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Sale of late King of Pop's attire to benefit hospiceBy Jan Hogan
By Jan Hogan
VIEW STAFF WRITER
Posted: Aug. 21, 2012 | 12:46 a.m.
You can own a piece of history and help a good cause when Michael Jackson's costumes hit the auction block in California this winter to benefit the Nathan Adelson Hospice in Las Vegas.
Five percent of the proceeds are set to go to the local nonprofit group, which has a site in the Summerlin area at 3150 N. Tenaya Way, Suite 350, as part of the complex anchored by MountainView Hospital. There is also a site at 4141 Swenson St.
The costumes for the late King of Pop were designed by the late Dennis Tompkins and Michael Bush, both of California. When Carole Fisher, president and CEO of Nathan Adelson Hospice, learned of the generosity, she said she was touched and humbled. She opted not to speculate on how much the donation could be.
"It's hard to know," Fisher said. "There are 250 items ... Michael (Bush) said he doesn't want to jinx it, so he doesn't 'know.' Right. I do know they sold a coat, and I think made a million dollars off it, just the one coat, so I have no idea (how much the donation will be)."
However much is raised, Fisher said, the money will support programs such as uncompensated care, the Bonnie Schreck Memorial Complementary Therapies program, a meal delivery program and the Elaine Wynn Palliative Care program.
"There are so many services we've not yet identified, so many areas where we have need," she said. "We have a whole laundry list."
The benefactors had never needed the services of the hospice, but Tompkins and Bush were family friends and had a vacation house a couple of doors down from Fisher's mother, Nan Schwartz, at the Desert Inn Country Club. Their friendship goes back to the late 1980s. They were so close that Tompkins gave Fisher away at her wedding.
Schwartz said Tompkins "designed with great passion. Michael Jackson would tell him the concept, the feeling of what he wanted in a video or what he was trying to accomplish through a song, and then Dennis would sit down and sketch, and all of a sudden, there it was."
She said the idea for the single glove that became Jackson's trademark was a combination of Jackson's and Tompkins' and Bush's genius.
"Michael Jackson envisioned the glove, and Dennis took it to the nth degree with ... the Swarovski crystals," Schwartz said.
The two designers had a 25-year history with Jackson and designed for his videos, tours and appearances at major award events. The costumes made for concerts, where quick changes could take only seconds between songs, were made with Velcro. The costumes to be auctioned are currently on a world tour. The "Icons and Idols" exhibit opened May 18 at the Museo de la Moda in Santiago, Chile.
Auction highlights include a prototype helmet, which was wired to illuminate a row of battery-powered lights below the visor, that was signed for the 30th anniversary of a Madison Square Garden show.
The helmet is signed in black marker, with "To Bush Love Michael Jackson."
Bush also wrote a book, "Dressing Michael Jackson: Behind the Seams of a Fashion Icon," set to be released Oct. 16.
The costumes are scheduled to be sold Dec. 2 at the Julien's Auctions Beverly Hills Gallery as part of its annual Icons and Idols auction.
The Guide Dogs of America in Los Angeles also will receive a portion of the proceeds.
For more information about Nathan Adelson Hospice, visit nah.org.
Contact Summerlin/Summerlin South View reporter Jan Hogan at
jhogan@viewnews.com or 387-2949.
By Jan Hogan
VIEW STAFF WRITER
Posted: Aug. 21, 2012 | 12:46 a.m.
You can own a piece of history and help a good cause when Michael Jackson's costumes hit the auction block in California this winter to benefit the Nathan Adelson Hospice in Las Vegas.
Five percent of the proceeds are set to go to the local nonprofit group, which has a site in the Summerlin area at 3150 N. Tenaya Way, Suite 350, as part of the complex anchored by MountainView Hospital. There is also a site at 4141 Swenson St.
The costumes for the late King of Pop were designed by the late Dennis Tompkins and Michael Bush, both of California. When Carole Fisher, president and CEO of Nathan Adelson Hospice, learned of the generosity, she said she was touched and humbled. She opted not to speculate on how much the donation could be.
"It's hard to know," Fisher said. "There are 250 items ... Michael (Bush) said he doesn't want to jinx it, so he doesn't 'know.' Right. I do know they sold a coat, and I think made a million dollars off it, just the one coat, so I have no idea (how much the donation will be)."
However much is raised, Fisher said, the money will support programs such as uncompensated care, the Bonnie Schreck Memorial Complementary Therapies program, a meal delivery program and the Elaine Wynn Palliative Care program.
"There are so many services we've not yet identified, so many areas where we have need," she said. "We have a whole laundry list."
The benefactors had never needed the services of the hospice, but Tompkins and Bush were family friends and had a vacation house a couple of doors down from Fisher's mother, Nan Schwartz, at the Desert Inn Country Club. Their friendship goes back to the late 1980s. They were so close that Tompkins gave Fisher away at her wedding.
Schwartz said Tompkins "designed with great passion. Michael Jackson would tell him the concept, the feeling of what he wanted in a video or what he was trying to accomplish through a song, and then Dennis would sit down and sketch, and all of a sudden, there it was."
She said the idea for the single glove that became Jackson's trademark was a combination of Jackson's and Tompkins' and Bush's genius.
"Michael Jackson envisioned the glove, and Dennis took it to the nth degree with ... the Swarovski crystals," Schwartz said.
The two designers had a 25-year history with Jackson and designed for his videos, tours and appearances at major award events. The costumes made for concerts, where quick changes could take only seconds between songs, were made with Velcro. The costumes to be auctioned are currently on a world tour. The "Icons and Idols" exhibit opened May 18 at the Museo de la Moda in Santiago, Chile.
Auction highlights include a prototype helmet, which was wired to illuminate a row of battery-powered lights below the visor, that was signed for the 30th anniversary of a Madison Square Garden show.
The helmet is signed in black marker, with "To Bush Love Michael Jackson."
Bush also wrote a book, "Dressing Michael Jackson: Behind the Seams of a Fashion Icon," set to be released Oct. 16.
The costumes are scheduled to be sold Dec. 2 at the Julien's Auctions Beverly Hills Gallery as part of its annual Icons and Idols auction.
The Guide Dogs of America in Los Angeles also will receive a portion of the proceeds.
For more information about Nathan Adelson Hospice, visit nah.org.
Contact Summerlin/Summerlin South View reporter Jan Hogan at
jhogan@viewnews.com or 387-2949.