Michael Jackson's sequined white glove which became the rage among copy cat fans was more than a fashion accessory for the late King of Pop; it was his attempt to hide early signs of his skin disease. 

During an interview with Larry King, actress Cicely Tyson, a longtime friend of Jackson said they shared a designer in the ‘80s and saw him design the glove. "All of a sudden, he said, 'I'm doing this glove for Michael,'” she said. "Michael was beginning to develop the vitiligo and it started on his hand.

"The glove was to cover the vitiligo; that's how that glove came into being. I was there when he was creating it," she said.

Vitiligo, a disease that causes the skin to lighten in blotches and Jackson's dermatologist, Dr. Arnie Klein, told CNN that Jackson suffered from vitiligo, as well as a form of lupus that led to rashes and flaking of skin on his scalp.

"His was bad because he began to get a speckled look over his body," Klein said. "All over his body -- but on his face and hands, which is hard to treat."

Jackson's vitiligo was treated by Klein with a cream that eventually bleached his darker pigmentation to even out his skin color. "Michael was black," Klein said. "He was very proud of his black heritage."

Klein said it was the treatment not a once-rumored desire by Jackson to be white that lightened his skin over the years.

Lee Thomas an Emmy-winning television journalist in Detroit, Michigan whose skin changed because of vitiligo wrote a memoir called "Turning White," which discusses his physical and mental struggles as an African-American man with the skin condition. "I have to wear sleeves and carry an umbrella. It totally makes sense to me."

"I got [white spots] on one of my hands, so I used to wear a glove to hold a microphone," he said.

Dr. James Norlund, a dermatologist, said Jackson’s use of the gloves and lipstick was consistent with the patterns of vitiligo, since the spots frequently first appear on the hands and face, including the lips.

Actress Brooke Shields, a close friend of Jackson's at his memorial service Tuesday referring to the glove said, "When he started wearing the glove, I was like, 'What's up with the glove?'" she said. "I was like, 'If you're going to hold my hand, it better be the non glove one because sequins really hurt me.' It would dig in.

"He'd just shake his head and he would just smile."

Whatever was Jackson’s reason for wearing the glove, it became a trademark made famous in the music video for "Billie Jean" and earned Jackson the nickname of "The Gloved One," by the media.

The craze fans had for Michael Jackson’s possessions is apparent from the fact that even before his death a sequined glove he wore during his 1984 Victory tour was expected to fetch more than $60,000 in an upcoming auction.