Calls from family members of Tom Petty for a police investigation into how some of the late singer’s personal items ended up on the auction block have launched an investigation.
The Los Angeles Police Department has opened a major robbery investigation TMZ.
The Grammy winner’s family burst into tears when items such as clothes, hats and shoes were listed for sale by Boston-based RR Auction and filed a police report last week, the outlet said.
The Petty estate claimed the items were placed in a Los Angeles storage unit.
The auction house said they were told the jackets, shoes and caps were found at a home the Breakdown singer owned in Encino, California.
Investigation: Los Angeles Police are investigating the alleged theft of Tom Petty memorabilia after the family alleged that items put up for sale by RR Auctions in May were stolen from a storage facility (pictured on The Isle of Wight in June 2012)
The items were expected to sell for thousands of dollars. The bid for a black and white striped satin jacket that Petty wore in the late 1970s was priced at $5,724 at the time it was pulled from auction, which was scheduled for June 22.
Mark S. Zaid, an attorney for the auction house, explained TMZ in May, when the alleged theft was discovered, that ‘RR Auction has been working with the Petty family since they contacted us a few days ago and will happily continue to do so without undue hostile threats of litigation.’
Zaid said the auction house takes “alleges of theft like this very seriously” and has never been able to reach an amicable settlement when, on the rare occasions, items offered by our senders were found to have provenance issues.
The auction house has not responded to questions about the police investigation, according to the outlet.
The late singer still has an avid fanbase who can listen to him daily on the Tom Petty radio channel on Sirius XM.
The channel, featuring music, interviews and more, was launched in 2015.
The Rock and Roll Hall of Famer’s children, Adria, 48, Dylan, 31, and Kimberly, 31, posted a photo of the rocker with Kimberly backstage Sunday on the Tom Petty Official Instagram page, writing: “Happy Fathers Day in heaven to our beautiful dad .’
Tom Petty died on October 2, 2017, due to an accidental drug overdose resulting from a mix of multiple drugs, including fentanyl and oxycodone.
Memorabilia: The auction house said the person who ordered the sale claimed the items, including jackets, sneakers and hats expected to fetch thousands of dollars, were found in the Encino, CA home where the rocker once lived
Father’s Day: The Rock and Roll Hall of Famer’s children, Adria, 48, Dylan, 31, and Kimberly, 31, posted a photo of the rocker with Kimberly backstage Sunday on Tom Petty’s official Instagram page, writing: “Happy Fathers Day in heaven to our beautiful father’
Tom Petty died on October 2, 2017 due to an accidental drug overdose resulting from a mix of multiple drugs including fentanyl and oxycodone (pictured in Glendale, AZ in February 2008)
His family noted that he had been dealing with pain from a hip fracture and knee problems that persisted throughout his touring.
His albums Wildflowers, Damn the Torpedoes and Full Moon Fever are on the list of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time. Rolling stone magazine.
The publication also included his hits American Girl and Free Fallin’ 500 greatest songs of all time list.
The beach house in Malibu where the Free Fallin’ singer lived part-time with his wife Dana was put up for sale in December for $9.85 million.
The 2,200-square-foot solar-powered house in the beach area of Escondido sold in just 10 days, according to the website Mansion worldwide.