"A Tribute to the King of Pop"

The huge Michael Jackson portrait that Sunland artist Seaton Brown created from 1,680 empty soda cans, calling it "A Tribute to the King of Pop," has reached its logical destination.

Brown said he recently sold the 144-square-foot work to Ripley Entertainment, which operates a chain of 31 Ripley's Believe It or Not! museums in 10 countries, including the one in Hollywood.

Brown said the work fetched a not-quite-kingly $7,500 — enough, however, to cover the $1,000 he spent on raw materials (including about $600 worth of soda pop that he poured down the drain) and earn him a decent wage for the five solid weeks he spent creating it about a year and a half ago.

Edward Meyer, in charge of exhibits and archives for Ripley, which is based in Orlando, Fla., said Tuesday that plans call for installing "A Tribute to the King of Pop" in the Hollywood museum in November.

—Mike Boehm