LOS ANGELES — Organizers and representatives for the Jackson family have confirmed memorial services for Michael Jackson will take place Tuesday (July 7) inside the Staples Center. The announcement ended days of speculation about how the King of Pop would be memorialized.
Fans will be able to attend after registering for free tickets at StaplesCenter.com beginning Friday morning, and registration will run until Saturday evening at 6 p.m. On Sunday fans will be notified and receive information on how to pick up tickets on Monday. The registration process is elaborate and has caused the site to crash once already — but the Jackson family insisted on a process that was democratic and fair, taking into consideration the many fans expected to arrive in Los Angeles for the memorial.
"It was our wish to allow as many of Michael's fans to be a part of the memorial, and we wish to thank everyone for their support and understanding at this difficult time," the Jackson family said in a statement.
Only 17,500 tickets will be given away, with 11,000 entrants able to go inside the arena and the remaining 6,500 ushered just across the street to the Nokia Theater where the proceedings will be simulcast. There are no guarantees for fans who register online and only 8,750 people will be selected randomly by a computer-generated program. Each selected fan will receive two tickets and two wristbands.
No further details regarding the service were announced. At a press conference held outside of the Staples Center, Jackson family representative Ken Sunshine said the plans are still being developed. Sunshine said he hopes the ticket process is handed with "dignity" and that tickets not be resold or counterfeited.
L.A. city councilwoman Jan Perry said the city's budget anticipates extraordinary circumstances and will pay for police protection on site. Perry asked interested donors to contact her if they wish to support other anticipated costs. She and a police spokesperson on hand urged fans to not attend the venue without a ticket.
Both parties said should fans not secure tickets, the best place to view the service is from home. Organizers stressed that the services would not be broadcast live outside the venue as previously reported, and again urged fans without tickets to stay away from the area on Tuesday.
MTV, VH1 and VH1 Classic will be airing the Michael Jackson memorial service live beginning at 1 p.m. ET on Tuesday. For continuing updates about the service as they become available, please continue to check MTVNews.com
LOS ANGELES, California (CNN) -- The rehearsals ended on a high note that night.
Michael Jackson was energetic and excited. He popped his signature moonwalk and dance spins that gave chills to some of those watching.
As he walked to his car, he put his arm around concert promoter Randy Phillips and -- as Phillips later recounted -- in his soft voice, whispered: "Thank you, I know we're going to get it there together. I know I can do this."
That was late Wednesday night, June 24. A few hours later, Jackson was rushed to a hospital and pronounced dead.
"All I know is that the Michael Jackson that hugged me and said 'goodnight' was a healthy, vibrant human being about to undertake the greatest undertaking of his life," Phillips said Thursday. "And something happened between 12:30 when he left us and the morning when I had to rush to the hospital when I got the first call." Watch Jackson rehearse for London shows »
The death of the pop icon shocked the music world, not only because many fans were looking forward to his 50 sold-out shows in London, England, beginning in mid-July, but also because the 50-year-old singer -- while a step slower than in his prime -- was apparently healthy and up to the task of what has been described as a grueling show.
"He was just like a kid in the candy store because he was seeing his vision come alive," said Dorian Holley, the vocal coach for Jackson's band, about the last rehearsal.
"He was just full of jokes, full of life," Holley said. He added that Jackson was due to be back at rehearsals again at 4:30 p.m. on the day of his death.
On Thursday, Phillips' promotion company, AEG Live, released a 1½-minute rehearsal clip that was shot two nights before Jackson's death.
In that clip, Jackson barreled through the song "They Don't Care About Us." As a guitarist played a riff, he danced next to her and then led eight backup dancers in a choreographed march, reminiscent of his breakthrough music video "Thriller."
The clip -- shot at the Staples Center arena in Los Angeles, California, on June 23 -- ends with a voice off stage saying, "Hold for applause, hold for applause ... fade out."
Two days later, Jackson was dead.
Phillips said a doctor, hired by the tour's insurance carrier, examined Jackson before AEG proceeded with the rehearsals -- and gave the singer the green light to continue.
"He examined Michael for about five hours at his house and I think they went somewhere for some other tests," Phillips said. "We are obviously not privy to the patient-doctor relationship with that information, but the insurance broker told us that he passed with flying colors."
The production pace in those final weeks was ferocious, some of the attendees said.
Jackson's manager, Frank DiLeo, told a radio interviewer that he discussed tweaking the strenuous two-hour format of the shows.
"We were going to do one of two things," DiLeo told KDKA in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, last week. "We were either going to do so much in the beginning, take a half-hour break, then come back and do the second half of the shows. Or we were going to cut it down to 90 minutes."
The exacting rehearsals may have been taking a toll on Jackson, his doctor's lawyer has said.
"Michael Jackson didn't eat very much," said Edward Chernoff, the lawyer for Jackson's cardiologist, Dr. Conrad Murray. "He really didn't drink very much. He didn't hydrate very well. When he rehearsed, it was very strenuous exercise."
As authorities await toxicology reports to determine how Jackson died, fans around the world lamented the loss of a great performer whose ability to dazzle seemed intact, if inhibited, in the short video clip.
"He still moves better at 50 than I could at 15," said Stephanie Siek, a graduate student in Frankfurt, Germany. "But he also seems to be holding back in a way he never did in his older videos or other footage I've seen. I think it would have been a great show, but I think that a lot of people would have been disappointed, because he was so iconic in his prime. That's a very, very hard standard to live up to."
July 2, 2009 - More information about Michael Jackson's funeral and memorial service has been released. According to media reports, Michael Jackson's funeral is scheduled for 10 A.M. on Tuesday, July 7 at the Staples Center in downtown Los Angeles, California. AEG Live, which owns the basketball arena and the nearby Nokia Theater, plans to use both facilities for the event.
