Man who sold coffin photo of Whitney Houston admits wiping hotel suite clean


This story is kind of crazy, so bear with me. Remember when that photo of poor Whitney in her casket was on the cover of The National Enquirer? The people at the funeral home were mortified, because they would never jeopardize their business for a quick buck. A lot of people wondered which one of Whitney’s family and friends at her private memorial would sell her out like that. Roger Friedman reported in Forbes about two weeks ago that the culprit was likely a guy named Raffles van Exel, a known con artist who uses several alias and has posted a YouTube video bragging about getting close to celebrities. People at the funeral home reported seeing this guy take a photo of Whitney in repose, and he seems to have ingratiated himself to her family following her death.

Well now van Exel (if that’s even his name) told a Dutch paper that he cleaned Whitney’s hotel suite right after she was found dead. This may be why no traces of cocaine were found at the scene, despite the fact that cocaine was found in her system after she died and is considered a contributing factor in her death. Celebuzz has this story:

A close confidant of the late pop diva Whitney Houston has admitted he cleaned up the hotel room where she drowned, Celebuzz has learned.

In an interview with respected Dutch newspaper The Telegraph on February 15, just four days after the singer’s death, Raffles van Exel confessed: “The room had to be emptied.”

“Someone had to do it,” van Exel told the newspaper, according to a translation of the article published online.

Van Exel stopped short of telling The Telegraph what exactly he removed from the suite and he has not returned Celebuzz’s request for comment.

Last week, the Los Angeles County Coroner’s Office declared Houston, 48, died from an accidental drowning in a hotel bathtub with the “effects of atherosclerotic heart disease and cocaine use.”

Sources tell Celebuzz that Beverly Hills police are still investigating how Houston acquired the drugs that contributed to her death and whether they were hidden from police and first responders.

No cocaine or drug paraphernalia were found in the suite at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills, Calif., the source adds.

However, Houston’s cocaine use appeared to have occurred “in the time period just immediately prior to her collapse in the bathtub at the hotel,” Chief Coroner Craig Harvey said when he announced the findings of his report, last week.

“(Houston’s case) is still an open investigation for us… I can’t disclose any details about the investigation,” BHPD Lt. Mark Rosen told People on March 23.

In various media released, Van Exel, a Dutch national, touts himself as a “highly respected entertainment consultant” who has “guided some of the world’s most acclaimed executives and celebrities.”

[From Celebuzz]

Ok, so maybe some creepy hanger on just cashed in after Whitney died and covered up evidence of her overdose, it doesn’t have to mean that there’s some conspiracy over her death. This is still giving me butterflies in my stomach, particularly after watching this video of van Exel (below) that Roger Friedman clued me in on. If you don’t want to watch the whole thing, just fast forward to 1:43, where van Exel uses crutches to fake an injury and gain access to the Billboard Music Awards. He calls the security guard a “fool” for giving them a ride on a golf cart and letting them bypass security because he had crutches. He then pretends to be a representative for Joe Jackson despite not knowing him at all. At the beginning of the video, he explains that celebrities are just like regular people and that they’ll get more comfortable with you the more they see you hanging around. This is seriously creeping me out. He says at 3:40 “go for the kill and never take no for an answer.”

Note that the website mentioned on the video, “Diary of a Hollywood Street King,” is NOT van Exel’s blog. It’s an urban blog that copied the video and uploaded it again. They also claim to have details of how van Exel obtained cocaine for many celebrities, extorted money from them and was an enabler for Whitney’s drug habit. So maybe he was her dealer and he cleaned up the cocaine because he’s the one who got it for her. Now I know why her family isn’t convinced that her death was an accident. Holy sh*t. This is starting to remind me of Anna Nicole Smith’s death. Whitney had enablers around her, and this one in particular seems to have had nefarious intentions.

Photo via Celebrity Dirty Laundry.

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27 Responses to “Man who sold coffin photo of Whitney Houston admits wiping hotel suite clean”

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  1. John Wayne Lives says:

    oh god this is sick

    • Whatever says:

      I already knew this guy was shady. He needs to be prosecuted ASAP. He’s no longer in the country for a reason.

  2. Bite me says:

    Sh-t just got real 🙁

  3. hillbillygirl45 says:

    This guy is lower than slug shit…he seriously creeps me out. I hope somebody gets to the bottom of this. This is just bad all the way around….

  4. carrie says:

    next to him,the Trashdashian are classy !

  5. mln76 says:

    According to what I read he was one of the few people to attend BOTH the private and public ceremony. The family seems to have protected him even after the discovered his involvement in selling the pictures only suggesting he donate the funds he got to charity (yeah right).

