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| Fans snap up Whitney''s wardrobe |
1/10/2007 |
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Whitney Houston fans have snapped up hundreds of the pop star''s clothes, instruments and awards after she sold some of her possessions to pay debts.
The items in the auction included designer dresses, a transparent grand piano and a "Whitney''s Throne" chair.
The singer was forced to sell more than 400 items because she owed about $175,000 (£90,250) in storage fees.
But the sale''s final takings will probably not be revealed, according to AJ Willner Auctions of New Jersey.
Visitors to the warehouse, 15 miles (24 km) west of New York, could also bid for a Versace beaded catsuit, six velvet jumpsuits with her WH insignia and 13 Dolce and Gabbana bras.
Beverly Brace bagged another of Houston''s designer garments
Other items on sale included water-damaged records, gardening gloves, a battered coffee-maker and a large wooden ladder.
The clear Schimmel grand piano was sold for $20,000 (£10,300) to a man carrying the cash in a plastic bag.
The buyer identified himself as an antiques dealer from Mississippi and said he expected to sell the instrument for six times the amount he paid.
Among the other successful bidders was Meir Yadid, who paid $400 (£200) for 16 music awards given to Houston''s husband Bobby Brown.
Houston filed for divorce from Brown last September after 14 years of marriage. "I just collect ephemera," Mr Yadid said.
Houston is estimated to have sold more than 120 million albums
Houston was ordered to sell the items by New Jersey Superior Court after a legal wrangle with storage company Speed of Sound.
"It is not unusual for an artist to sell off old equipment and costumes no longer needed," the singer''s publicist Nancy Seltzer said.
Houston was one of the biggest stars of the 1980s and ''90s, selling more than 120 million albums. Her hits included Saving All My Love For You and I Will Always Love You.
But her career has gone off the rails in recent years and she has been treated for drug and alcohol abuse.
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