Michael Jackson's PR firm says that 11,000 free tickets to the King of Pop's memorial service will be made available to the public. Fans wishing to attend Michael Jackson’s memorial service will have to register for free tickets. Details on how to register for tickets for the Michael Jackson memorial service at the Staples Center will be announced at a press briefing Friday.
Ken Sunshine, a Jackson family spokesperson, told reporters on Tuesday that a public memorial for Michael Jackson will not be held at the King of Pop's beloved Neverland Ranch, as was previously reported.
Michael Jackson's father, Joe Jackson, said that there are no plans to bury Michael Jackson at Neverland Ranch. According to E! News, Michael Jackson's body is being held at the Forest Lawn Memorial Park and Mortuaries in Los Angeles, California, where it is expected he will be buried at a private family ceremony said to be taking place on either Sunday or Tuesday.
Debbie Rowe will fight for custody of Parisand Michael Jr., the children born during her marriage to Michael Jackson -- this, according to NBC 4 in Los Angeles.
According to the NBC 4 website, Rowe said during a 90-minute phone conversation, "I want my children."
Rowe says she will seek a restraining order to keep Joe Jackson away from the children.
Rowe also says she'll submit to a DNA test to prove she's the biological mother
"This has never happened in the history of the Billboard charts...An album that is not a current release, is going to out sell the top selling current release. And not only that, three different albums for Michael Jackson are going to out sell the top selling current release."-Bill Werde, Billboard Magazine
LOS ANGELES, California (CNN) -- Michael Jackson's memorial service will take place Tuesday morning in the Staples Center, the 20,000-seat coliseum in downtown Los Angeles where Jackson rehearsed his show the night before he died, according to a person who has been briefed by a representative of the family.
No other details about the service, set to begin at 10 a.m. Tuesday, have been revealed.
The news comes amid the frenzy of information -- some conflicting -- that has followed the death of Jackson.
Thursday, CNN learned the family trust created by Jackson to receive all of his assets includes his mother, his children and a list of charities, according to a person with direct knowledge to the contents of the trust.
Katherine Jackson's 40 percent share would go to Michael Jackson's three children after her death, the source said.
The children -- ages 7, 11 and 12 -- will also share 40 percent of the estate's assets and the remaining 20 percent will benefits charities designated by the executors of the will, the source said.
Wednesday, a federal law enforcement official said Wednesday night that the Drug Enforcement Administration had joined Jackson's death investigation, once again fanning speculation that drugs may have been involved in the pop icon's passing.
Earlier in the day, the Jackson family said they would not hold a public or private viewing of his body at Neverland Ranch, as had been reported.
And though Jackson's will, made public Wednesday, placed his entire estate in a family trust, the document that described the trust was not filed in Los Angeles Superior Court.
"He was such an enigma in life, why would we expect him to be anything different in death?" said Antoni Devon, a Jackson fan who huddled with other music lovers at a makeshift memorial for the singer outside Grauman's Chinese Theatre in Hollywood.
Jermaine Jackson,"I wish it were me...I was his backbone, someone to be there for him. I was Aaron, he was sort of like Moses. Things he couldn't say, I would say..."
Michael Jackson'swill has been filed with the court. Jackson asks that his mother, Katherine, be made the guardian of all three of his kids. The will says if Katherine died before him or couldn't serve as guardian, he nominated Diana Ross.
And there's a petition filed along with the will, saying Jackson's estate is worth more than $500,000,000. The petition says almost all of the estate "consists of non-cash, non-liquid assets, including primarily an interest in a catalog of music royalty rights which is currently being administered by Sony/ATV, and interests in various entities."
As we first reported, the will leaves everything to the Michael Jackson Family Trust, stating, "I give my entire estate to the Trustee or Trustees..."
The will declares that Jackson is not married.
The will names John Branca, John McClain and Barry Siegel as co-Executors. Branca was Jackson's lawyer, McClain is a music exec and Siegel was Jackson's accountant. But Siegel resigned from his role as executor in 2003.
Branca and McClain just released the following statement: "The most important element of Michael's will is his unwavering desire that his mother, Katherine, become the legal guardian for his three children."
NEW YORK (Reuters) - Michael Jackson fans danced in the aisles of Harlem's famed Apollo Theater on Tuesday to celebrate his life, cheering and placing tributes on the stage where the "King of Pop" performed as a child.
A line stretched for several city blocks from the theater with fans chanting Jackson's name to passing tourist buses and singing his songs as they waited to see a 45-minute music and video tribute being repeated throughout the day.
"He was my first love," said Wilma McClelland, 48, from the Queens borough of New York, as she waited in line. "We have grown up with him."
Jackson, who died on Thursday, first performed at the Apollo Amateur Night at age 9 with his brothers. Their group, the Jackson 5, won the competition in 1969, when the pop singer was 11 years old, performing Smokey Robinson's "Who's Lovin' You."
Wearing a badge of Jackson and carrying posters and music of the singer, Kenya Dowe, 43, from Harlem, arrived at 10 p.m. on Monday to be one of the first in line.
"I wanted to be a part of the celebration for a legend, an icon, a global humanitarian," said Dowe, holding an umbrella to shade herself from the sun. "Michael Jackson is a beautiful person, he deserves this. I wish he could see this in life."
Student Ashley Allder, 20, traveled from Piscataway, New Jersey, and wore one sparkling glove that she made herself and a badge with a picture of Jackson and the words "peace at last."
"Even though I didn't grow up with him as long as other people did, he still touched me, he still made me want to be who I am," she said. "I love Michael Jackson so much."
"FEEL THE LOVE"
On the stage a spotlight shone on the singer's signature fedora, sequined glove and sunglasses placed on a stool next to a microphone. Jackson's hits such as "Bad," "ABC" and "Billie Jean" played.
