In December 2008, Michael Jackson moved into one of Los Angeles’s most exclusive and secluded addresses. The property, a sprawling French château-style estate at 100 North Carolwood Drive in Holmby Hills, became his final home. He leased it from clothing executive Hubert Guez and his wife Roxanne for roughly $100,000 a month, a sum that reflected both the grandeur of the property and the level of privacy it could guarantee.
Jackson arrived at the estate as he prepared for his much-anticipated This Is It comeback concert series scheduled for London. He brought with him his three children, Prince, Paris and Bigi, and settled into a property that was as impressive in scale as it was shielded from public view. Holmby Hills had long drawn that kind of resident. Marilyn Monroe and Elvis Presley once lived along its quiet, hedge-lined streets. So did Kylie Jenner. The neighborhood sits alongside landmark properties like the Playboy Mansion and Spelling Manor, and carries the particular kind of prestige that comes from being hidden in plain sight.
Inside the estate
The home at 100 North Carolwood Drive was designed by architect Richard Landry, widely regarded as one of the most prominent designers of large-scale luxury residences in the country. It was completed in 2002 by developer Mohamed Hadid. At more than 17,000 square feet on approximately 1.25 acres, the estate contains seven bedrooms and 13 bathrooms, a ballroom-style great room, formal living and dining areas, soaring ceilings, marble finishes, carved woodwork and 12 fireplaces throughout.
The amenities extended well beyond the living quarters. A private movie theater, wine cellar and tasting room, gym, spa and an elevator connecting multiple floors were all part of the property. Outside, the grounds featured a gated motor court, manicured gardens, a large swimming pool and dense landscaping that kept the estate invisible from the street. A detached guesthouse completed the compound, making the property entirely self-sufficient for someone who needed the world to stay at arm’s length.
June 25, 2009
On the morning of June 25, 2009, Michael Jackson went into cardiac arrest inside the Holmby Hills estate. He was transported to Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead later that day at the age of 50.
The Los Angeles County Coroner ruled his death a homicide. The official cause was acute Propofol intoxication, meaning a fatal level of the powerful anesthetic was found in his system alongside other sedatives. Jackson had been relying on Propofol to sleep during the weeks leading up to the planned concerts. His personal physician, Conrad Murray, administered the drug at the residence.
Murray was convicted of involuntary manslaughter in November 2011 and sentenced to four years in prison. He served approximately two years before his release.
What followed
About a month after Murray’s trial concluded, Julien’s Auctions sold more than 500 items from the Carolwood estate, bringing in close to $1 million in total. Among the most talked-about pieces was a mirror bearing a handwritten message Jackson had written to himself, which sold for $25,750. A kitchen chalkboard on which his children had written “I love Daddy” fetched $5,000. The auction house recreated rooms from the estate ahead of the sale, and fans who visited treated the space like a memorial, leaving flowers and handwritten notes.
The Guez family listed the property for $23.9 million following Jackson’s death but spent years searching for a buyer. The estate eventually sold in 2012 for $18.1 million to investment banker Steven Mayer.
The house on Carolwood Drive still stands. Quiet, gated and set back from the street, it looks much as it did during the six months Michael Jackson called it home.
