Funeral home denies it's source of Whitney Houston coffin photo

The owner of the funeral home where Whitney Houston's memorial was held says her business was not the source of the National Enquirer's photo of the singer in her coffin.

Carolyn Whigham, owner of Whigham Funeral Home in Newark, N.J., told the Los Angeles Times Thursday, "I'm going to answer you as the publicist told me to answer you: We have no comment. But it was not the funeral home."

She added, "I am very angry, very upset" about the photo, "just like the family, just like the fans. . . . Whitney was a personal friend to me and my family. We would not do that."

The image on the cover of this week's National Enquirer shows Houston, who died Feb. 11 at age 48 at a Beverly Hills hotel, lying in an open coffin with her nickname, "Nippy," written on the lining. The photo carries no credit, and the publication has not identified the photographer.

A spokeswoman for the Enquirer's parent company, American Media, did not return Newsday's request for comment. However, Mary Beth Wright, the magazine's publisher, told FoxNews.com that she "thought it [the photo] was beautiful."