“As we were preparing for our annual ‘Icons & Idols: Rock and Roll’ auction lineup, we were stunned to hear the sad news of Eddie Van Halen’s passing,” Darren Julien, president and CEO of Julien’s Auctions said in a statement before the sale. “We are honored to include at this event two iconic guitars from his brilliant and blazing career as one of rock’s greatest and most gifted guitar heroes. His instruments join their rightful place among other rock royalty items from Kurt Cobain, Michael Jackson, Aerosmith and many others.”
The auction also featured a black Fender Stratocaster played and smashed by Cobain during Nirvana’s 1994 In Utero tour at a show at the Palais Omnisport de Rennes in Rennes, France, on Feb. 16, 1994 (which went for $128,000); Michael Jackson’s white nylon right-hand glove with a silver-tone metal hook, covered in hand-sewn Swarovski crystals and worn by the late King of Pop during The Jacksons’ 1984 Victory tour (final bid: $76,800); Lady Gaga’s black Kaimin PVC jacket worn in the video and photoshoot for her makeup brand, Haus Laboratories (final bid: $6,400);
