A Photo of Michael Jackson With a Hand-Tamed Tarantula at the Houston Exhibition

Greg Gorman has been photographing some of the most interesting celebrities in the world for more than four decades. This year, 125 of his works from the years 1970 to 2010 are on display in an exhibition titled A Distinct Vision at the Decorative Center Houston, in front of the open eyes of visitors. The exhibition runs until June 3.

Gorman has recently hand-picked some of his favorite photos and included them along with a piece of memorabilia on this page. Photo number one is an image of Michael Jackson with a hand-tamed tarantula on his face, taken in 1987.

Gorman writes:

"Michael was far beyond what you could imagine in your mind—he was a perfectionist. Every time we took a photo, he would call me and we would talk for two hours about how the photos would look and what would happen. He had a few hand-tamed tarantulas. They actually shed their skin. He brought the skin of one of them with him."

"He never traveled with a crowd of people. He was very pure and authentic, and he loved the profession of photography so much. I miss him terribly. He had a sad life, but he was an amazing person."

To see photos of Sophia Loren, Leonardo DiCaprio, Barbra Streisand, Andy Warhol, Heath Ledger, and several others click.

Source: eMJey.com / culturemap.com / decorativecenter.com