The sparkling glittering glove belongs to Michael Jackson (1958-2009) just like the moonwalk. However, its origin is relatively unspectacular, as his brother Marlon (69) revealed during a visit to MJ - The Michael Jackson Musical last weekend in Hamburg.
Together with brother Jackie (75), Marlon was a guest at the Stage Theater an der Elbe. For both of them, the visit to the musical production, which tells a large part of their shared family and music history, was an emotional moment. The reason for their visit to Germany was their exclusive concert on July 18 at the Seebühne Bremen.
A Find from the Clothing Chest
During the backstage tour with Prince Damien (35), who plays young Michael Jackson in the musical, Marlon noticed his brother's most famous trademark and revealed where the glittering glove originally came from. Michael had once found the piece in their mother's clothing chest, Marlon revealed.
From this came one of the most famous accessories in pop history. Designer Bill Whitten (1944-2006) created the first stage versions from ordinary golf gloves, which were studded with hundreds of Swarovski crystals; later versions were specially made for Jackson.
After Jackson's death, the gloves became sought-after collector's items. How many versions exist is unclear, several surfaced at auctions after Jackson's death. One of them changed hands at an auction at the New York Hard Rock Cafe in 2009 for around $350,000, another model fetched around $190,000 at Julien's Auctions in Las Vegas in 2010.
A Song Just for the Brothers
During the visit, there were other personal moments for the Jackson brothers. Lead actor Benét Monteiro (41) sang Billie Jean especially for the two guests. "The performance moved me to tears. It awakens the most beautiful memories," said Jackie after the performance.
Prince Damien was also thrilled: "It's a mega honor to have two members of the original 'Jackson 5' here with us at the theater. Being allowed to sing and dance in front of them is a very special feeling and something completely different from performing in front of a normal audience."
The program also included Blame It On The Boogie from the 1978 album Destiny. The associated tour took the Jacksons to Germany in 1979. For Jackie and Marlon, the visit to Hamburg and the performance in Bremen is thus also a piece of return to their own history.
