Top > Entertainment > 2007 > January > 2007-01-20

Whitney Houston?s Equipment to Go under the Hammer

A company that has been looking after equipment used by pop singer, Whitney Houston, since 1999 has announced that it will be auctioning off the gear. This is because nearly $200,000 is owing to the company in storage and has not been paid by Houston?s Nippy Inc. The equipment includes props, designer clothes, amplifiers and speakers, as well as music awards given to the singer?s estranged husband, Bobby Brown.

The company, Speed of Sound, said that it was not out to make a profit on the sale and would take what it was owed. The balance would be handed over to the Nippy Inc. A spokeswoman for Whitney Houston said, however, that that auction was actually taking place to get rid of outdated equipment and clothes that the singer did not need anymore. Houston?s home in Georgia was recently sold at a court sale after it went into foreclosure. The singer and her husband are divorcing after 14 stormy years of marriage and she only recently struck a deal to keep ownership of their mansion in New Jersey after she was in arrears of close to $1 million on her mortgage payments.

The property auction, due to take place this week will be held at a warehouse in Irvington. However, auctioneers are charging a $100 fee to enter the warehouse to keep gawkers at bay and anybody wishing to purchase an item needs to pay up 25% of its value immediately. Whitney Houston is currently working on a new album and lives in Los Angeles.