Prince's gold Stratocaster sells for $100,000 to race car driver Lewis Hamilton

From the Archives: Prince’s gold Stratocaster sells for $100,000 to race car driver Lewis Hamilton

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Prince performs at the Forum in Inglewood on Feb. 18, 1985. (Liu Heung Shing / Associated Press )

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People get emotional while talking about Prince at a memorial for the artist in Leimert Park.

(Barbara Davidson / Los Angeles Times)

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A rainbow appears over Paisley Park near a memorial for Prince in Chanhassen, Minn. Prince, widely acclaimed as one of the most inventive and influential musicians of his era with hits including “Little Red Corvette,” ’’Let’s Go Crazy” and “When Doves Cry,” was found dead at his home at Paisley Park on Thursday.

(Carlos Gonzalez / Star Tribune via AP)

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Prince performs at the St. Paul Civic Center in St. Paul, Minn. on Dec. 25, 1984.

(David Brewster / AP)

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Prince performs on stage on the Hit N Run-Parade Tour at Wembley Arena in London in August 1986.

(Michael Putland / Getty Images)

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Prince performs at the Sziget Festival in Budapest, Hungary, on Aug. 9, 2011.

(Balazs Mohai / EPA)

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Prince at the Sportpaleis in Antwerp, Belgium, on Nov. 8, 2010.

(Dirk Waem / EPA)

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Prince presents an award at the American Music Awards in Los Angeles on Nov. 22, 2015.

(Matt Sayles / Invision / Associated Press)

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Prince performs at Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival in 2008.

(Spencer Weiner / Los Angeles Times)

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A shirtless Prince performs in 1986.

(Mario Suriani / Associated Press)

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Prince and Manuela Testolini arrive at the 2005 Academy Awards.

(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

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Prince and Manuela Testolini arrive at the 2005 Annual Academy Awards.

(Al Seib / Los Angeles Times)

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Prince performs at the Super Bowl in 2007.

(Evan Agostini / Getty Images)

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Prince in 2008.

(Spencer Weiner / Los Angeles Times)

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Prince performs “Purple Rain” at the 46th Annual Grammy Awards in 2004.

(Richard Hartog / Los Angeles Times)

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Prince performs at the Super Bowl in 2007.

(Chris O’Meara / Associated Press)

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Prince with Beyonce at the 2004 Grammy Awards.

(Richard Hartog / Los Angeles Times)

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Prince performs on ABC’s “Good Morning America” in 2006.

(Peter Kramer / Getty Images)

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The crowd at the Roosevelt Hotel in Hollywood before a Prince concert in 2007.

(Lori Shepler / Los Angeles Times)

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Prince performs in France in 2011. (Bertrand Guay / AFP/Getty Images)

By Randy Lewis

April 18, 2011 12 AM PT

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Prince, one of the bestselling pop artists of all time, died April 21, 2016, in his recording studio in Chanhassen, Minn. This article about the sale of his custom guitar was originally published on April 18, 2011.

Formula 1 race car driver Lewis Hamilton has ponied up $100,000 to buy the custom gold-leaf Fender Stratocaster guitar that Prince has been playing on tour. Proceeds will go to children’s and community-based organizations.

Hamilton and his girlfriend, actress and Pussycat Dolls singer Nicole Scherzinger, had joined Prince onstage at a concert in Abu Dhabi following the 2010 Grand Prix.

FULL COVERAGE: The world mourns the loss of Prince

Prince had ordered the guitar from Fender’s Custom Shop in Corona to be a unique component of his “Welcome 2 America Live” tour when it began late last year in New York. The guitar is gold-plated from head to toe, although it is not solid gold, as has sometimes been reported.

He brought the tour to Los Angeles for a planned run of 21 nights at the Forum in Inglewood that started Thursday. The stint continues with three more shows this week -- Thursday, Friday and Saturday -- and other dates to be announced.

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