The Greatest Debt of All

Former famous pop artist, Whitney Houston, had to auction off many of her items on Tuesday, January 9, 2007. Racks of designer dresses and clothing that belonged to the pop artist, many of which were custom made for her performances, were sold to the highest bidder. Designer labels included Giorgio Armani, Dolce & Gabbana, Jean Paul Gaultier, Pamela Dennis and Gianni Versace.

One report said Whitney Houston fans eagerly awaited the auction to purchase items for their personal fan collections, but there wasn't a crowd for the preview. A reporter from the New York Post stated, "Only a trickle of people went down to preview these items. We're going to have to see how it goes. Some of the items are very large. You wouldn't be able to put them in your house." She also went on to say that Ms. Houston's items were stored in a warehouse with a "rotting ceiling and decaying floor."

Whitney Houston owes $150,000 on a storage warehouse in Irvington, New Jersey where over 400 lots of her possessions were auctioned off. Besides the clothing, also auctioned off were many items Ms. Houston used on tour. Many instruments, sound equipment, recording equipment all had to go by court order at Tuesday's auction. Some of the more interesting and unique items sold were "Whitney's Throne" chair, a church pew and several undergarments belonging to Ms. Houston.

Mike Sklar, the auctioneer, stated he thought the auction items would bring a total of $200,000 - $250,000. Actual auction earnings have not been disclosed.

Some bidders, who call Whitney Houston "the greatest voice of all", were there to add to their Whitney memorabilia or to collect a little piece of pop history. Most of the buyers were musicians and studio owners who were looking for instruments and sound equipment.

Whitney Houston recently avoided a sheriff's sale of her New Jersey mansion. Ms. Houston was more than $1 million behind on the taxes and mortgage.

Whitney is trying to start over and build a new life. Now that Whitney Houston and Bobby brown have called it quits, Ms. Houston is ready to start over. On September 8, 2006, after 14 years of marriage, Whitney Houston filed for divorce from Bobby Brown. Whitney Houston is planning a career comeback but many are skeptical due to her known addiction to drugs and alcohol.

In the 1980s and early 1990s, Whitney Houston was on top of the world and the pop charts after selling millions of albums. But her image and reputation went downhill quickly after marrying Bobby Brown in 1992.

In 2000, while in Hawaii, security guards found marijuana in Whitney and Bobby's luggage. Whitney Houston admitted to using drugs in her 2002 interview with Diane Sawyer but would not admit to using crack. Whitney stated, "First of all, let's get one thing straight. Crack is cheap. I make too much money to ever smoke crack. Let's get that straight, okay? I don't do crack. I don't do that. Crack is whack." Many stints in rehab and her physical appearance has suggested otherwise, though.

Celebrity publicists say that before Whitney can make a successful comeback she will have to publicly take personal responsibility for her actions. She will have to declare to the world that she had a drug and alcohol problem and that she is doing everything possible to get her life and career back on track.

Whitney Houston is the daughter of gospel singer, Cissy Houston. Her cousin is the famous Dionne Warwick. Whitney Houston won several Grammy awards throughout the 1980s. Whitney Houston was also a successful actress in the movie, "The Bodyguard" with Kevin Costner. Whitney was also in a reality television series, "Being Bobby Brown", with her former husband.

Bobby Brown's sister, Tina, reported to the National Enquirer that Whitney Houston was a drug addict. There were also many reports surrounding Bobby Brown's love affairs. Karrine Steffans, who claims to have had a long-term love affair with Bobby Brown, wrote about their fling in her 2005 book, "Confessions of a Video Vixen".