Writer Truman Capote’s ashes are to be sold at auction.

The remains – which are kept in a Japanese carved wooden box – will go under the hammer in Los Angeles next month, 32 years after the In Cold Blood author died at the age of 59.

The ashes belonged to Capote’s friend Joanne Carson, the former wife of late US talk show host Johnny Carson.

She died in 2015, and the ashes will now go on sale alongside some of her other possessions at Julien’s Auctions’ Icons & Idols: Hollywood sale.

Carson and Capote were close friends for years and the author, who also wrote Breakfast At Tiffany’s, frequently stayed at her home in Los Angeles – where she put aside a room for him to work on his writing.

He died at the property in 1984.

The auction house claimed Carson often said that the ashes brought her great comfort.

Johnny and Joanne Carson
Johnny and Joanne Carson (AP/PA)

The ashes have been valued at between 4,000 and 6,000 US dollars (£4,500).

Also included in the auction are inscribed books from Capote to Carson, artwork, jewellery, and clothing owned by the novelist, as well as artwork formerly from his personal collection.

Julien’s Auctions’ Icons & Idols: Hollywood sale will take place on September 23 and 24 in Los Angeles.