Michael Jackson fan Lady Gaga nets items at auction
Lady Gaga was among the winning bidders at a weekend auction of Michael Jackson costumes and memorabilia, with the fashion-obsessed pop singer picking up dozens of collectibles.
Lots from the Julien's Auctions-administered sale toured earlier this year â with stops in Chile, the U.K., Japan and the U.S. â prior to Sunday's auction in Los Angeles.
According to auctioneer Darren Julien, sale highlights included $240,000 US paid for a jacket the King of Pop wore on his Bad tour, and two of the crystal-studded gloves favoured by Jackson (one hailing from his landmark 1983 performance at the Motown 25 show) that fetched more than $100,000 US each.
The lots available for sale, part of Julien's annual Icons & Idols auction, also included:
The black fedora Jackson wore during his opening performance at the 1995 MTV Music Awards.
The Recording Industry Association of America platinum record award for his album Bad.
Signed photos and set pieces from music videos.
Full outfits and clothing ensembles Jackson wore in music videos, during concert tours and for promotional photo shoots.
The memorabilia came from the collection of costume designers Dennis Thompkins and Michael Bush, who worked with Jackson for years and to whom he gave many of his outfits. The pair also published the book The King of Style: Dressing Michael Jackson, released this fall.
On Sunday, Lady Gaga posted a photo of the numbered paddle she had been assigned for the auction and confirmed via Twitter that she had purchased 55 pieces in the sale. The items "will be archived and expertly cared for in the spirit and love of Michael Jackson, his bravery and fans worldwide," she wrote.
Overall, the auction raised more than $5 million US, with some proceeds earmarked for charity.
Jackson died in June, 2009, at age 50. Dr. Conrad Murray, the doctor overseeing him for a series of London concerts, was convicted of involuntary manslaughter.
Randy Jackson, one of the brothers of the late entertainment icon, criticized the auction sale.
"Am I the only one who thinks this auction is a fraud and a scam?" he posted on his Twitter account on Friday.
"It's sad to see the estate's latest attempt to auction off our history."
