Culture May 26, 2018

Whitney Houston's cousin responds to controversial album cover of late singer's bathroom

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Whitney Houston performs on stage in Ahoy, Rotterdam, Netherlands, April 19, 1988.

One member of Whitney Houston's family is speaking out after Kanye West used a controversial photo of the late singer's bathroom for Pusha T's new album, "Daytona."

Houston was found dead at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in 2012. Prescription drugs were found near her body, and bottles of alcohol were found in an adjacent room at the Beverly Hilton Hotel. She was 48.

Damon Elliott, the son of Houston's cousin Dionne Warwick, said he found out about the album cover after his daughter called him "frantic."

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Rapper Kanye West is seen walking in Soho, Feb. 13, 2017 in New York City.

"She sent me this picture from the album cover and I immediately got sick to my stomach because it took me right back to six years ago," the music producer told People magazine. “To do something for a publicity stunt to sell records, it’s absolutely disgusting. It hurt my family and my daughter. It’s petty. It’s tacky.”

Elliott, who told the magazine that he's worked with West on a song for R&B singer Keyshia Cole, said he was in "shock because I’m in the music business."

“I’ve watched the train wreck happening," he added, referring to West's recent headlines, "but I didn’t think he’d go this far in invading someone’s family privacy.”

Pusha T, 41, told syndicated radio personality Angie Martinez that West, who produced the album, paid $85,000 to use a 2006 photo of Houston's bathroom, filled with what appears to be drug paraphernalia. The photo was secretly taken by a family member and originally published by the National Enquirer.

West shared the album cover for "Daytona" on Thursday on Twitter with the caption: "album 1 PUSHA T DAYTONA dropping 2mrw."

Elliott told People magazine that he just wants West “to tell me why he did it. What is the creative side of this? What’s the point? It shows no creativity.”

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Kanye West and Pusha T attend THE DIESEL U Music Tour 2009 NYC at Webster Hall, July 30, 2009 in New York City.

“What were you thinking? Did you think this through? And if you did, why did you do this?” he continued. “Because you’re hurting people. It knocked the wind out of me last night. When someone passes, you try to mourn and move on and remember the good times.”

The music producer also said that he hasn't heard from Houston's mother, but he did tell his own mother about it.

"She had no idea. I’m sure she knows about it now, though," he added.

ABC News reached out to reps for Cissy Houston and the late singer's brother, Gary, but didn't immediately hear back.