"He's bad, he's our brother, he's our friend," Al Sharpton, civil rights campaigner and friend of Jackson, told the first audience inside the theater. "Let's love Michael today."
Jackson died from cardiac arrest at his rented Los Angeles home, days before he was due to perform a string of concerts in London that were designed to revive a career grounded by his 2005 trial and acquittal on child molestation charges.
"No matter all of the trials and tribulations he went through, I still love him regardless," said Barbara Brown, 46, a security guard from the Bronx. "Michael is a part of my household, that's my baby. He will always be in my heart."
Speculation about what caused Jackson's death has centered on prescription drug use but the results of toxicology tests are expected to take several more weeks.
Reports of Jackson's funeral arrangements have trickled out piecemeal, with conflicting sources speaking of a public viewing at Jackson's Neverland Valley Ranch in central California on Friday or Saturday, or possibly both.
On the streets near the Apollo, vendors sold T-shirts, hats and posters of Jackson.
"It helps me grieve a little to meet other fans," said Clara Edwards, 56, a hair stylist from Brooklyn who was selling posters from a table she had set up about a block from the Apollo. "It's like a trauma."
Carrying Jackson records, Gordon Penn, 48, a chauffeur from Harlem, said, "We love him dearly, we miss him dearly. I came here to feel the love."
By LYNN ELBER, Associated Press Writer Lynn Elber, Associated Press Writer Wed Jul 1, 6:01 am ET
LOS ANGELES – Michael Jackson was so distraught over persistent insomnia in recent months that he pleaded for a powerful sedative despite warnings it could be harmful, says a nutritionist who was working with the singer as he prepared his comeback bid.
Cherilyn Lee, a registered nurse whose specialty includes nutritional counseling, said Tuesday that she repeatedly rejected his demands for the drug, Diprivan, which is given intravenously.
But a frantic phone call she received from Jackson four days before his death made her fear that he somehow obtained Diprivan or another drug to induce sleep, Lee said.
While in Florida on June 21, Lee was contacted by a member of Jackson's staff.
"He called and was very frantic and said, `Michael needs to see you right away.' I said, 'What's wrong?' And I could hear Michael in the background ..., 'One side of my body is hot, it's hot, and one side of my body is cold. It's very cold,'" Lee said.
"I said, `Tell him he needs to go the hospital. I don't know what's going on, but he needs to go to the hospital ... right away."
"At that point, I knew that somebody had given him something that hit the central nervous system," she said, adding, "He was in trouble Sunday and he was crying out."
Jackson did not go to the hospital. He died June 25 after suffering cardiac arrest, his family said. Autopsies have been conducted, but an official cause of death is not expected for several weeks.
"I don't know what happened there. The only thing I can say is he was adamant about this drug," Lee said.
Following Jackson's death, allegations emerged that the 50-year-old King of Pop had been consuming painkillers, sedatives and antidepressants. But Lee said she encountered a man tortured by sleep deprivation and one who expressed opposition to recreational drug use.
"He wasn't looking to get high or feel good and sedated from drugs," she said. "This was a person who was not on drugs. This was a person who was seeking help, desperately, to get some sleep, to get some rest."
Jackson was rehearsing hard for what would have been his big comeback — his "This Is It" tour, a series of performances that would have strained his aging dancer's body. Also, pain had been a part of his life since 1984, when his scalp was severely burned during a Pepsi commercial shoot.
"The Incredible Hulk" star Lou Ferrigno, who's been working out with Jackson for the past several months, said Jackson was focused on health.
"When he was with me, he wasn't different. He wasn't stoned. He wasn't high. He wasn't being aloof or speedy. Never talked about drugs," Ferrigno said. "I've never seen him take drugs. He was always talking about nutrition."
Several months ago, Jackson had begun badgering Lee about Diprivan, also known as Propofol, Lee said. It is an intravenous anesthetic drug widely used in operating rooms to induce unconsciousness. It is generally given through an IV needle in the hand.
Patients given Propofol take less time to regain consciousness than those administered certain other drugs, and they report waking up more clear-headed and refreshed, said University of Chicago psychopharmacologist James Zacny.
It has also been implicated in drug abuse, with people using it to "chill out" or to commit suicide, Zacny said. Accidental deaths linked to abuse have been reported. The powerful drug has a very narrow therapeutic window, meaning it doesn't take doses much larger than the medically recommended amount to stop a person's breathing.
An overdose that stops breathing can result in a buildup of carbon dioxide, causing the heart to beat erratically and leading to cardiac arrest, said Dr. John Dombrowski, a member of the board of directors of the American Society of Anesthesiologists.
Because it is given intravenously and is not the kind of prescription drug typically available from pharmacists, abuse cases have involved anesthesiologists, nurses and other hospital staffers with easy access to the drug, Zacny said.
In recent months, Lee said, Jackson waved away her warnings about it.
"I had an IV and when it hit my vein, I was sleeping. That's what I want," Lee said Jackson told her.
"I said, 'Michael, the only problem with you taking this medication' — and I had a chill in my body and tears in my eyes three months ago — 'the only problem is you're going to take it and you're not going to wake up," she recalled.
According to Lee, Jackson said it had been given to him before but he didn't want to discuss the circumstances or identify the doctor involved.
Londell McMillan, attorney for Katherine and Joe Jackson, talked about Lee's disclosures Tuesday on CNN.
"It's a hearsay comment. It would be inadmissible anywhere in a court of law," he said. "I also wonder why anyone would make a comment about something that they don't have much knowledge about. They didn't see the drug administered. It's again because of the Michael Jackson factor."
Lee said the singer drew his own distinctions when it came to drugs versus prescription medicine.
