Robbie Williams remarked that he acquired Eric Morecambe’s spectacles and pipe as he has long viewed the comedian as a kind of “uncle”.
The artist shared that he shed “joyful, youthful tears” after placing the highest bid last month with a final amount of £20,000.
This significantly surpassed the initial estimate of £2,000 to £4,000.
In an Instagram update displaying images of Williams utilizing the glasses and pipe, he mentioned that he indulged himself in these items in celebration of his forthcoming 51st birthday.
The Angels performer reminisced about designating Mike, a member of his staff responsible for his digital footprint, as “chief bidder” while he was in Los Angeles preparing to board a flight as the auction commenced.
“As fate would have it, I was able to watch the lot being auctioned in real-time. My iPhone and Mike’s iPhone functioning as walkie-talkies,” he documented.
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“‘What should I do, Ayd’s?’ I anxiously kept inquiring from my wife. ‘Keep bidding,’ Ayda responded with the steely resolve of someone charging through an electronics store on Black Friday.
“‘Continue on, Mike,’ I urged. This brief exchange would repeat several times over the next 10 minutes.”
Des O’Connor (right) alongside Eric Morecambe, in the Wellington Hospital, London, 1978
Upon victorious completion of the bidding war, Williams declared he wept “joyful, childlike tears”.
“You see, I believe we all cherish friends-we-never-meet from television. Eric has inevitably been mine. A sort of uncle,” he expressed.
“To my very core, Eric Morecambe’s essence has been a balm for my spirit. The way Eric made me feel is how I aspire to make others feel.
“What a remarkable gift it is to generate such happiness and have that joy linger just by recalling them.”
The faux tortoiseshell spectacles by Metzler, renowned for their association with Morecambe’s sharp humor and comedic identity, were auctioned along with his Barling briar pipe and two black-and-white images of him donning the glasses.
Hanson Auctioneers presented Morecambe’s possessions in 700 lots on January 10 and 11, over four decades after the comedian passed away from a heart attack at the age of 58 in 1984.
