Michael Jackson's friend reveals why he wore his iconic glitter glove

A friend of Michael Jackson once claimed to know exactly why the legendary late singer wore just one glove.

The iconic singer would often don OTT outfits for his live performances and music videos, but a single, white glove covered in rhinestones - usually worn on the right hand - became somewhat of a signature accessory for Jackson.

According to The Independent, Jackson - who passed away in 2009 aged 50 - first started wearing the glove back in 1983 during an appearance to mark the 25th anniversary of Motown.

In an interview a few years later, he said: "I felt that one glove was cool… wearing two gloves seemed so ordinary."

However, actor Cicely Tyson - who died in 2021 at the age of 96 - shared how a fashion designer with MJ in the 1980s said she knew the real reason.

Tyson says she was made aware of a glove being made by the designer for Jackson so he could hide his vitiligo.

Speaking to CNN in 2019, Tyson said: "All of a sudden, he [the designer] said, 'I'm doing this glove for Michael.'

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"The glove was to cover the vitiligo; that's how that glove came into being."

Tyson said the glove had been specially created to cover signs of the condition, explaining: "The glove was to camouflage it. That's how that glove came into being."

Asked how she knew that, she responded: "I was there when he was creating it.”

The skin condition is a long-term disease where pale white patches develop on the skin, according to the NHS.

It's caused by the lack of melanin, which is the pigment in skin - and while it can affect any area of skin, it is most common on the face, neck, hands and skin creases.

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Jackson confirmed himself he had the skin condition in a rare interview with Oprah Winfrey, with the singer even admitting he found it hurtful when it was being discussed in the press.

He said: "I'm a black American. I am proud to be a black American. I am proud of my race, and I am proud of who I am. I have a lot of pride and dignity of who I am.

"This is the situation, I have a skin disorder that destroys the pigmentation of the skin. It is something I cannot help, OK? But when people make up stories that I don’t want to be what I am it hurts me … It’s a problem for me that I can’t control.”