Michael Jackson had famously worn the piece in a popular soda advertisement back in 1984, just shortly after the monumental success of his “Thriller” album.
A black and white leather jacket worn by Michael Jackson in a 1984 Pepsi commercial recently sold for $306,000. It was one among 20 items at a Propstore London auction last Friday, many of which are memorabilia from various talents like Amy Winehouse and David Bowie, as per Deadline.
Jackson wore the famous jacket in the first of a series of advertisements he’d star in for the popular soft drink company, according to BBC. In the commercial, the singer performs a rendition of his hit Billie Jean with a group of fellow dancers and kids, changing the song’s lyrics “Billie Jean is not my lover” to “You’re the Pepsi generation.” Safe to say, the advertisement remains memorable to this day, having garnered 129 million views on Youtube.
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Troublesome Filming
Though Jackson’s series of Pepsi advertisements are undoubtedly nostalgic, they also became quite infamous due to a serious accident the singer encountered during a shoot. Shortly after this first advertisement, Jackson’s hair caught on fire from pyrotechnics during the filming of another commercial.
Jackson had kept dancing until the crew wrestled him down to put out the fire. This frightening incident left the singer with serious second and third-degree burns on his head. Though Pepsi offered him a $1.5 million compensation, Jackson’s injuries left a painful and lasting impact on his life. As per Yahoo News, he would continue to be reliant on painkillers to ease his scalp discomfort throughout his touring.
Other Music Memorabilia
The Propstore auction also sold other memorabilia that once belonged to famous musicians. These include a beehive hairpiece worn by Amy Winehouse during her music video for “”You Know I’m No Good,” which fetched $22,900.
Meanwhile, the La Rocka jacket worn by Wham! singer George Michael in the “I Knew You Were Waiting (For Me)” music video with Aretha Franklin sold for $115,000.
Surprisingly, the limited edition Yellow Submarine Beatles jukebox remained unsold, as did the Gibson guitar owned by AC/DC’s Angus Young, according to Deadline.
Banner photos from the Propstore website.
