Did Tina Brown leak Whitney Houston open casket photo to the National Enquirer?

Following the fallout from the National Enquirer’s publication of Whitney Houston‘s open casket photo, there’s been quite a bit of speculation as to who leaked the shot.

The most obvious culprit would be the Houstons themselves. There were reports that Whitney Houston was broke by the time she died, and they admitted to selling the footage to the Newark funeral, in part to help Whitney’s daughter Bobbi Kristina.

While Whigham Funeral Home and Whitney Houston’s family adamantly deny any involvement, Bobby Brown has remained silent on the matter.

But The Improper claims that the prime suspect is Tina Brown, Bobby Brown’s sister, who gave an exclusive interview with the National Enquirer that ran in the same issue.

“The tabloid will likely never disclose its source, but it probably paid a pretty penny for the photo. Since it also has a two part interview with Bobby Brown’s sister Tina in the paper as well, she is the prime suspect,” The Improper wrote.

The interview features the usual quotes about Whitney Houston’s drug use: “I did crack with Whitney!” is the headline – including an admission that Tina Brown was a mooch: “Hey, I was using and she was paying. It was free.”

If Tina Brown did leak the photo, it wouldn’t be the first time. She was also behind the leaked photos in 2006 of Whitney Houston’s bathroom that were sent to The Sun, which showed clearly that the singer had been cooking freebase cocaine – a.k.a., crack – in her bathroom, which is something that many crack users do to ensure the quality of their product, or to avoid the stigma of buying from a crack dealer.

When TMZ cameras caught up with Bobby Brown outside of a lounge in Hollywood, he didn’t answer any questions about the shot, though he did make goofy faces at the cameras once inside his vehicle. Bobby Brown was accompanied by fiancée Alicia Etheridge.

It’s unfair to assume that because Bobby Brown hasn’t talked about the photo that he’s not disturbed by it. Sources have said previously that Bobby Brown is afraid media attention will inhibit his efforts to bond with his and Whitney Houston’s daughter, Bobbi Kristina.

That is, unless Bobby Brown is saving his thoughts for the alleged tell-all book he is rumored to be writing.