Tupac Shakur's Handwritten Madonna Letter To Be Auctioned: What's The Starting Bid?

In 1995, rapper Tupac Shakur penned a handwritten letter to singer Madonna that discussed both their relationship and his regret. According to NME, the personal note is included in a larger collection of items being auctioned off by the pop star's former friend Darlene Lutz. The bidding is set to begin online on July 17.

The three-page letter was written by a then 24-year-old Tupac in order to end his relationship with Madonna, then 37, while he was in prison.

"I must apologize to you," the rapper wrote. "Because like you said I haven't been the kind of friend I know I am capable of being. 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."

"Please remember me not for my shortcomings but for the good times and magic that we shared," he added in the letter.

The "Material Girl" singer had previously tried to halt the auction on the grounds that she actually owned the note.

According to Rolling Stone, in July 2017, a judge stopped the sale of the piece after an emergency court order had been filed, at which point the letter had reached bidding of $100K. However, in April 2018, a judge ruled that instead, the letter belonged to the company Gotta Have Rock and Roll, who had obtained it from Madonna's former employee.

So, what is the starting price? The auction site lists the minimum bid at 100K. Auctioneers estimate that the handwritten note may end up selling for as much as $300K, even though scanned versions of it, which can be seen here via TMZ, have been floating around the internet for years.