Oscars 2024: Today, we are here with the story of Michael Jackson’s prized possession, an Oscar trophy that the King of Pop bought for a staggering amount at an auction. It was the best picture award for Gone With the Wind, a Hollywood classic. For how much did MJ buy the Oscar? What happened to it after his death, or where is it now? Keep scrolling to know.
The 2024 Oscars are just a few hours away, and most people are eager to know how many trophies Christopher Nolan and his team of Oppenheimer will receive. As per statistics, Nolan’s film is expected to take home around six Academy Awards after winning all the major awards this season. Emma Stone is also a strong contender for the Leading Actress Award, and if she wins, she will have two to her credit. She was nominated for Poor Things.
Since 1950, the Oscar winners had to agree in writing that they would not sell the trophy on the open market without offering it back to the Academy at $1. The amount was fixed as the token amount. The movie Gone With the Wind was released in 1939, starring Clark Gable, Viviene Leigh, and Thomas Mitchell. Directed by Victor Fleming, the film won eight Oscars in 1940, including Best Picture, which was eventually purchased by Michael Jackson at an auction in 1999.
According to THR, since the Oscar was awarded to Gone with the Wind in 1940 before the rules against selling them were introduced, it went up for Sotheby’s auction. Michael Jackson bought it at a record price of $1.54 million. It is one of the highest amounts anyone paid for the golden statuette, which is not even solid gold.
The sellers speculated they would gain $300,000 for the Oscar before the auction. However, it saw a jump of 413.33%% when Michael Jackson purchased it. But what happened to it after that?
MJ passed died suddenly of cardiac arrest in 2009 at the age of 50. It was ruled as homicide as a lethal combination of sedatives and propofol, an anesthetic, caused his death. In 2011, his personal physician, Conrad Murray, was found guilty of involuntary manslaughter.
It is assumed that Michael Jackson kept the $1.54 million Oscar at his Neverland estate or the Los Angeles home where he was living until he died. Unfortunately, the trophy was nowhere to be found, and it is believed a member of the Jackson family might have fled with the award, hidden in a storage facility with other belongings, or it might have been stolen during the commotion when he passed away.
What is the Oscar made of?
The Oscar is reportedly made of an alloy called Britannium [93% tin, 5% antimony, and 2% copper] and plated with 24-karat gold.
The Oscars 2024 or 96th Academy Awards are all set to occur on March 10, Sunday.
For more such throwbacks, stay tuned to Koimoi!
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