Designer clothes and tour gear belonging to Grammy winner Whitney Houston will be auctioned off next week to help cover their unpaid storage fees.
More than 300 items of Houston from a 1999 world tour will be auctioned Tuesday in an effort to cover unpaid storage fees on the gear and clothing, said Jeffrey Campisi Wednesday, a lawyer for Speed of Sound, a company that has been tending to the equipment. The tour gear, which includes grand pianos, drum kits, a forklift, speakers, amplifiers and a vintage barber chair along with designer clothes, has been stored in Irvington since the tour, Campisi said. Speed of Sound went to court in May after not receiving payments from Houston's company, Nippy Inc., for a year. The company is now owed 175,000 to 200,000 U.S.dollars, Campisi said. He couldn't estimate what the auction might bring, but said any excess money will go to Nippy. Nippy lawyer Michael J. Connolly referred a reporter to Houston spokeswoman Nancy Seltzer, who didn't immediately return a call Wednesday. In recent comments to newspapers, Seltzer has said the auction is being held to dispose of outdated equipment and costumes that are no longer needed. Houston, 43, is divorcing singer Bobby Brown after 14 stormy years of marriage. Some of his music awards will be on the same auction block. The home that Brown, 37, and Houston once shared in Alpharetta, Ga., near Atlanta, went on the market in November, 2006. Houston has been living in Los Angeles, working on an album. The auction will be at the Irvington warehouse, but gawkers beware: It will cost 100 dollars to enter the building. Winning bidders must deposit at least 25 percent of the price immediately, with the balance due before 2 p.m. Wednesday. All payments must be in cash, certified funds, cashier's checks, money orders or business checks accompanied by an irrevocable bank letter of guarantee, according to the auctioneer, A.J. Willner Auctions. Campisi said that despite spending years in storage, the equipment is in good condition.
