Monday 16 June 2008

Bill Cosby's famous TV sweaters up for auction

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Some of Bill Cosby's legendary patterned sweaters his long-running television hit "The Cosby Show" will be auctioned off next month to benefit a charity set up in memory of the actor's late son, organizers said on Thursday.


Never available to the public before, three of the iconic sweaters worn by Cosby's character, Dr. Heathcliff Huxtable, on the show in the 1980s and '90s will be sold on eBay's Giving Works charity listing arm from June 2-12. Opening bids will start at $5,000 per item on www.eBay.com/cosby.


The proceeds will benefit the education charity Hello Friend/Ennis William Cosby Foundation, which was established in 1997 by the Cosby family to continue the legacy of Cosby's son Ennis after his murder in Los Angeles.


"My mother and father were going through a storage closet, and I happened to be there and pounced on these sweaters," explained daughter Evin Cosby, who is a board member of Hello Friend.


"I told them that the price of what some of these sweaters might sell for could make a big difference in the lives of thousands of children."


"The Cosby Show" was one of the most popular sitcoms on U.S. television, airing on NBC between 1984 and 1992.


Reuters/Nielsen