Famous photographer shares exclusive photos of Michael Jackson at Neverland Ranch

Harry Benson's photographs of Michael Jackson at Neverland
Ranch are featured in the November 2009 issue of
Architectural Digest

For the last 50 years, Harry Benson has photographed the most famous people in the world ranging from The Beatles to Muhammad Ali to Ronald Reagan. In 1997, Benson was invited to Neverland Ranch to photograph Michael Jackson with his son, Prince Michael. These rare photographs of Michael Jackson at Neverland Ranch are being published in the November issue of Architectural Digest on newsstands on September 30.

 

Benson first met Michael Jackson in the 1980s during the Jacksons' Victory Tour and the "We Are the World" recording session. They built a friendly rapport enhanced by the fact that Jackson always admired Benson's Scottish tweed sports jackets. On several occasions, Benson would give the tweed jacket he was wearing to Michael Jackson. Benson was tickled when, at a later date, he would see Jackson wearing the jackets on other occasions.

 

Benson was one of the few members of the media granted an intimate look inside Neverland when Michael Jackson lived there. He shares his personal observations of Neverland in Architectural Digest:

 

"Standing outside his bedroom was a wax figure of a queen’s Household Cavalry guard," Benson explains. "The bedroom itself was dark and quite plain, in tones of beige and brown, and, to be honest, a bit depressing. Adjacent to the bed was a huge, red, thronelike chair ornately trimmed in gilt. Above the mahogany four-poster was a painting of a blond Jesus."

 

Benson captured moments on film of Michael Jackson with his son, with his chimp, Bubbles, playing the piano, and sitting in the massive throne in his bedroom.

 

See a slideshow of Benson's photos on the Architectural Digest website

 

 

Inside Michael Jackson's Neverland Ranch (slideshow) 

 

 

 

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