"He said, `I don't like drugs. I don't want any drugs. My doctor told me this is a safe medicine,'" Lee said. The next day, she said she brought a copy of the Physician's Desk Reference to show him the section on Diprivan.
"He said, 'No, my doctor said it's safe. It works quick and it's safe as long as somebody's here to monitor me and wake me up. It's going be OK,'" Lee said. She said he did not give the doctor's name.
Lee said at one point, she spent the night with Jackson to monitor him while he slept. She said she gave him herbal remedies and stayed in a corner chair in his vast bedroom.
After he settled in bed, Lee told Jackson to turn down the lights and music — he had classical music playing in the house. "He also had a computer on the bed because he loved Walt Disney," she said. "He was watching Donald Duck and it was ongoing. I said, `Maybe if we put on softer music,' and he said, `No, this is how I go to sleep.'"
Three and a half hours later, Jackson jumped up and looked at Lee, eyes wide open, according to Lee. "This is what happens to me," she quoted him as saying. "All I want is to be able to sleep. I want to be able to sleep eight hours. I know I'll feel better the next day."
Lee, 56, is licensed as a registered nurse and nurse practitioner in California, according to the state Board of Registered Nursing's Web site. She attended Los Angeles Southwest College and the Charles Drew University of Medicine and Sciences in Los Angeles.
Comedian Dick Gregory, who knows Lee and her work, said he believes Jackson's insomnia had its roots in the pop star's 2005 trial on child molestation charges. Jackson's health had deteriorated so much that his parents called Gregory, a natural foods proponent, for help.
Gregory said Jackson wasn't eating or drinking at the time and, after he was persuaded by Gregory to undergo testing, ended up hospitalized for severe dehydration.
But Jackson obviously was healthy enough to withstand the level of medical scrutiny needed to insure him for the upcoming high-stakes London concerts, Gregory said. "That you don't trick," he said of the exams.
Lee, who has also worked with Stevie Wonder, Marla Gibbs, Reynaldo Rey and other celebrities, said she was introduced to Jackson by the mother of one of his staff members. Jackson's three children had minor cold symptoms and their pediatrician was out of town.
Lee said she went to the house in January, the first of about 10 visits there through April, and treated the children with vitamins. Michael, intrigued, asked what else she did and took her up on her claim she could boost his energy.
After running blood tests, she devised protein shakes for him and gave him an intravenous vitamin and mineral mixture — known as a "Myers cocktail," after Dr. John Myers — which Lee said she uses routinely in her practice.
"It wasn't that he felt sick," she said. "He just wanted more energy."
Lee said she decided to speak out to protect Jackson's reputation from what she considers unfounded allegations of drug abuse or shortcomings as a parent.
"I think it's so wrong for people to say these things about him," she said. "He was a wonderful, loving father who wanted the best for his children."
___
AP Medical Writer Lindsey Tanner in Chicago, AP Television Writer David Bauder in New York contributed to this report and AP Television reporter Natalie Rotman in Los Angeles contributed to this story.
Sources tell TMZ an extremely dangerous and potent drug used for surgical anesthesia was found at Michael Jackson's house after he died.
We're told the drug Propofol was discovered at the residence. The drug is used to put people under anesthesia before surgery. It is an extremely powerful drug that is only available to medical personnel. As one source said, "There is no conceivable way this drug can be properly prescribed for home use."
The drug can only be administered with an IV. Interestingly, Propofol burns and the drug Lidocaine is used to reduce the pain associated with the Propofol injection. As we first reported, Lidocaine was found near Jackson's body.
One of the major side-effects of Propofol is cardiac arrest if it's taken in combination with narcotic painkillers, however, Propofol is so powerful it can stop someone's heart on its own.
A registered nurse has come out and said Jackson begged her for the drug Diprivan -- the brand name for Propofol. She says he needed it for insomnia but she declined to supply it.
Sources say the drug is so inappropriate and reckless for home use, if a doctor facilitated it for Jackson, he or she could be prosecuted for manslaughter.
“Michael Jackson was an exceptional Human Being. He was gifted, deeply compassionate and brought joy to the lives of so many. He loved his family dearly, and above all, his beautiful children.
In addition to being my employer over the past 17 years and entrusting the care of his beloved children to me, he was my dear friend. While our friendship had challenges, as do all friendships, he was loyal to the end. I cherish and honor his memory.
I am shocked, hurt and deeply saddened by recent statements the press has attributed to me, in particular, the outrageous and patently false claim that I “routinely pumped his stomach after he had ingested a dangerous combination of drugs". I don’t even know how to pump a stomach!! In addition, I have never spoken to the Times Online, the original source of the story that has now been picked up worldwide. The statements attributed to me confirm the worst in human tendencies to sensationalize tragedy and smear reputations for profit.
I convey my heartfelt and deepest condolences to Prince, Paris, Blanket and the entire Jackson family. The pain and sorrow I feel over the loss of Michael pales in comparison to what has been taken from them forever.”
Public service for Michael Jackson to be held Friday at Neverland
Jackson's hometown of Gary, Indiana, hoping to be burial site
Gary will host a memorial service July 10
By Alan Duke CNN
LOS ANGELES, California (CNN) -- Michael Jackson's body will be taken to his Neverland Ranch on Thursday morning for a public viewing Friday, a law enforcement source said Tuesday.
A private memorial service is scheduled for Sunday at Neverland.
Also, a Jackson will written in 2002 has been found, according to family lawyer Londell McMillan.
Planning is under way for a 30-car motorcade carrying Jackson's remains to leave the Los Angeles area at 10 a.m. for Santa Barbara County, California, on Thursday, a source said.
Another state law enforcement source said the California Highway Patrol had not been formally requested to escort the motorcade.
