(Reuters) – A
collection of costumes worn by the late Michael Jackson is going on a global tour starting next month
ahead of an auction in Beverly Hills in December, Julien’s Auctions said on Monday.
during a news conference at the O2 Arena in London March 5, 2009. REUTERS/Stefan Wermuth
The exhibit, to open in Santiago, Chile on Friday, will include
one of the singer’s signature crystal-covered gloves, a military-style jacket he wore for the Soul
Train awards in 1989 and a silver spandex leotard Jackson wore during his “Bad” tour in 1987.
A
helmet wired with battery powered lights that Jackson wore for the 2001 special concert at New York’s
Madison Square Garden that marked his 30 years as a solo entertainer will also go on
display.
The 50-100 costumes to be exhibited were designed by Jackson’s long-time Los
Angeles-based collaborators Dennis Tompkins and Michael Bush, who spent 25 years creating his stage and
personal clothes.
The items were mostly gifted back to Tompkins and Bush by the singer, and many
are signed by him, auctioneer Darren Julien said.
The exhibit will open on Friday at the Museo
de la Moda in Santiago, Chile and tour cities in Europe and Asia, including China and Japan, ahead of the auction in Beverly
Hills on December 2.
A portion of the proceeds will go to the charities Guide Dogs of America
and the Nathan Adelson Hospice in Las Vegas.
Jackson died aged 50 in June 2009 in Los Angeles
from an overdose of the anesthetic propofol and sedatives. His personal doctor is currently serving a
four year jail term for involuntary manslaughter.
(Reporting By Jill
Serjeant, editing by Christine Kearney)