Elton John's £70k battle to 'get suit back' from Blue's Lee Ryan: 'Best costume ever!'
ELTON JOHN is allegedly in the midst of a £70,000 bidding war to buy back one of his old Mozart costumes that is owned by Blue singer Lee Ryan, Express.co.uk were told.
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The Rocket Man singer has sold over 300 million records worldwide and is one of Britain’s most renowned performers. His debut album Empty Sky kick-started his career in the late Sixties and laid the groundwork for five decades in the industry. Sir Elton, who was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II in the late Nineties, continues to perform to this day.
The legendary singer is scheduled to return to his Farewell Yellow Brick Road tour in September, which is due to run until 2023.
He announced his retirement from music three years ago and fans are set to eagerly flock to packed-out stadiums to witness Sir Elton’s swan song.
Ahead of the goodbye tour, Express.co.uk was told the Candle In The Wind performer is trying to buy back at least one of his old costumes.
During Sir Elton’s career, his iconic outfits have made just as much of an impression on fans as his undeniable vocal talent.
However, if the 74-year-old wants to get his hands on one piece he may have to fork out a hefty sum.
A “beautiful pearl white suit” that Sir Elton wore to emulate Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart in 1986 is currently up for auction.
The costume, which has silver and white sequined lapels, carries a staggering estimate of £71,000 ($100,000).
Gotta Have Rock And Roll Auctions, who are selling the piece, described it as “one of the most incredible, original… Elton John outfits to ever surface”.
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They expect a pretty penny to be spent on this “once in a lifetime” piece, which currently has a bid of £25,000 ($35,000).
Ed Kosinski, the owner of the auction house, told Express.co.uk: “This is probably one of the best costumes ever to come up for auction.
“You can see Elton wearing it on various album covers, 45 covers and videos.”
But such an impressive outfit is likely to have already drawn attention from fans, collectors and potentially museums.
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While it is not known who has registered the initial £25,000 bid, there are less than two days before the auction closes on Saturday.
Mr Kosinski claims that there could be trouble afoot for Sir Elton because the item’s owner chose to put it up for auction.
He told Express.co.uk: “It’s coming from a very good source, Lee Ryan, of the boyband Blue, who performed Sorry Seems To Be The Hardest Word with him.”
The song, which was a rerelease of Sir Elton’s 1976 hit, “sold more than 60 million copies in the UK” after coming out in December 2002.
It was released on Blue’s second studio album One Love and reached number one in the UK Singles Chart.
Mr Kosinski claimed “Elton wants the suit back” from Ryan, who bought it for £10,000 as part of an auction to fundraise for AIDS charities in 2002.
The auctioneer told Express.co.uk “it is fair” that the singer has to “bid in the auction” to get back his old outfit.
He continued: “Just because he is Elton John doesn’t mean he should get special treatment.
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“Even though it was his costume, Lee bought it from a charity event and he is the rightful owner.
“Elton is interested in getting it back and that is very interesting.”
Mr Kosinski claimed the generous singer “would always give things away and donate them”.
While the auctioneer would be happy to see the piece return to Sir Elton, he joked that a bidding war between the public and the star “would be nice for everybody”.
He noted that Ryan considered himself to be “Elton’s friend” but still decided to list the costume for auction.
This isn’t the only piece related to the musician, which is set to appear on the Gotta Have Rock And Roll auction block.
Sir Elton’s “stunning” gold lamé jumpsuit for his 1973 Goodbye Yellow Brick Road Tour could sell for up to £6,400 ($9,000).
The bright and sparkly piece was described as: “A truly fantastic performance costume created for one of Elton’s most memorable concert tours.”
Bizarrely, Gotta Have Rock And Roll claimed the outfit “even smells like Elton John” and carries a label with the singer’s name inside.
Bernie Taupin’s handwritten lyrics for Sir Elton’s 1971 hit Rock Me When He’s Gone is estimated to sell for £3,500 ($5,000).
A Billy Joel and Sir Elton signed programme from their Face 2 Face tour in 1994 could fetch £1,700 ($2,500).
Two shirts worn by Sir Elton, one gingham and one paisley patterned, could carry estimates of £710 ($1,000) each.
A US Customs Declaration card that was signed by Sir Elton for a 1994 trip from London to New York could sell for £430 ($600).
A signed promo box for his Seventies album Victim Of Love, which is described as “very rare”, could fetch £430 ($600).
To find out more about the auction lots visit: www.gottahaverockandroll.com.