• December 03, 2007
• Vol. 68
• No. 23

Absolutely Fabulous

By MARK DAGOSTINO

From Alligator Work Boots to Fur-Covered Chairs, the Personal Possessions of Singer Luther Vandross Hit the Auction Block

A sterling silver ketchup bottle. Chairs covered in mink. Hundreds of custom-made shoes. These are the prized possessions from Luther Vandross's homes in L.A., Connecticut and Manhattan that are to be auctioned off by the New Jersey firm Dawson & Nye Dec. 5-6. The estate sale—which also features stage costumes and personal items like his driver's license and oft-used credit cards—provides an extraordinary glimpse into the singer's lush lifestyle. (Vandross died in 2005, two years after suffering a debilitating stroke.) "He had this lavish, impractical approach to life," says his longtime assistant Max Szadek. "He would put on cashmere to go wash the car."

THE SHOE COLLECTION
Vandross owned well over 400 pairs of shoes (size 11-12), many in exotic skins. "He loved the lavishness of going over the top," says Szadek. Hence a pair of alligator hiking boots (top right). "He didn't want it to be practical."

STAGE JACKETS
This intricately beaded stage costume matched his back-up singers' gowns. "In any show you would have at least two changes—you'd start with white and go to color, or start with color and go to white," Szadek recalls. "And we would do different wardrobe on different nights, so if you came back-to-back nights you wouldn't see the same costumes."

THE VERSACE COAT
Vandross wore it for a magazine photo shoot in 1998. There are a number of vintage Versace pieces for sale.

HIS LEOPARD-PRINT RUG
The rug was a centerpiece at the singer's sprawling estate in Greenwich, Conn. (where he sat for this PEOPLE photo shoot in 1998). Interior design "was his second passion—mixing colors and creating palettes," says Szadek. "He was also inspired by some of the five-star hotels we traveled to around the world."

TIFFANY & CO. SILVER CONDIMENT JARS
"It was so Luther—he saw the humor in it," says Szadek. "He used the best china with a grilled-cheese sandwich."

SONG LYRICS
"He didn't have a studio in his home because he didn't want to take his work home," says Szadek. "But he did have an office, and he handwrote his lyrics"—such as these to "Like I'm Invisible," which appeared on the 2001 album Luther Vandross.

HIS DRIVER'S LICENSE AND CREDIT CARDS
Vandross liked to drive, especially in L.A. "He loved to slam on a rough cut of his new album in the Rolls. He would drive around and listen to his [own] music all the time," says Szadek.