Bob Dylan guitar fetches $495,000 at auction

A jumpsuit worn by Elton John is flanked by a guitar, left, owned by Robbie Robertson and used by Bob Dylan, and another guitar used by Jeff Beck at the Hard Rock Cafe, Monday, May 14, 2018, in New York. (AP)
Updated 20 May 2018
Follow

Bob Dylan guitar fetches $495,000 at auction

NEW YORK: A guitar that played a key role in Bob Dylan’s artistic evolution from folk music to rock fetched a half million at auction on Saturday.
The guitar, a 1965 Fender Telecaster that belonged to Robbie Robertson, Dylan’s guitarist, was used by Dylan, Eric Clapton and George Harrison, Julien’s Auctions said Saturday.
It had been expected to fetch between $400,000 and $600,000.
The guitar marked the singer’s path from folk stylings like “The Times They Are A-Changin’” (1964), to electric rock, like his 1965 hit “Like a Rolling Stone.”
Other famous guitars went under the hammer on Saturday: George Harrison’s first electric guitar, a $40,000 Hofner Club 40, and a Fender Telecaster rosewood guitar made for Elvis Presley in 1968, priced at a cool $115,200.
More than 40 years after his death, Elvis items still fetch a handsome price.
A heavily decorated Elvis belt, which he wore during a concert in Hawaii in 1972, sold for $354,400.
A star-shaped diamond ring donated by Elvis to an admirer at a concert in 1975 brought in a sparkly $100,000.
The sale also included show costumes that belonged to artists from Elton John, to Britney Spears and Michael Jackson.
A leather jacket and pants suit from the late “Thriller” singer, with a yellow shirt, brought in $217,600, Julien said.


Vince Zampella, video game pioneer behind ‘Call of Duty,’ dies at 55

Updated 23 December 2025
Follow

Vince Zampella, video game pioneer behind ‘Call of Duty,’ dies at 55

Vince Zampella, one of the creators behind such best-selling video games as “Call of Duty,” has died. He was 55.
Video game company Electronic Arts said Zampella died Sunday. The company did not disclose a cause of death.
In 2010, Zampella founded Respawn Entertainment, a subsidiary of EA, and he also was the former chief executive of video game developer Infinity Ward, the studio behind the successful “Call of Duty” franchise.
A spokesperson for Electronic Arts said in a statement on Monday that Zampella’s influence on the video game industry was “profound and far-reaching.”
“A friend, colleague, leader and visionary creator, his work helped shape modern interactive entertainment and inspired millions of players and developers around the world. His legacy will continue to shape how games are made and how players connect for generations to come,” a company spokesperson wrote.
One of Zampella’s crowning achievements was the creation of the Call of Duty franchise, which has sold more than half a billion games worldwide,
The first person shooter game debuted in 2003 as a World War II simulation and has sold over 500 million copies globally. Subsequent versions have delved into modern warfare and there is a live-action movie based on the game in production with Paramount Pictures.
In recent years, Zampella has been at the helm of the creation of the action adventure video games Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order and Star Wars Jedi: Survivor.