A rock star performs on stage with a guitar, and is lit up with glowing stage lights
American Rock and Pop musician Tom Petty plays guitar as he performs, with his band the Heartbreakers at the Capitol Theatre, Passaic, New Jersey, June 27, 1980. Photo by Gary Gershoff/Getty Images.

The collection of rock ‘n’ roll star Tom Petty is going under the hammer at an online auction staged by Bonhams from August 29 to September 10.

Born in 1950 in Gainesville, Florida, Petty, who died in 2017 at age 66, was a singer, songwriter, and guitarist who found international success as the frontman of the band Mudcrutch, where he performed alongside Tom Leadon, Benmont Tench, and Mike Campbell, among others. A year after Mudcrutch broke up in 1975, Tench and Campbell joined Petty to form Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, which remained active until the bandleader’s death.

Petty’s Chinese red lacquered cabinet. Photo: Bonhams.

Petty sold more than 80 million records over the course of his life, making him one of the most successful rock stars of all time. Hit singles like “American Girl” (1976), “Refugee” (1980), and “The Waiting” (1981) paved the way for his induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2002. Touring till the end, he did not like to sit still. “If I don’t have a project going on, I don’t feel like I’m connected to anything,” he said in one of his last interviews. “I don’t even think it’s that healthy for me. I like to get out of bed and have a purpose.”

Petty’s private collection includes a host of personal items taken from his compound and beachfront cottage in Malibu, California, which he described as a sanctuary from the highs and lows of his lifestyle.

Bonhams expects his Yamaha grand piano to sell for as much as $7,000, his recording console for up to $700, and his writing desk, adorned with the engraved initials of his wife Dana York, for $300, making this auction a rare and reasonably affordable opportunity for fans in search of Petty memorabilia.

Petty’s Yamaha Grand Piano. Photo: Press Bonhams.

Also up for auction are several artworks Petty collected, including The Virgin and Child, an 18th- or 19th-century painting from an unnamed Spanish Colonial School artist ($2,000–$3,000), a Chinese carved wood daybed ($2,000–$3,000), an oak telephone booth with payphone ($500–$700), and a crushed velvet stained sofa ($1,000–$2,000).

Petty’s writing desk. Photo: Press Bonhams.

One of the most expensive lots is Petty’s fiery Rangoon Red 1965 Ford Mustang, which will be offered on August 16 at an asking price of $25,000–$35,000. The car, which Petty drove for almost 20 years, is in excellent condition, said the auctioneer.

Petty’s Ford Mustang. Photo: Press Bonhams.

Petty’s eclectic collection reflects his wide-ranging musical inspirations and influences, said the house. Just as the music he straddle roots and rock, so too was his bohemian Malibu home filled with Spanish and Italian décor, Persian rugs, Chinese paintings, and Himalayan sculptures.