Intimate pieces of Amy Winehouse and Lady Gaga memorabilia will be available for purchase when the late singer Tony Bennett's collection of personal heirlooms is auctioned off next month.
The collection includes the sheet music for the jazz standard "Body and Soul" which Bennett had signed by Winehouse while they were performing it together. The version that came out in 2011 was the last song she recorded before her death later that year.
"Happy 85th you handsome legend you," the ill-fated starlet wrote. "Your biggest fan. (My dad is literally much bigger in person than me though), Amy XX."
Winehouse called herself Bennett's 'biggest fan' in a handwritten note that's expected to fetch between $1,000 and $1,500.
Online bids have already made it to $350 on the website for the auction company Julien's, but the item is expected to fetch between $1,000 and $1,500.
The collection also includes Lady Gaga-signed sheet music for the track "That's Why the Lady is a Tramp," which is already up to $1,250. Several other handwritten notes from the pop star will be available for purchase, as well.
A Paramount documentary about the pair's friendship called The Lady and the Legend is due out later this year. It was initially supposed to arrive last November, but the release date was delayed.
Potential buyers will have the chance to place bids in person at the Lincoln Center in Bennett's native New York City on Thursday, April 18, and Friday, April 19.
Before that, parts of the collection will be on display at the Fairmont Hotel in San Francisco from Monday, April 1 to Friday, April 12. There will also be an exhibit at Lincoln Center from Wednesday, April 10 to Tuesday, April 16.
"Tony Bennett’s life mirrored America’s cultural, social and political history," said Olivier Chastan, the CEO of Iconoclast, which owns the rights to the artist's legacy.
"This incredible collection speaks to Tony’s creative genius and his positive impact on others and the world."
Bennett, who was born to an Italian immigrant father in Queens, had a great love for New York City. He created many paintings and drawings of the cityscape and collected other local souvenirs that will be included in the auction.
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The New York City native broke into the music industry with his chart-topping cover of 'Because of You' in 1951.
Despite his Queens roots, Bennett had lots of ties to the Yankees baseball team. The collection includes a baseball signed by the Yankees legend Joe DiMaggio and a handwritten note from the team's former owner George Steinbrenner.
Bennett released more than 70 pop and jazz albums over the course of his career spanning more than half a century.
He broke onto the scene in 1951 with a cover of the Arthur Hammerstein and Dudley Wilkinson track "Because of You," which made it to No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100. Bennett found two more chart-topping hits with "Cold, Cold Heart" and "Rags to Riches" later that decade.
He died at age 96 last year following an extended battle with Alzheimer's disease.
Toward the end of his career, the singer's albums regularly made it to the top of the U.S. Jazz chart.
Bennett died at age 96 in July 2023 following an extended battle with Alzheimer's disease.
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