet, and here her manager/ sister in law is, using Whitney Houston’s name to sell her candles….what a shame.
After that came the pictures of the last meal, following the bathtub, then the open casket photo’s. I’m not trying to place the blame on Whitney’s former manager, but my bet is on her.
And anyone that watched Whitney Houston’s Home going service should be able to recall just how “business like” this woman was. She was like a robot, practically emotion less, just programmed to do a job. She is a suspicious character, my bets are on her!
Someone was with Whitney and began leaking photos from the very beginning. I read that a photo of Whitney in the body bag being placed in the coroner’s van surfaced. The coroner’s staff would not have time to take photos and move the body at the same time. The pictures in the hotel room (even food in the plate). The water in the bathtub, the items in the bathtub, the knowledge that Whitney used olive oil for her skin, and the gravy boat in the bathtub. Whoever sold the coffin photo may very well be the same person that started selling photos and stories from the onset. If Whigham is the kind of person that would violate professional ethics, as long as she has been in business, there wold be a history, this would not be the first time, and the media would have found it and reported. The fact that the media has not come up with any dirt on her or her funeral home, says a lot.
Irene Nicole Rain I absolutley agree with you!!! When Oprah interviewed Whitney in 2009 she said her sister in law is the one that sold pictures to the tabloids of her bathroom that showed all her drugs and prescription medication. I also saw that ad on yahoo. I was disgusted! This sister-in-law Patricia is very shady. I think she may have been the one to take the picture and sell it. I hope she is exposed soon. I wonder how she can live with herself knowing that what she is doing is low down dirty and wrong.
The sister-in-law who sold pictures of Whitney’s “crack den” to the tabloids in 2006 is Bobby Brown’s sister, Tina Brown, who herself was a drug addict.
The sister-in-law who was also Whitney’s manager is Pat Houston, the wife of Whitney’s brother, Gary.
I agree also nicole. Her bodyguard (brother-in-law)
seemed like he really cared about Whitney. She was his precious cargo and livelihood. Something is strange about this family. If all of these family members were around all the time then why didn’t they cover her more. They knew she had no business drinking when you have an addiction. Then again she was no kid she was a 48 year old woman. She was born 2 months before me. Like Mary J and Chaka Khan said you got to surround yourself with people that love you. They got rod of her girlfriend early on. After her leaving it was a mess. Sometimes family aint all of that. I found some friends care for you more than blood.
Family sometimes aint shat.
SHOULD’NT CISSY HOUSTON BE BLAMING HERSELF FOR LETTING THE LEECHES GET AT HER DAUGHTER, AND NOW HER GRAND-DAUGHTER INSTEAD OF COMPLAINING ABOUT PHOTOS. THIS IS THE SAME SITUATION WITH RIHANNA, HER MOTHER DID’NT SAY A WORD ABOUT HER DAUGHTER’S ASSAULT, EVEN NOW IT LOOKS LIKE RIHANNA BELIEVING SHE MIGHT OF DESERVED THE AZZ WHUPPING SHE GOT BY BROWN, DAMN EVEN CHRIS BROWN’S MOTHER STOOD UP AND SPOKE FOR HER PEACE OF GARBAGE SON.
Bringing up chris brown is IRRELEVANT! I’m really getting sick and tired of people like you who step right over WHITE MEN who have beat the balls out of women in hollywood. I don’t see or hear anyone attacking hugh hefner’s son for beating the crap out of his girlfriend? Where is the attack on the kennedy man who physically attacked two nurses? I can go on about abusive white men in hollywood. They literally get a hand-shake for beating their wives/girlfriends asses and no one says anything about it. Yet people have the nerve to say blacks condone the assault on rihanna PUHLEEZ! Whites condone violence all the time and they’re always trying to justify their wrongs that’s the exact reason why they spend so much time trying to make themselves look holier than thou by simply using minority groups as examples but never themselves. Reese witherspoon used chris and rihanna as an EXAMPLE to her children because they’re black. She mentions chris name but FAILED to mention the ABUSIVE WHITE MEN IN THE SAME SENTENCE. SHE DIDN’T MENTION ONE ABUSIVE WHITE CELEBBRITY MALE ABUSER AT ALL BECAUSE WHITES STICK TOGETHER AS SIMPLE AS THAT. Same goes for miranda lambert who implied that chris should have been killed. These white women don’t give a damn about rihanna it’s all about USING THE BLACK MAN AS A FACE FOR ABUSE and for EXAMPLES. I bet these same bitches laughed when rihanna was called a NIGGA BITCH! Where was reese and miranda’s out-cry when that happened? Reese chose to high-light chris brown A BLACK MAN out of the bunch. I wouldn’t be surprised if your ass is black because UNFORTUNATELY this generation is full of COONS!!
SMH>>>>>We don’t know who took the pictures! Only the handlers and until they say who took the pictures! Don’t blame anybody let God handle the situation however he see fit! Whitney Houston is Missed!!!!!!!R.I.P.!!!!!!!!
Carolyn Whigham did the right thing. In clearing her name, she doesn’t have to name someone else to prove she’s innocent, whether she knows with certainty who did it or not. Like she said, the family knows, and God knows. And she is absolutely right, when your name is all you have, and your business or occupation is built on your integrity, you have every right to defend it passionately, whether you use proper English or not. I don’t think she expects an apology from anyone in particular – she really just wanted to publicly acknowledge that she, her employees, nor her funeral home should be held responsible for the release of that photo by Whitney’s fans. She’s not taking any heat from the Houston’s – it’s all coming from the public. I took pictures of my father in his casket – he wasn’t famous or anything, but at that time, in that moment, I wanted to take the pictures…and I’ve never looked at them again. So while I don’t find it morbid that someone took Whitney’s pictures in the casket – and Whigham did a GREAT job by the way because she looked beautiful and pictures just days before showed us what they were working with – I do find it absolutely disgusting that it was done against the family’s wishes for her funeral to be private, and to obviously make some money with little disregard to people’s grief, loss and pain. And for anyone to suggest that Bobbi Kris or Pat Houston did this is ludicrous. In Bobby’s family’s defense, they probably were invited to the private services at the funeral home. I also believe that Ms. Whigham was alluding to involvement by Nippy Inc security, who probably hired temporary staff to provide around-the-clock security, staff who had no personal relationship with the family or the funeral home. And in the “Black church,” pastors often stand in solidarity with one another – Jesus said, “where one or two are gathered in my name, so shall I be.”
Those pastor’s may be close to the family, and may have been at the private viewing and saw exactly who took the photos. I think the funeral home, the security, and the pastor’s want to respect the family and let the family handle it. Unfortunately, the family would not step up to the plate. Supposedly Tyler Perry said on the Steve Harvey show that Ms Whighan and her staff did not take the photos. I hope that no one else does any more harm to the funeral home staff. Ms. Whigham seems to be genuine (she is too direct to be phony) and as most people in the funeral industry, she loves what she does. Someone spit in her face, and she did not take them out, what a great lady.