The singer's hometown of Gary, Indiana, is asking the family to send him there, according to the mayor's spokeswoman.
Gary Mayor Rudy Clay has been in contact with the Jackson family, hoping to make that happen, spokeswoman Lalosa Burns said Tuesday.
Clay told Chicago radio station WGN that he expects that Jackson's body will, at the least, be taken to Gary for a memorial service he is planning next week.
"I believe that his body will lie in state in Gary, Indiana," Clay said Tuesday. "Now, it may not happen, but I believe it will."
The Jackson memorial service is set for July 10 at U.S. Steel Works ballpark in Gary, Burns said.
It would be "a memorial that's fit for the prince of peace and a memorial that's fit for Gary, Indiana's favorite son, the greatest entertainer that ever lived," Clay said.
A burial site for the singer could be near a proposed Jackson family museum and a performing arts center, Burns said.
"The mayor had spoken with a contact of the Jackson family and expressed our interest in having that to be a part of the history of this great family," Burns said. "We have not received confirmation on that."
Jackson's father, Joe, visited the city last year and talked with Clay about a Jackson museum, Burns said.
Michael Jackson purchased the Neverland Ranch, north of Santa Barbara, in 1987 and filled it with animals and amusement rides. He ran into financial problems with the property but retained a stake in it at the time of his death June 25.
The ranch is named for the fictional world in J.M. Barrie's "Peter Pan."
The newly discovered will may be one of several, lawyer McMillan said.
"We need a certain amount of time to look at that," he said of whether other wills exist. "I don't personally know, but it's possible."
Until now, the Jackson family has said it has not seen a will for the singer.
Without a legal will, the division of his estate would be decided in court.
The 2002 will surfaced Monday after a Los Angeles judge gave the singer's mother, Katherine Jackson, temporary control of her son's "tangible personal property."
The pop icon's three children -- ages 7, 11 and 12 -- were also placed under the temporary guardianship of Katherine Jackson.
McMillan said he has seen the will but would not disclose its details.
"There is a process called 'probating the will' that will validate any will in due course," he said.
Probate is the legal process to prove whether a will is authentic and valid. The process is used to pass on items in the will from the deceased to the beneficiaries.
The biological mother of Jackson's two oldest children, Debbie Rowe, will be invited to a hearing Monday in which the judge will consider who should have custody of them. She has not publicly indicated whether she will challenge the Jacksons for custody.
As authorities begin to weed through the custody issues related to Michael Jackson’s three children, a number of reports are emerging that question the paternity of Prince Michael Jr., 12; Paris Michael Katherine, 11; and Prince Michael II, 7. Our colleagues at Us Weekly are reporting that Los Angeles dermatologist Arnold Klein — Michael’s former doctor and boss of Jackson’s onetime wife, Debbie Rowe — is the biological father of elder children Prince Michael Jr. and Paris. “He and Debbie signed an agreement saying they would never reveal the truth,” an insider tells the magazine. “I’m doing a favor for a good friend,” Rowe reportedly told a friend when she was pregnant with one of the children. She gave up custody of the two children after she and Jackson divorced in 1999; when Jackson was facing child-molestation charges in 2003 she briefly regained custody, but gave it up again in 2006. An unnamed surrogate gave birth to Prince Michael II.
All three children are currently in the care of Jackson’s 79-year-old mother, Katherine, per a court order for temporary custody granted yesterday. The court will examine the children’s permanent placement at a July 6th hearing. Rowe’s attorney Eric George tells the Los Angeles Times his client will decide in the next several days whether to petition for custody or visitation rights.
TMZ also reports that Michael Jackson was not the biological father of any of his three children — and that the superstar did not legally adopt them because there was no presumed third party who would try to take custody of them. As Rolling Stone previously reported, there is no mother named on youngest son Prince Michael II’s birth certificate, though Jackson is listed as the father. Rowe is named as the mother of Prince Michael and Paris, the AP reports.
Check out pictures of Michael Jackson from his last concert rehearsal at the Staples Center on June 23, 2009 in Los Angeles, California. These are some of the last photos taken of the superstar before his death last week.
Photographer Kevin Mazur commented on taking some of the final photos of Michael Jackson, "I am devastated by the sudden loss of the King of Pop, who I have photographed numerous times since the Victory Tour in the 80's. When he hit the stage at rehearsal, I was thrilled that the magical Michael Jackson was BACK!!! I felt the same adrenaline rush as when I photographed him the 1st time moonwalking. I was so looking forward to shooting the O2 Arena performances with the amazing production that Kenny Ortega and AEG put together with Michael for his fans."
AEG Live, the concert promoters for Michael Jackson's comeback shows has announced it will offer fans a full refund on their tickets. "The world lost a kind soul who just happened to be the greatest entertainer the world has ever known," said Randy Phillips, AEG Live President & CEO. "Since he loved his fans in life, it is incumbent upon us to treat them with the same reverence and respect after his death."
Ticket holders requiring information about receiving a full refund should go to MichaeJacksonLive.com starting Wednesday, July 1, 2009.
Singer started one-man fashion revolution with his cropped pants and sequins.
By Jocelyn Vena
Michael Jackson is a pop-culture legend because of his groundbreaking work in music and movies and his visionary music videos. But Jackson, who died Thursday in Los Angeles, will also be remembered for his eccentric, creative and sparkling sense of style.
Just as his music and dancing have influenced today's young artists, from Justin Timberlake to Chris Brown, Jackson's style has also had an impact on many artists as well.
Jackson first burst onto the scene in the 1960s alongside his brothers in the Jackson 5. At the time, it was all about bright colors, bell-bottoms and printed tops. The guys kept up the look with a few tweaks here and there throughout much of the 1970s, including their signature Afros.
