In a sanctuary where he explores tunnels, he takes naps almost every day and even paints from time to time. His care costs $30,000 a year.
Some of the cutest images starring Michael Jackson They feature their pet Bubbles. The chimpanzee filled him with joy since he became part of the life of the king of pop at a time when success translated into billion-dollar profits. There are contradictory versions about how the primate came into the hands of the protagonist of Thriller since CNN argued that The artist bought it for $65,000, eight months old. and The Daily Telegraph He revealed that he acquired it when he was three years old after seeing him at a cancer research center in the state of Texas.
This Tuesday marks the 15th anniversary of the death of one of the most important musical stars of the 20th century due to poisoning with the anesthetic propofol. She was 50 years old. Currently, Bubbles resides at the Center for Great Apes in Wauchula, Florida, where he is surrounded by other apes linked to the show such as the orangutan Popi who made his film debut with Clint Eastwood (94) in hard to peel (1978) or the orangutan Tango, image of Tang orange soda.
Regardless of how he arrived at Jackson’s home, it is known that the chimpanzee was born on April 30, 1983. The first residence Bubbles lived in was Hayvenhurstthe residence of almost 1,000 square meters that patriarch Joe bought after the success of The Jackson 5. Located in Encino, a district of the San Fernando Valley, Michael, the mansion was the place chosen for the singer to record the demos of Thriller and Bad.
Immediately, the mascot became another star of the Bad World Tour (1987-1989) and was one of the protagonists of the video clip Liberian Girl with John Travolta (70), Steven Spielberg (77), Whoopi Goldberg (68) and Olivia Newton-John, among other celebrities. Without Jackson’s company, the animal had his own flirtations with cinema when he intervened in Back to school (1986), starring Robert Downey Jr. (59) and Rodney Dangerfield.
The social impact of Bubles and Jackson was such that the artist Jeff Koons immortalized them in a porcelain figure created in 1988 that today It is preserved in the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art. Starting in 1989, the star and his pet moved to live at the Neverland ranch where Bubbles played with Elizabeth Taylor, a close friend of the star. That was not the only contact with familiar faces since he got to share tea with Yasushi Oshima, mayor of Osaka (Japan). and even made Freddie Mercury angry because during the recording of a song Jackson insisted that the animal be in the recording studio. Another of his eccentricities was to publish a fabricated autobiography titled Bubbles: My Secret Diary.
Little by little the chimpanzee not only increased in weight and height, but also increased its aggressiveness. As the singer was afraid that Bubbles would harm his newborn son, Prince Michael II (22), The star sent him to Bob Dunn’s ranch in 2003., recognized for offering its animals to film and television shoots. Shortly after arriving at the facility, he had to be admitted urgently because Bubbles had tried to commit suicide. When the specialist decided not to work with apes anymore, he decided that the Florida sanctuary would take care of him.
Since 2005 he has resided on the eastern coast of the United States. The Michael Jackson Estate is in charge of his care, the cost of which amounts to $30,000 annually and some of the artist’s fan club members send him candy, mangoes and blankets. Patti Ragan, director of the Great Apes Center, commented to the portal TMZ that “Bubbles has a lot of freedom in the sanctuary. Is able to explore tunnelsbuild a nest under a tree, take daily naps at noon and occasionally even paint.” Bubbles currently weighs 84 kilos and is 137 cm tall.
