Back in 1988, a man named Tony Urquidez got a call about a job. He ran Urquidez Construction in Los Olivos, a small town up in the hills of central California. A local architect wanted him to bid on building a gatehouse for a cattle ranch nearby.
Nobody told him who the ranch belonged to.
“I was called by a local architect to bid a proposal for a gate house, but didn’t know at the time who it was for,” he told the Santa Ynez Valley News.
He won the job and got to work. One day while he was out there building, a limousine rolled up and paused at the driveway. Through a half-open window, Tony could just make out two eyes looking at him. Not long after, the phone rang with an invitation to come meet the owner. He was sure somebody was pulling his leg.
The owner was Michael Jackson, the biggest pop star in the world, the man behind “Thriller” and “Billie Jean.” He was quietly turning that cattle ranch into Neverland, the storybook home full of rides and animals that fans still talk about today.
Michael took Tony around the property on a golf cart to show off his plans. Tony wasn’t starstruck though. His first thought about the King of Pop was about as plain as it gets.
“I just thought to myself, ‘This guy is goofy,'” he said.
That feeling didn’t last long. The two men ended up working together for years, and Michael would call late at night just to watch movies or talk through some new idea. Tony got to know a side of the star that the public never saw.
Then one day, Michael handed him a gift. It was a hat from the “Smooth Criminal” video, the white fedora from one of the most famous dance numbers Michael ever filmed. For a working man who’d stumbled onto the job almost by accident, it was the kind of keepsake fans would give anything to hold.
If you’ve forgotten just how iconic that look was, watch the number the hat came from.
Michael’s “Smooth Criminal” video, where the white fedora and the lean became famous
The way Tony tells it, Michael was easy to work for but full of energy. “He wasn’t the demanding type, but more of a little kid that wanted things immediately,” he said. Michael would hand him the picture in his head and let him run with it. “Michael gave me a mental visual of what he wanted, and I had the freedom to create.”
It even became a family affair. Michael had Tony’s teenage sons test out new toys and games before he bought them for the ranch. One of them, Aaron, still remembers his pick. “My favorite was the water fort.”
Tony traveled to conventions and amusement parks to study the rides too, because Michael always had to have the biggest and the best. Looking back, the builder who once thought the star was goofy came away with a very different feeling about him.
“He was always giving and so considerate.”