Tupac Shakur’s revealing break-up letter to Madonna is finally hitting the auction block July 17.
The pop icon waged a lengthy court battle, but the New York Supreme Court ultimately ruled that the three-page, hand-written letter now belongs to the auction company Gotta Have It! Collectibles.
Madonna, 60, won a temporary block on the sale in July 2016 — arguing that her celebrity status “does not obviate my right to maintain my privacy, including with regard to highly personal items.”
Alas, despite claims that the letter was her “personal property,” she legally transferred it her former art consultant Darlene Lutz as part of a 2004 settlement agreement, according to the New York Supreme Court ruling released online Wednesday.
The court dismissed all claims against Lutz and the the memorabilia company.
Shakur’s penned the letter from prison in 1995 when he was 24. In one passage, the 24-year-old rap legend apologizes for not being a good friend — and invokes one of Madonna’s least favorite subjects: Her age.
“Not because I am evil or because you weren’t worthy but at the risk of sounding over dramatic, the effects of racism make it difficult for a young black man to properly show affection for an older white woman,” he wrote.
Madonna was 37 at the time. Shakur died fatal gunshot wounds the next year in Las Vegas.
With a minimum starting bid of $100,000, reps for the Gotta Have It! estimate the letter will sell for as much as $300,000 when it’s auctioned online next week.
