February 23, 2012 21:02

National Enquirer defends 'beautiful' Whitney Houston open casket photo

The US tabloid have published a shot of the late singer's body on their current cover

Photo: PA

National Enquirer publisher Mary Beth Wright has defended the magazine's choice to publish a front page photo of the late Whitney Houston in her casket at a New Jersey funeral home.

Wright said she thought the photo was "beautiful" but has refused to say how they got hold of the shot. Whigham Funeral Home in Newark has since released a statement denying that they were the ones who leaked the photo.

Speaking to the LA Times, Carolyn Whigham said:

We have no comment. But it was not the funeral home... Whitney was a personal friend to me and my family. We would not do that... I am very angry, very upset, just like the family, just like the fans.

Speaking to Foxnews.com, publisher Wright said of the photo: "I thought it was beautiful," adding that she saw it as a work of art.

The National Enquirer has previously published post-mortem photos of John Lennon and Elvis Presley.

It is reported that two million people tuned into the livestream of Whitney Houston's funeral on Saturday (February 18).