A judge has blocked the auction of some alarmingly personal Madonna artifacts, including a breakup letter from ex-boyfriend Tupac Shakur, a pair of worn panties, and a hairbrush containing her hair. The rock ‘n’ roll-themed auction, organized by Gotta Have It! Collectibles, was originally set to launch today. Manhattan Supreme Court judge Gerald Leibovitz halted the sale Tuesday afternoon (July 18) in response to a suit by Madonna.
“I was shocked to learn of the planned auctioning of the Shakur letter, as I had no idea that the Shakur letter was no longer in my possession,” Madonna wrote in the suit, according to Page Six. In her filing, Madonna blames the unauthorized memorabilia on a former friend, art consultant Darlene Lutz. According to Madonna, Lutz was a “frequent overnight guest” who “would have had access to these items on numerous occasions,” including when the singer herself was not home.
Madonna also expressed outrage over the hairbrush, suggesting a potential buyer would be able to extract DNA from her hair. “It is outrageous and grossly offensive that my DNA could be auctioned for sale to the general public,” she wrote.
Tupac and Madonna briefly dated in the mid-nineties. Earlier this month, TMZ published portions of the rapper’s breakup letter, written from prison in 1995. In one portion, Tupac explains he dumped Madonna because he feared racial perceptions could affect his career: “For you to be seen with a black man wouldn’t in any way jeopardize your career, if anything it would make you seem that much more open and exciting,” he wrote. “But for me at least in my previous perception, I felt due to my ‘image’ I would be letting down half of the people who made me what I thought I was. I never meant to hurt you.”
Another auction lot, a handwritten letter from Madonna to a seperate love interest, called Whitney Houston and Sharon Stone “horribly mediocre.”
“Madonna and her legal army have taken what we believe to be a completely baseless and meritless action to temporarily halt the sale of Ms. Lutz’s legal property,” a spokesman for Gotta Have It! Collectables told Page Six. “Madonna’s allegations will be vigorously challenged and refuted in a court of law in due course. We are confident that the Madonna memorabilia will be back.”
A hearing is set for September. It’s not clear what will happen to the items if the auction does not proceed.
