With Michael Jackson’s untimely and shocking passing yesterday, there are now many questions surrounding his legacy and how it will be preserved. We covered the legendary singer’s Neverland property over the years — especially the natural degradation taking place in his absence. Could this 2,800 acre ranch become a museum to the legendary King of Pop?
One thing is certain: Jackson only retained a small percentage of ownership in the property at the time of his death. The ranch has been in and out of foreclosure proceedings since 2007 — with last minute deals cut all around to protect it from going into auction. According to Wikipedia, on November 11, 2008 Jackson transferred the title to Sycamore Valley Ranch Company LLC — a joint venture between him and Colony Capital LLC. In return, it appears that he was able to sell an unknown proportion of the property right for $35 million — cash the singer desperately needed to pay off additional debts.
In our opinion, it would be wonderful to see the 2,800 acre ranch preserved and turned in a memorial museum/park to Michael Jackson’s music. After all, the singer admitted that many of his “green” songs like “Earth Song” and “Heal The World” — were created to inspire people to live a greener life. In an interview with Ebony magazine, he said, “It’s been described as a runaway train; if we don’t stop it, we’ll never get it (world) back. So we have to fix it, now. That’s what I was trying to do with Earth Song, Heal The World, We Are The World – writing those songs to open up people’s consciousness. I wish people would listen to every word.”
What do you think should become of Neverland?
UPDATE: I found a video montage giving a rare glimpse at the inside of Neverland Ranch — mostly from interviews Jackson gave several years ago. Have a look after the jump!]
Categories: Music
Tags: michael jackson.
About Michael dEstries
Michael has been blogging since 2005 on issues such as sustainability, renewable energy, philanthropy, and healthy living. He regularly contributes to a slew of publications, as well as consulting with companies looking to make an impact using the web and social media. He lives in Ithaca, NY with his family on an apple farm.View all posts by Michael dEstries →
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