Michael Jackson’s Estate Calls B.S. On ‘Thriller’ Jacket Auction

Drama is trailing an auction house’s intention to sell a fashion item supposedly owned by pop icon Michael Jackson. 

Per reports, the late singer’s Estate is asserting that the auction house failed to clarify that a “Thriller” jacket that they want to sell as part of their upcoming auction was never actually worn by MJ in the song’s iconic music video.

Jackson’s Estate’s attorney, Jonathan Steinsapir, unequivocally stated, in a letter written to Gotta Have Rock and Roll [GHRR] on Tuesday, that there were only two authentic “Thriller” jackets worn in the 1982 short film.

As it turned out, one of those jackets was auctioned for nearly $2 million over ten years ago.

The Jackson Estate expressed significant concerns about GHRR listing the jacket at $100k, as it could potentially mislead the public into believing that the authentic “Thriller” jacket has depreciated in value.

This misinformation could adversely affect MJ’s brand and the value of other personal items associated with him.

While acknowledging GHRR’s effort to clarify in the auction description that the jacket “was not worn during the ‘Thriller’ music video,” Steinsapir demanded greater prominence of this fact in the auction title. 

Additionally, he asked GHRR to explicitly state that no evidence supports MJ ever wearing this specific jacket for promotional purposes. 

It would appear that the auction house has complied with these requests, as TMZ reported that following the receipt of Steinsapir’s letter, the auction has modified its title to incorporate the term “style.” 

Succinctly put, the title now reads “Michael Jackson 1983 Owned & Worn Thriller Style Jacket.” The updated description also specifies that “The jacket is similar to the jacket worn in the ‘Thriller’ video.”

Another item from Jackson’s collection that made headlines in recent times was the black-and-white leather jacket donned by the “Beat It” hitmaker during the filming of his “Pepsi Generation” commercial in 1984.

Even though the commercial marked Jackson’s debut in the world of advertising, the jacket’s existence remained unknown until Wendell Thompson came forward with it. 

According to The Blast, Thompson claimed that his father, Jackson’s cosmetologist, received the jacket from Jackson himself in 1983, during an encounter with him in Orlando, just before the ad aired. 

Thompson disclosed that he was present at the grand opening of Jackson’s suite at Disney World’s Hotel Royal Plaza. He further declared that he had kept the jacket safe for years and was prepared to part with it in hopes of securing a substantial sum in a 2023 auction.

He hoped to use the proceeds from the auction to provide for his children and family in his will. The auction, hosted by London auction house Propstore, was scheduled to commence on Friday, November 10. 

The “Pepsi Generation” jacket ultimately sold for $306,000 on the same day. 

Just before the sale of the prestigious fashion wear, The Blast disclosed that the lawsuit initiated by Jackson’s Estate to reclaim the belongings of the 13-time Grammy winner from Jeffré Phillips had been resolved through a settlement. 

Considering the challenges Jackson’s Estate faced in retrieving the belongings from Philips, it appeared they reached a favorable resolution last October. 

However, uncertainty remains regarding whether Phillips returned the items, as requested by Jackson’s Estate to the judge, or compensated the estate for their aggregate value, which amounted to $1 million.

Recall that Phillips’ theft of property gained significant attention in 2022 when Jackson’s Estate disclosed that a man who was engaged to one of Jackson’s siblings had absconded with his belongings. 

According to the lawsuit, Phillips exploited his status as a fiancé over a period of nine days while residing in Jackson’s Carolwood House. 

The accused was allegedly present when the philanthropist passed away, and he purportedly took advantage of the ensuing chaos to abscond with personal and private belongings from the residence. 

It was claimed that Philips took Jackson’s iPhone along with those belonging to his young children.

He also reportedly seized the King of Pop’s California driver’s license, various articles of clothing— including the pajamas worn by Jackson in the hours preceding his demise, and prescription bottles containing pills.

The numerous missing items notably went unnoticed until 2021, when an individual contacted the Estate to inquire about the origin of certain items from Jackson’s personal belongings that Phillips was attempting to sell at auction.

Another legal drama faced the Jackson family when the late artist’s youngest son, Bigi ‘Blanket’ Jackson, filed a lawsuit against his grandmother, Katherine.

In the legal papers filed last month, Bigi urged the court to prevent Katherine from using his father’s estate funds to finance the appeal of a previous ruling.

The 22-year-old clarified that he and his grandmother had already presented their arguments against an arrangement proposed by Michael’s estate executors. Despite their efforts, the court ruled against them, closing the legal matter. 

Unfortunately, Katherine chose to pursue an appeal, a decision Bigi emphasized in his filing was not aligned with his intentions, particularly if she expected his father’s estate to cover the costs.

He further opposed his grandmother’s appeal, asserting that it lacked merit for the trust’s beneficiaries and had slim chances of success. Bigi added that he has no issue with Katherine’s decision to appeal as long as she covers the costs herself.