National Enquirer publishes Whitney Houston's open-casket photo, ignites outrage

National Enquirer cover showing the dead music icon

The National Enquirer published on its cover a photo of Whitney Houston inside her coffin.

The controversial photo, reportedly taken during one of Houston's private funeral services last weekend, shows the dead legendary singer in a purple dress inside a gold casket with the headline: "Whitney: The Last Photo!"

"I thought it was beautiful," National Enquirer publisher Mary Beth Wright told FoxNews.com.

Other members of the media, however, attacked the magazine's decision, saying it was "tasteless," and "shameful."

The Washington Post declared that "a line had been crossed."

In an interview with Fox411, Denise Warner of HollywoodLife.com said that the Enquirer "should have thought twice about this post-mortem portrait."

"No one needs to remember Whitney preserved in formaldehyde. And it's certainly not an image that is necessary in the discussion of her life and death," she added.

Celebrity blogger Perez Hilton called it a "tasteless, insensitive, morbid thing to do."

Facebook and Twitter users have also lambasted the publication.

"Whoever sold the photo of Whitney Houston in her coffin to the National Enquirer is a vile, twisted, evil and unscrupulous sub-human," London-based fan Christiana Mbakwe tweeted.

The American tabloid has not disclosed who exactly took the said open-casket photo of the Grammy-winning singer, who died last February 11 at age 48.

This is not the first time the magazine published a photograph of a dead celebrity. It has published similar pics of Elvis Presley in 1977, and John Lennon in 1980.