Nick Drake's estate stopped the auction of six unheard 1967 recordings claimed by his friend Beverley Martyn

Nick Drake died at 26 of an overdose of antidepressants at his parents' home^†. His three Island albums sold poorly in his lifetime. His estate, managed by his sister, the actress Gabrielle Drake, and Cally Callomon of Bryter Music, refused an official biography for decades. In July 2014 singer Beverley Martyn consigned tapes of six songs Drake recorded in 1967, before he signed to Island, to London auctioneer Ted Owen & Co. Five later appeared on his 1969 debut, Five Leaves Left; the sixth was "Mayfair." The tapes were insured for £250,000 and the sale was due on 31 July 2014, with about £300,000 expected. Martyn said Island gave her the tapes a couple of years after Drake died, and that she had "looked after them for 38 years." Lawyers for the estate and the record company challenged her ownership, and the sale was postponed. Owen said he expected to sell in October once the legal action ended. No sale was reported. The estate authorized its first biography, "Nick Drake: The Life" by Richard Morton Jack, in 2023, and renewed its publishing deal with Blue Raincoat Music and Reservoir. In 2026 the estate controls the catalog, and the fate of Martyn's tapes is not public^†.