Tom Petty's family is reportedly suing an auction house after it announced an auction featuring some of the late musician's personal items; the reason why they're taking legal action is that the memorabilia are allegedly stolen.
Taking to the singer's official Facebook account, the family announced that they are pursuing "swift legal action" against the Boston-based company called RR Auction.
They noted that some of the personal property they are trying to sell has been "outright stolen from a secured archive based on prior knowledge, staff observations and documentation."
Now that they're taking the auction house to court, the family warned supporters to not participate in the auction until the matter between the two parties has been resolved to "avoid getting further involved" in the lawsuit.
Tom Petty Auction Issue
According to Loudwire, some of Tom Petty's personal belongings including vests, shirts, bags, signed records, sweaters, and more, are among the 57 items currently up for sale on RR Auction's official website.
All items are priced from $100 to $5,700 and some of them already have numerous bids from prospective buyers.
It appears that the company is not taking any action regarding the controversy as all the items are still up for auction. The bidding period is currently ongoing until June 22, 2023.
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Tom Petty's Family Looking Forward to Recover the Late Musician's Personal Belongings
Later in the Facebook post, the family noted that some of the missing items from the archive are beloved by the musician when he was still alive.
"These items have irreplaceable sentimental and educational value for the family and legacy of Tom Petty and we look forward to their safe return," the statement reads.
As of this writing, RR Auctions has yet to release a statement about the lawsuit and it's unclear whether the two parties have already talked about the matter.
Tom Petty Death
Fans and family mourned the death of the Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers frontman after he died in October 2017.
According to Rolling Stone, he was reportedly found unconscious and not breathing at his home in Malibu. The singer was taken to the hospital where doctors found a pulse, unfortunately, there is no brain activity and he passed away hours later.
The following year, a medical examiner ruled his death as an accidental overdose, saying he took several pain medications.