In the 1980s, Michael began a fashion revolution for himself, embracing a slimmer silhouette, shorter pants, bright-colored socks and, most importantly, sequins. This is also around the time when some of Michael's most recognizable pieces of clothing found their way into pop-culture history.
In the video for "Thriller," Michael wore what would become a signature red leather jacket (later referenced in the Adam Sandler flick "The Wedding Singer"). He would wear several versions of the jacket throughout the decade.
Military-style jackets, often sequined and usually paired with slim-fitting, short pants, also became a signature Jackson piece of clothing. The cropped pants were equally important to the Jackson aesthetic: They displayed his socks so when he danced onstage, you really paid attention to his moves.
Accessories were key to Jackson's look. He embraced chunky belts, armbands, sequins, hats, straps, ties, patches, sunglasses and even makeup. If Jackson could make his eccentric sense of style even more theatrical, he would. He never shied away from standing out in the crowd while onstage and in videos.
But the most iconic Jackson accessory is his now-legendary single white glove. It might be the one piece of clothing most associated with the singer. No matter what Jackson wore before or after he introduced the white glove to his aesthetic in the '80s, it would be the defining fashion moment in a career full of groundbreaking style.
We would have remembered him if it was just the songwriting or just the dancing or just the eyebrow-raising fashion. But Michael Jackson dominated each of those artistic avenues - and so many others.
You see his influence in every Justin Timberlake who sweats to perfect a signature move. Every movie-esque flourish in a video. Every African-American artist who sits atop the pop charts.
His legacy is as enduring as it is multi-faceted.
1. Sound
When America first met Jackson, he was a lovable, pint-sized pre-teen with a puffy Afro and an electric voice.
Through the 1970s, 1980s and early 1990s, Jackson held onto the earnestness he had as the frontman of the Jackson Five. Back then, it was impossible to hate Jackson. He was just so likable. When he sang "We are the ones who make a brighter day / So let's start giving" in "We Are the World," you believed him.
As for the music? Pop, rock, disco, jazz - Jackson's tunes had a little bit of everything, all swirled together and peppered with plenty of high-pitched shrieks, squeals and "Hee-hees." His death leaves many questions, not the least of them being what, exactly, does "Shamone" mean?
Pop stars like the Spice Girls and Pussycat Dolls can sell millions of albums but never be taken seriously for their music. Not so for Jackson. His albums - Thriller especially - were embraced by fans and critics alike. He didn't just have 13 No. 1 singles; he had 13 Grammys, too.
2. Dance
No one moved like Michael Jackson. But everyone wanted to.
Music might have made him a star, but from the blunt sexuality of the crotch grabs, to the laser-sharp spins, snaps and pivots, to the mesmerizing group choreography spotlighted in his videos, to, of course, the otherworldly impossibility that was his moonwalk, dance launched Jackson into the stratosphere.
He might not have invented the moonwalk, but he might as well have. When the world watched him gliding like that for the first time, black loafers moving across the stage with liquid smoothness during a televised Motown Music special in 1983, no one had ever seen anything like it.
How many teenagers spent how many hours dragging their stockinged feet across carpeted bedroom floors, trying to master that illusion but remaining, alas, hopelessly earthbound?
3. Fashion
The single, white, sequined glove. The red leather jacket with so many zippers. The pegged pants. The fedora. The bedazzled military coats.
Like everything Jackson, his look was a precise exercise straddling desirability and eccentricity. Everybody wanted that leather jacket he wore in the Beat It video, but who, save Jackson, could pull off a solitary, spangled glove?
The Jheri curls? Maybe not. The mirrored sunglasses? Definitely.
He outfitted himself to show off his moves. Black shoes with glittering white socks? He knew no one could ignore feet turned out like that.
In regal coats with epaulets and rhinestone regalia, he was the King of Pop who dressed for the job.
4. Videos
When Jackson's full-length Thriller video was set to debut following an orgy of hype on MTV in late 1983, people wrote it on their calendars. They stayed home just to see it. The most expensive video ever made at the time, it was essentially a cinematic experience, a nearly 15-minute long mini-movie, a happening.
Unlike many artists who phone in videos with concert footage or pack them full of scantily clad models, Jackson used his MTV time to tell stories (as in Thriller and Smooth Criminal), push the boundaries of special effects (as in Billie Jean), produce full, Broadway-choreography (as in Beat It).
He single-handedly fortified the fledgling music television channel and turned the music video into an art form.
5. Influence
Like Elvis and Bob Dylan before him, Jackson reshaped pop culture in ways that are hard to comprehend. Jackson influenced just about every musician who came after him in one way or another. He was unavoidable.
Baltimore-based hip-hop performer MC Saleem Heggins can't point to one specific way Jackson helped shape his music. That would almost be insulting, he said. Jackson was much broader than that, and his legacy is almost impossible to pin down.
"For me, he was the largest figure in music," Heggins said. "I was inspired and entertained by his ability to reach all walks of life. ... It's a legacy of creating great music that appeals to people without compromising yourself."
6. Celebrity
This week as the world mourned Jackson, a CNN commenter wondered if there has ever been anyone on the planet with a more recognized name.
Maybe not.
He was a superstar, but a superstar whose eccentricities drove one tabloid headline after another. His marriages. His monkey. His plastic surgeries. The molestation trial.
For a generation, Jackson was an ever-present media image, selling millions of records, launching millions of rumors.
Byrd was hoping that Jackson's planned comeback tour would turn the spotlight away from the freak show and back to the artistry.
"I was praying even that Michael was going to return to the Michael we know and love," he said, "and the music that was the soundtrack to our lives."
7. Race
Before Billie Jean, MTV hadn't played a black artist. They weren't "rock" enough, the channel's executives said.
But as Thriller became the top-selling album of all-time, and its corresponding videos all but made MTV, Jackson soundly broke that color barrier.
