Indianapolis Colts Owner Jim Irsay Spent Over $5 Million on David Gilmour’s Guitars

The Pink Floyd guitarist was selling them to raise money for charity

David Gilmour Black Strat guitar
Kerry Keane, Christie's Musical Instruments Specialist, holds the "Black Strat" from David Gilmour at Christie's (Photo: JOHANNES EISELE/AFP/Getty Images)
AFP/Getty Images

“I just f—king love Pink Floyd, man.”

That love is apparently worth over $5 million, the amount Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay spent on guitars and memorabilia from Pink Floyd’s David Gilmour at a Christie’s auction in late June in New York.

Irsay, an avid fan of Floyd since the 1970s, spent a record $3.975 million on the guitarist’s black 1969 Fender Stratocaster (dubbed the”Black Strat”), $175K on a Pink Floyd-branded flight case and over a million dollars on a 1969 Martin D-35 that Gilmour used to record “Wish You Were Here,” according to Rolling Stone.

In a follow-up interview with the music mag, Irsay — adding to his profanity-laced love of the band — noted, “I think [Roger] Waters’ lyrics and Gilmour’s playing and their whole story and prominence is just so profound that I cannot say enough about my excitement for this. … David Gilmour stands by himself.”

Irsay, who earlier this year purchased John Lennon’s personal piano at a different auction, says he wants to honor the Pink Floyd guitarist’s wishes and actually play music with the guitars.

Money from the Christie’s sale, which totaled $21.5 million, will go toward ClientEarth, a charity that fights climate change.

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