Michael Jackson’s “Moonwalk” hat sold at auction for 78,000 euros

HFirst, Michael Jackson demonstrated his first moonwalk, then threw his hat to the audience. This black hat has now been sold at auction for nearly 78,000 euros, Drouot Auctions announced on Tuesday in Paris. The pop singer’s performance at the 25th anniversary of the American music company Motown in 1983 is considered one of the most important moments in his career.

The catalog stated, “The hat has become a symbol of the artist’s personality and talent in dancing.” Therefore, it is one of the “important elements in the history of music.” Michael Jackson wore a wide-brimmed fedora hat at the beginning of the song “Billie Jean.” The fedora hat became fashionable in the 1920s, and was later worn by jazz and blues musicians. Michael Jackson made the hat his trademark.

While performing “Billie Jean,” his biggest hit from the “Thriller” album, Jackson brought his moonwalk to the stage for the first time in Motown’s memory, a dance step in which he appears to be sliding backwards across ice. At the end of his single “Billie Jean,” Michael took his hat and threw it into the air. “He fell to the ground not far from where I was sitting,” recalls viewer Adam L. Kelly.

Madonna’s notebook was also auctioned off

The hat’s velvet lining reads “Michael Jackson” and “Motown 25” in gold letters – a nod to the anniversary concert. The Maddest Hatter Company in Los Angeles has designed hats for Michael Jackson several times. For the Motown concert, the star specifically requested a “spy-style” hat, “something a secret agent would wear.”

In addition to the hat, about 200 other pieces of music memorabilia were auctioned off, including a Madonna notebook and Johnny Hallyday’s belt. A guitar belonging to blues musician T-Bone Walker has been sold for around €130,000.