Michael Jackson‘s red jacket from his Thriller video, one of the most iconic pieces of music memorabilia, was sold for $1.8 million at an auction this weekend.
Jackson had signed the jacket on its left arm as a gift to his longtime costume designers, Dennis Tompkins and Michael Bush before his death in 2009.
Julien’s Auctions in Beverly Hills drew bidders from all over the world for the sale but the lucky winner was Milton Verret of Austin, Texas. Verret will display the jacket at his city’s Dell Children’s Hospital to raise money for children’s charities and hospitals around the world in the spirit of MJ.
The auction also included memorabilia from Elvis Presley, the Beatles and Frank Sinatra, but MJ’s jacket made the most money, by far. In comparison, Sinatra’s 1986 Jaguar was sold for $19,000. Paul McCartney’s bass guitar went for $14,080. The cape Ringo Starr wore in the movie Help! raised $37,500.
A portion of the proceeds from the sale of MJ’s jacket will benefit The Shambala Preserve, home to Jackson’s two Bengal tigers, Thriller and Sabu.