If you’ve ever dreamed of owning a piece of Michael Jackson (you know who you are, you sick weirdos), then it’s your lucky day! Ralph Cohen, executive producer of the infamous Pepsi commercial that left the King of Pop with a bald spot, has been holding onto the singed strands of the singer’s hair since 1984.
With Jackson’s death still fresh in the minds of his fans, Cohen is ready to cash in on his bizarre memorabilia when the crispy bits go up for auction this weekend (October 17). Included in the sale is Cohen’s account of the ill-fated day.
Cohen describes just how Jackson ended up with second degree burns:
“And then, as Michael on his cue, was supposed to come down the stairs the explosion went off and the first thing I noticed was – he was about half way down the stairs – and I noticed flame emanating from his hair.
“And it took me a moment to register what exactly was happening because there was so much lights and so many different things go on [sic] it was a little confusing but I noticed his hair was on fire and I immediately rushed out from my position.
“I pulled my jacket off as I was running and proceeded to, when I reached him, put it over his head.”
Guess Cohen left out the part about how he creepily horded the ruined locks of hair to take back home with him. Those are the details we want to know! The lot is expected to go for nearly $2,000, a rate which has doubled since Jackson’s death. That seems like a small price to own such an unusual part of pop history.
