A collection of George Michael memorabilia, including the guitar he played in the "Faith" music video, is being auctioned on Thursday, according to BBC News. The sale has sparked a family dispute.

Auction house Sworders is selling 32 lots from the collection of the singer's longtime personal assistant. She died suddenly of natural causes in 2014, at age 56. The items are being sold by her estranged husband, who inherited them. She was divorcing him when she died but was still legally married to him, and she did not leave a will.

BBC News reports there is no suggestion her widower lacks the right to sell the items. Her brother accepts that he has the legal right. But he says his sister "would be horrified" by the sale.

In a letter to the auction house seen by BBC News, her brother called the sale a "breach of [her] privacy." He has asked that it not go ahead, or that it be held in the seller's name rather than his sister's. Sworders and the seller declined to comment to BBC News.

She began working for Michael in 1984, the year Wham! had its first number one hit. She stayed with him for 20 years. "I think she was one of the few people George trusted and whose opinion he valued," her brother said. He said the guitar was a gift to her.

The Gretsch guitar from the 1987 "Faith" video has an estimated price of 60,000 to 120,000 pounds. A Filofax from the 1988 Faith tour, with her handwritten notes, had a guide price of up to 600 pounds and a current bid of 1,750 pounds, BBC News reports. Other lots include signed Wham! photos, notes from Michael and Andrew Ridgeley, and gold and platinum discs.

Michael died in 2016.

What we know: Items from the collection of George Michael's longtime assistant are being auctioned on Thursday over her family's objections.
What we don't: Only BBC News has reported this so far. NewsHabit hasn't seen independent confirmation.