Michael Jackson’s Neverland For Sale? Theme Park Might Reportedly Fetch $85 Million

Michael Jackson, the king of pop, was also a child at heart who openly wished he never aged. Though the star tragically died long before nature could weaken him, his beloved ranch Neverland was proof of the performer’s unending quest for eternal youth. Now, the land of childhood dreams and fantasies may soon go under the auctioneer’s hammer.

Inspired from Peter Pans novels, Neverland was a wonderful place where children remained young and never had to grow up. Michael Jackson strongly believed in this notion. Though he physically lived in the real world, the singing sensation always believed that eternal youth could be recreated or at least held on to. Thus Neverland was born. The King of Pop bought the California property way back in 1988 and went on to create one of the most elaborate, privately held theme parks the world had ever seen. Entry was strictly restricted, and only a privileged few were offered access to the mystical land of fun and frolic.

The 1,040-hectare (2,600-acre) California ranch, which also boasts a seven-bedroom mock Tudor mansion, was bought by Michael Jackson from the golf course entrepreneur William Bone and developed into a childhood fantasy; the valley was kitted out with a carousel, dodgems, and a drive-in cinema.

The ranch may be soon put for auction by Colony Capital, a firm who bought a $23.5m stake in the property just before Jackson’s death, reported Express. Jackson tragically died from a drug overdose and heart attack, but he had crushing debt over his head. Moreover, Colony Capital now has the controlling stake and therefore has the rights to sell. Though commercially the estate is valued at just at $30m (£18m) by California property experts, real estate veterans and die-hard fans of the late Michael Jackson could easily propel the final price between $75 million and $85 million, reported The Guardian.

Though the eventual buyer will have the right to do whatever he or she deems fit, Colony Capital will urge any buyers of Neverland to respect the historical importance of the property, shared Thomas Barrack Jr. of Colony Capital:

“We hope and trust that any new owners of Neverland will respect the historical importance and special nature of this wonderful property. Michael’s memory lives on in the hearts of his fans worldwide.”

Michael Jackson once candidly confessed that his motivation to bring Neverland to life was “to have a place that I could create everything that I never had as a child.” It remains to be seen if the new owners will retain his dream.

[Image Credit | Armando Aroriyo/EPA, Wikipedia]