Jackson's appeal became near-universal, a sound as inescapable on white suburban boomboxes as it was in urban dance clubs.
Still, the idea of racial harmony played out throughout Jackson's career. He teamed with Paul McCartney in the 1980s for the singles "Say, Say, Say" and "The Girl is Mine," and years later, even as his own blackness seemed to be literally fading away as his skin tone became ever lighter, he sang: "If you're thinking about my baby it don't matter if you're black or white."
"His catalog revolves around love, around African-American pride and around uplifting all people," says Eric Byrd, a music lecturer at McDaniel College. "He was trying to tell people we can do better as a human family."
We've learned Michael Jackson's lawyer has a copy of the singer's will and he intends to file it with the court.
We're told the Jackson family doesn't have a copy of the will in attorney John Branca's possession. It's unclear how many wills Jackson made but Branca believes it's the most current.
Branca has a long history with Jackson. In 1985, Branca brokered the deal for Jackson to purchase The Beatles' publishing catalogue.
Branca and Jackson stopped working together in 2006 but the singer hired him back just three weeks ago.
Marlon learned about brothers death through Michael's manager yesterday
He said responders found Michael not breathing, "couldn't bring him around"
Marlon hasn't seen Michael in a month, said he "looked good"
"He has left a legacy and it's going to be forever," he says
By Roland Martin
(ESSENCE)-- ESSENCE.com correspondent Roland S. Martin talks with Marlon Jackson, brother of Michael Jackson and a member of the Jackson 5, about the death of his younger brother, the King of Pop.
Roland S. Martin:Marlon, how did you find out about Michael's death?
Marlon Jackson:I talked to Frank Dileo, Michael's manager. Frank told me that Michael last night was complaining about not feeling well.
Michael's doctor went over to see him, and Frank said, "Marlon, from last night to this morning, I don't know what happened."
When they got to him this morning, he wasn't breathing. They rushed him to the hospital and couldn't bring him around. That's what happened. They don't know what happened.
Martin:When was the last time you saw Michael?
Jackson:It was May 14 at a family gathering. I had just gotten back from Africa. Michael looked great. He was looking well. He was getting ready to go into rehearsals for his tour. I don't know what happened.
Martin:There were some reports he wasn't feeling well and was in a wheelchair.
Jackson:He wasn't in a wheelchair. He was walking around with his kids. When we saw him, he wasn't in a wheelchair. We all talked. He was doing great.
Martin:Was that the last time you spoke with him?
Jackson:May 14 was the last time I spoke with him. The last time I saw him.
Martin:Have you talked to any of your other family members about his death?
Jackson:I've been trying to get a hold of my mom. I talked to Jackie. I talked to Tito. They feel the same way. A piece of our hear a piece of us went with him. It was a shock to them, too. I talked to my brother Jackie and he said, "Marlon, is it true?" I said, "I'm calling them right now to see if it's true." That's when I called Frank Dileo and I couldn't get to my mom. I talked to him the first time and he was at the house and my mom was in the background crying, and she was just upset.
Martin:Was Michael still at the house?
Jackson:Michael had passed. Frank told me, "We lost him."
Martin:And you said a doctor saw him last night, but he didn't see a need to take him to the hospital?
Jackson:He didn't take him to the hospital. This morning he wasn't breathing and they rushed him to the hospital. He was going to be 51 in August. Gone too soon.
Martin:Marlon, it's amazing to look at the reaction from all over the world. People are at the hospital, at the Jackson family home in Gary, Indiana, at his star on the Wall of Fame.ESSENCE.com: Read Michael Jackson's obit
Jackson:I never knew the affect the Jackson 5 had on people until I began traveling with a major broadcasting network, and people would say our songs were the reason for them getting married. Me and my brothers did what we did because we loved it.
That's the way we thought. I'm happy that we did get a chance to just bring happiness to everybody, and Michael took it to another level to bring people happiness. He cared about people a lot.
Michael was known all over the world, and that's why people care, and it's nice to see that people care. Not only did they grow up with my brother, but they grew up with the Jackson 5. He's definitely going to be missed. We are always going to remember him. We cannot forget him.ESSENCE.com: Michael Jackson's life in photos
Martin:I hear the comparisons to Elvis Presley and people looking to him a generation later. I know it's very soon after the death of Michael, but should something like Graceland be established so the next generation is aware of Michael's impact?
Jackson:He's going to live on. He has left a legacy and it's going to be forever, and I really feel that in my heart. I want people to concentrate on those things that he did for people. He did a lot of positive things. He's going to live forever. I'm going to miss him. The memories, all the great things he has done, and my family is going to miss him. It's hard. It's really hard for us right now.
Martin:For the world he was the King of Pop. But for you, he was your younger brother.
Jackson:And that's the way we saw him, as a younger brother. It's like when anyone else loses their family member. It hurts. It hurts right now. It really hurts
Find this article at: http://www.cnn.com/2009/SHOWBIZ/Music/06/29/what.matters.marlon.jackson/index.html?iref=werecommend
Jackson's mother awarded guardianship of his children
Story Highlights
NEW: Judge approves guardianship request from Michael Jackson's mother
NEW:Family filed a petition asking that Katherine Jackson handle estate
Jackson has three children: Michael Jr., Paris and Prince Michael II
Autopsy performed Friday; toxicology results will exonerate physician, says attorney
LOS ANGELES, California (CNN)-- A Los Angeles judge granted temporary guardianship of Michael Jackson's three children to Jackson's mother, a court official said.
Judge Mitchell Beckloff issued the order Monday morning, soon after Katherine Jackson filed a petition in Los Angeles Probate Court seeking legal guardianship of the children.
