娱乐英语新闻:Michael Jackson's iconic leather jacket fetches 1.8 million USD

LOS ANGELES, June 26 (Xinhua) -- The iconic red and black leather jacket the late "King of Pop" Michael Jackson wore in his 1983 "Thriller" video was sold for 1.8 million U.S. dollars at an auction held Sunday in Beverly Hills, almost 10 times the original price an auction house asked for.

The jacket would gross between 200,000 dollars and 400,000 dollars at the event held by Julien's Auctions, experts estimated before the auction of music-related memorabilia from the biggest names in rock-n-roll, Motown, jazz, country, pop and other genres.

The jacket was sold to Milton Verret, a commodities trader from Austin, Texas. He said the jacket would be part of a traveling exhibit and be used to raise money for children's charities.

President & CEO of Juliens Auctions Beverly Hills Darren Julien, actress Tippi Hedren, a supporter of The Shambala Preserve where entertainer Michael Jackson's Bengal tigers now reside, and Milton Verret (L-R) of Austin, Texas, buyer of the jacket Jackson wore in his "Thriller" video, pose with the jacket after the auction in Beverly Hills, California, June 26, 2011, in this publicity photograph released to Reuters June 26, 2011. The leather jacket worn by Michael Jackson for his "Thriller" video sold for $1.8 million at the auction on Sunday to the Texas gold trader who plans to use it to raise money for children's hospitals worldwide.

A portion of the proceeds from the sale of iconic jacket will benefit The Shambala Preserve in Acton, home to Jackson's two Bengal tigers, "Thriller" and "Sabu"since 2006.

The jacket was designed by Deborah Nadoolman Landis. Jackson brought this jacket to his longtime costume designers Dennis Tompkins and Michael Bush to be used as reference for all of the subsequent concerts. It is a black and red calf leather jacket with "Marc Laurent Paris" label featuring silver buckle, red silk lining, trapunto stitched collar, snap front closure and signature winged shoulders, Julien's Auctions said on its website.

Among the most recognizable and famous garment of the 20th century, Jackson's "Thriller" jacket sparked a 1980s fashion craze like none other.

The pop icon died at the age of 50 on June 25, 2009 from an overdose of the surgical anesthetic Propofol when he was preparing for his London comeback concerts.