Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

Tupac’s break-up letter to Madonna goes to auction, starting at £100,000

Rapper wrote the break-up note in prison a year before his death  

Jacob Stolworthy
Thursday 11 July 2019 08:24 EDT
Comments
Keffe D almost reveals who shot Tupac Shakur in new documentary

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

The love letter Madonna received from her ex-boyfriend, the late rapper Tupac Shakur, has gone to auction.

The intimate note was part of a collection of intimate personal items including cassettes and a hairbrush with strands of her hair, which was put up for auction by her former friend Darlene Lutz.

You can read it in full here.

Bidding on the breakup letter, which was written a year before Tupac’s death while he was in prison in 1995, had reached $100,000 (£72,000) in July 2017 when Madonna filed an emergency court order over Gotta Have Rock and Roll’s auction.

Madonna won a temporary block on the sale of 22 items in July 2016 – telling a New York City court her celebrity stature “does not obviate my right to maintain my privacy, including with regard to highly personal items”.

But the musician’s lawsuit against Ms Lutz has was later thrown out by New York judge Gerald Lebovits.

He said the statute of limitation to recover her items had passed and ruled that Madonna misdirected her legal action by targeting Ms Lutz – a New York art dealer who helped Madonna build a collection before the pair fell out.

The star claimed she had no idea Ms Lutz was in possession of the letter until she heard about the online sale.

The pair fell out in 2003, and after settling a legal dispute over artwork the following year, Madonna signed a release from “any and all” future claims against her former friend, Judge Lebovits said in his ruling.

Lutz, a breast cancer survivor, will donate a portion of the proceeds breastcancer.org.

Bidding begins online on 17 July.

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in