The ashes of Capote originally belonged to former friend of the writer’s Joanne Carson. The ashes were sold to an unidentified buyer. According to Time magazine, the ashes were contained in a sealed wooden Japanese box. The original owner of the ashes, having been bequeathed by Capote, was the late Joanne Carson (former wife of talk host Johnny Carson). Truman Capote, passed away in Carter’s Bel-Air mansion in 1984.
Interest in the ashes was surprisingly high. Speaking with CNN, President and Chief Executive of auction house that sold the ashes (Julian’s Auctions), Darren Julien commented: “We had people from Russia, Germany, China, South America and here in the U.S. who had interest in them.”
The expected asking price was $2,000; it was somewhat of a surprise to the auction house that the bidding extended upwards to near $45,000. Other items of Capote were also sold at the auction. In addition to personal effects, his trousers and ice skates also went under the hammer. One slightly more gruesome sale was the shirt the author was wearing on the day of his death. In addition, The Guardian reports that two lots of his prescription pill bottles went for a combined $9,280.
The auctioneers, Julien’s Auctions, is an auction house in Los Angeles, California. The auction house deals with the sale of personal possessions owned by celebrities, including Marilyn Monroe, Elvis Presley and Michael Jackson.
Truman Capote was a socialite and celebrated author. His two most well known works are contrasting. ‘In Cold Blood’ is one of the first fictionalized accounts of murder to be written as if it was a work of non-fiction; and ‘Breakfast at Tiffany’s‘ explores the mysterious life of a call-girl.