    • WillyNilly says:

      That’s why I am hesitant to believe him. Maybe he’s actually covering up for the family that cleaned up the hotel room. Maybe he got paid off to take the blame for cleaning.

      • Mari says:

        This is my #1 theory. #2 is that he is extorting them.

      • gg says:

        Seems plausible, and maybe it’s both. They coddle him because they’re scared of what he knows and the damage he could do with it.

  6. maemay says:

    So is that sis in law trying to throw shade at Ray j to keep the scent off of Raffles and dem.

    • mln76 says:

      Which sister in law? My understanding is that this guy is friends with Whitney’s brothers’ wife. As I said above he was at both the private and public funerals and was flown with the family to Jersey for the services.
      Bobby’s sister Whitney’s ex sis-in-law may in fact be correct about the circumstances of Whitney’s death but possibly pinned it on the wrong person or maybe Ray J got the coke and Exel cleaned the room afterwards. Obviously it was Whitney’s choice to do the drugs so unless they can prove she got a bad bag it’s still not really a crime. Bobby’s sis said for B.Kristina not to trust anyone but her grandmother and her father (yeah right).
      I think she got it half right.

      • maemay says:

        Pat Houston. I fear for Kristina. To many people are capitalizing on Whitney’s death. I know Whitney was not perfect but she had put her life together and then this happens? I do blame the people around her who might have manipulated the situation to their advantage.

  7. alison8701 says:

    I could see it. When I watch the oscars I’m amazed by the amount of poeple on the red carpet– all dressed up to. Seems unnecessary. Is it just their PR person? If it was just celebs on the carpet that wouldn’t happen.

  8. Holly Hobby says:

    This guy is as bad as that bald creep that hung around Britney Spears before her folks got her back. The only difference is that this guy succeeded in getting his hooks onto celebs. This is so creepy.

    I hope INS deports him.

  9. Beatriz says:

    Holy shit, this guy should be locked up asap.

  10. gg says:

    This is a felony, right? Removing evidence? I sure hope the cops are looking for his azz.

    • lucy2 says:

      I would think so. I hope his bragging about being involved here has brought a heap o’sh-t down on him. If he’s acting as a celeb drug dealer too, they should have plenty to go after him on.

      I still think Whitney’s death was due to Whitney’s choices, but this guy still needs to be pursued.

  11. eternalcanadian says:

    Wow, that’s so freaky sad. RIP Whitney. 🙁

  12. joy says:

    hollywood is full of shady “managers”, greedy paparazzi, drug dealers, etc. famous drug addicts always find such people…

  13. Lissa says:

    Holy Crap!

    First of all, I think what he did to Whitney & her family is truly sickening and he needs to be prosecuted for it… But did you all see the video? This guy has balls, I was shocked at how he just jumped in with Joe Jackson’s crew and started to manage them and got backstage with VIP treatment. I must admit that I laughed when he snuck into that concert and walked on stage started singing & NO ONE SAID ANYTHING.

  14. CooCoo Catchoo says:

    I read a blind last week that implied misdeeds from a manager whose client recently died. Hmmmm. Wonder also if the family has enough info to have this Raffles dude questioned or arrested.
    If Pat Houston is doing shady shit, I’m worried for Bobbi Kris. She’s the executor of her trust. Shouldn’t someone be looking into these allegations?

  15. Ice Bunny says:

    This guy is clearly a sociopath, and with his stalker mentality, could get away with almost anything it seems. Thank GOD he is being outed… but what is so chilling is to know that this is a sycophantic side ‘business’ in Hollywood unto itself. Even the music in this video gives me the creeps. I could see this guy going off his rocker (very easily) and actually hurting someone if things didn’t go as planned or his way. He does not have a conscience. He is so shady and I believe clinically insane (i.e. – sociopath). I too am TOTALLY creeped out by him and all this. I hope he gets prosecuted.

  16. JD says:

    Another reason why I’m glad I’m not famous: human debris like this thing attaching itself to you.

  17. Lady Lupton says:

    De telegraaf is most certainly not a respected newspaper. It’s right wing kitty litter tray lining. I’m not saying they’re making things up but they may well be embellishing things. Also, if he confessed on 15 Jan, why haven’t the Dutch authorities been notified?

    He’s scum and he should be put to justice ASAP.

  18. Ally says:

    So the Dutch guy wiped up cocaine at the scene? Doesn’t this sound like he was the one who brought it? Perhaps he ingratiates himself to celebrities that way.

  19. Lady LaLa says:

    “Go in for the KILL???!!!” shudder…..