LONDON - Actor Johnny Depp's debut art collection, Friends & Heroes, sold out within hours for 3 million pounds (S$5 million) on Thursday (July 28).

The Pirates Of The Caribbean star announced the launch on Instagram without fanfare and simply shared a link to the website of art gallery Castle Fine Art.

Due to overwhelming response, the website temporarily crashed before all 780 pieces of the signed limited-edition silkscreen artworks were sold, marking record sales for the gallery.

The four pieces released depicted famous people who had inspired Depp - singer-songwriter Bob Dylan, actress Elizabeth Taylor, actor Al Pacino and The Rolling Stones' Keith Richards. The gallery's website described Depp's style as being at "the intersection of Pop Art and Street Art".

They were sold either as individual pieces (3,950 pounds) or a collection of all four (14,950 pounds).

Depp, 59, said: "I've always used art to express my feelings and to reflect on those who matter most to me, like my family, friends and people I admire. My paintings surround my life, but I kept them to myself and limited myself. No one should ever limit themselves."

After the conclusion of Depp's high-profile defamation case against ex-wife Amber Heard, 36, in June, which he won, he had gone on tour with British musician Jeff Beck and collaborated on an album, 18, with him.

Earlier in July, he launched a series of non-fungible tokens, Never Fear Truth. These featured his artwork of famous pals such as director Tim Burton and writer Hunter S. Thompson and raised 660,000 pounds for charity.