The family also filed a petition asking that Katherine Jackson be named administrator of Michael Jackson's estate and that the children be named his sole beneficiaries.
"Given the nature and extent of the descendent's assets, it would be difficult if not impossible to quantify their value at this time, so the calculation of bond would be speculative at best," the petition said.
The guardianship petition said the grandmother should be named guardian because "the minors have no relationship with their biological mother" and they are "currently residing with paternal grandmother."
"They have a long established relationship with paternal grandmother and are comfortable in their care," the petition said.
Rowe gave up parental rights to Jackson in 2001, but she changed her mind more than two years later and sought temporary custody of the children. A California appeals court later ruled her rights were improperly terminated, opening the door to a possible custody battle.
The mother of the third child, 7-year-old Prince Michael Jackson II, was never publicly identified. The guardianship petition listed the mother as "none."
Jackson died Thursday afternoon. An autopsy was performed on the entertainer Friday.
Toxicology reports from his body will disprove rumors that the singer's personal physician injected him with powerful painkillers, the attorney for Dr. Conrad Murray said Monday.
"Dr. Murray never prescribed Demerol, never administered Demerol, never saw him -- Michael Jackson -- take Demerol," attorney Edward Chernoff told CNN's "American Morning."
"And that goes as well for OxyContin. I think those are just rumors. When toxicology comes back ... that's going to be all cleared up," Chernoff said.
Murray met voluntarily for several hours with detectives over the weekend, the Los Angeles Police Department said late Saturday.
"We've let them know we're available to them any time they need us, any questions they have," Chernoff said. "We have told them that the medical examiner is free to call us. We'll be available to them. If they have any questions once toxicology comes out. I expect they will have some questions, and we'll be ready to answer them."
Murray found Jackson not breathing in bed when he entered the 50-year-old singer's estate on Thursday, Chernoff said. Jackson did have a slight pulse when Murray found him and tried to resuscitate the singer as he awaited paramedics, a representative with Chernoff's Houston, Texas, law firm said Sunday.
Jackson was rushed to a Los Angeles medical center, where he was pronounced dead.
An autopsy performed by a county medical examiner was inconclusive, although officials said there were no indications of external trauma or foul play. The Los Angeles County coroner's office has said toxicology results are needed before a cause of death can be determined. That could take four to six weeks.
Detectives impounded Murray's car, which was parked at the singer's rented home. Authorities said the vehicle may contain evidence related to Jackson's death, possibly prescription medications. Police have released no information on what they may have found.
Chernoff said there was nothing in Jackson's medical history that Murray was aware of "that would lead him to believe he would go into sudden cardiac arrest or respiratory failure."
"There was no red flag available to Dr. Murray, which led him to believe he would have died the way he did," Chernoff said. "It's still a mystery how he died to Dr. Murray.
"It was Dr. Murray ... as you know, that requested that the family ask for an autopsy, because he needed to know as well as his physician what caused Michael Jackson to stop breathing."
CNN's Stan Wilson, Lindy Hall, Ted Rowlands, Traci Tamura, Drew Griffin and Anna Coren contributed to this report.
The Real Reason for Michael Jackson's Death? His Secret Fatal Illness, by Bonnie Fuller
Was the King of pop really felled by prescription drug use and abuse ? Those who speculate on this theory could be dead wrong! Instead, Michael could very well be the victim of the lupus he suffered from.
Did you know that Michael Jackson, was the victim of a rare auto-immune disease called lupus? Yes, he was according to his Wikipedia biography and as it turns out -- lupus sufferers frequently die in their 40s and 50's from sudden heart attacks, caused by atherosclerosis. Let me explain.
Lupus causes inflammation in many of the body's organs including the arteries of the heart. The inflamed arteries then cause cholesterol to deposit on their walls.These deposits cause scarring, and the whole process primes lupus victims to have massive heart attacks, which are often asymptomatic beforehand.
Mild lupus sufferers, like Jackson, are actually more at risk for having a fatal heart attack, according to Dr Michael Lockshin, a rheumatologist at the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York City. The reason for this is because people who have a mild case of lupus are less likely to take any of the medications which would prevent inflammation of the organs.
Now if you don't believe that Jackson had lupus consider this: vitiligo, which Jackson also suffered from, resulting in the famous pigment loss in his skin, is also an auto-immune disease. Coincidentally, vitiligo and lupus are often diagnosed in the same person, explains Dr. Lockshin. In other words, it would not have been unusual for Michael Jackson to have suffered from both ailments.
Here's another key fact: African-Americans are four times more like to be lupus victims than Caucasians. However, lupus is far more common in women than men. Still men, do get it.
So would prescription drug abuse have exacerbated a case of lupus? Only if demerol was injected intravenously, would it also have damaged Jackson's heart, according to Dr. Lockshin. Demerol injected into his muscles would not have played a deadly role and neither would drugs like Xanax and Zoloft.
Lupus also frequently causes inflammation and pain in the joints, which could explain why Jackson was sometimes seen in a wheel chair. This might also explain why Jackson had not performed in years. Maybe it wasn't just the stress of the child molestation charges and trials that forced him to put his performance career on hold. Maybe, he was simply unwilling to share his medical problems with the public.
Until a possible lupus-induced heart attack felled him, the King of Pop may have preferred to preserve the illusion that he was still, at least in some ways, invincible!
Follow Bonnie Fuller on Twitter: www.twitter.com/bonniefuller
Debbie Rowe will fight for custody of Paris and Michael Jr., the children born during her marriage to Michael Jackson -- this, according to NBC 4 in Los Angeles.
Sources tell TMZ an extremely dangerous and potent drug used for surgical anesthesia was found at Michael Jackson's house after he died.
We've learned Michael Jackson's lawyer has a copy of the singer's will and he intends to file it with the court.
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