Celebrity News:

From his Dolce & Gabbana fur trousers to his mink-upholstered chairs, the "Love Doctor" lived a life of extravagant style.

Now fans of Luther Vandross have a chance to buy their own mementoes of the celebrated R&B balladeer who died in 2005.

Hundreds crowded into an auction house in Morris Plains, New Jersey, yesterday to bid for items from the eight-time Emmy winner’s homes in Beverly Hills and Connecticut and on Fifth Avenue, New York.

The 1,031 lots ranged from his New York State driving licence — putting his height at 6’3" — which sold for $944 (£460), to a 1961 Picasso charcoal sketch, which went last night for an above-estimate $129,000. The star’s American Express card was also attracting a great deal of attention.

On sale from Vandross’s celebrated wardrobe were such treasures as a Gucci mink-and-alligator-trimmed three-quarter-length coat, a Versace black crocodile travel bag and a Pasha de Cartier 18-carat gold and diamond wristwatch.

"He lived his private life how he was on stage. Everything that was glittering on stage was also glittering off stage," said Max Szadek, his longtime personal assistant.

"Many times at the airport or a restaurant you would see him dressed as beautifully as he was on stage."

Vandross, who died aged 54 of complications from a stroke, was hailed as "The King of Romance" through such hits as The Power of Love. The two-day sale, which finishes today, has attracted interest from Vandross fans as far afield as London and Tokyo, who have placed bids online.

His musical career is represented by his handwritten lyrics to Love Forgot, scribbled on a yellow legal pad, and a sheaf of sheet music of If Only for One Night, on which he has also written.

One of the more unusual lots is a pair of beaded denim trousers that the rap impresario Sean "Diddy" Combs reputedly gave him to sing A House is Not a Home to Jennifer Lopez in a failed quest to help him to win back her love.

There is also a framed letter from a fan in Plains, Montana, requesting an autograph and praising Vandross as "one of the best colored singers in America."

Mr Szadek, who selected the items for sale, said that he chose only about 20 per cent of Vandross’s extensive wardrobe.

"My thought going into it was to blend some of his really beautiful art collection and home furnishings with some of the memorabilia the fan would be looking for," he said. "There is a really wide price range so all fans can come in and find something in their budget.

"I looked for some of the iconic things he wore on stage and some of the personal things, like a Versace jacket, that to me really personified Luther," he explained.

"I am personally attracted to the stage jewellery. He had a four-carat diamond ring, a bracelet and a diamond-encrusted Paiget watch. He would wear them on stage all the time so that reminds me of him on stage."

The auction house estimates the sale will bring in $600,000-$800,000, which will go to the singer’s estate.

Ida Vandross, his 84-year-old mother, who survived her husband and all four of their children, said that she hoped fans would be able to take away something to remember him by.

"There was a love thing going on from the stage to the audience and from the audience to the stage," Mrs Vandross said.

"To be remembered is the greatest gift on Earth. I don’t think he’ll be forgotten quickly."