Quick Facts
Biography
Mohammed al Fassi (1952 - Dec. 24, 2002), at times referred to as Prince al Fassi, was a Moroccan/Saudi businessman who was related by marriage to the Saudi royal family. His sister had married one of the brothers (Prince Turki bin Abdul Aziz) of Saudi king, Fahd al Saud.
al Fassi's notoriety stems from his 1978 purchase (for $2.4 million in cash) of a 38-room white-stucco mansion on Sunset Blvd. in Beverly Hills, California which he promptly had painted pea green. al Fassi further "embellished" his new home by having the Italianate statuary around the property painted in flesh tones, with any visible pubic hair also painted in appropriate colours. This raised the ire of almost everyone in Beverly Hills.
Within two years of this purchase, the house was completely destroyed by a fire which had been set by individuals who were burglarizing the house. The crowds who had gathered to watch the fire (and who were chanting "Burn! Burn! Burn!") cheered when the copper roof collapsed, signaling the total destruction of the mansion.
al Fassi soon relocated to Florida where he once again provoked his new neighbors, this time by letting his herd of goats roam onto their properties.
In 1991 al Fassi was arrested in Jordan and hastily extradited to Saudi Arabia, where he claimed he was subjected to torture. His arrest stemmed from his stance as an outspoken critic of the Saudi government's Gulf war and human rights policies.
al Fassi was known to be an animal lover to an extreme degree, and besides adopting over 100 stray cats, he was known to purchase live birds, fish, and even lobsters in order to set them free.
In 1979 this mansion was used as a set for The Jerk starring Steve Martin.