Whitney's Items To Hit Auction Block
A New Jersey company will auction off goods it stored for singer Whitney Houston because the diva stopped paying them bills in 2005, the New York Daily News reports.
More than 400 items will be put on the auction block, including dozens of costumes, a see-through grand piano and a chair described as "Whitney's Throne."
"It's a warehouse full of stuff from her shows," said Steve Newmark, co-owner of A.J. Willner Auctions, which is conducting the sale next week in New Jersey. According to Newmark, the piano is worth over $300,000.
"The auction is open to the public, but only for qualified buyers," Newmark told the Daily News. "We're probably going to combine a lot of the individual items, like the costumes. It's not for a teenage fan hoping to buy one of (Houston's) trinkets."Photos: Whitney Houston At Carousel Of Hope
Is the auction a sign of financial trouble for the singer? Her rep told the newspaper the items are "old equipment from past tours that she doesn't need anymore. It's not unusual for artists to sell off staging and equipment not in use anymore."
Jeffrey Campisi, an attorney for Speed of Sound, confirmed Houston's company, Nippy Inc., owes the company an estimated $200,000 in unpaid storage bills. Houston's company will receive any money accumulated after the debt is paid, the newspaper said.