LOS ANGELES, July 2, 2009

Jackson Memorial Set for Tuesday in L.A.

Event for Pop Icon Will Be Held at Staples Center; 11,000 Tickets to Go to Public

  • Play CBS Video Video Jackson Days Before His Death

    One of Michael Jackson's former wives may want custody of their two children. Planning continues for a memorial next week and a video of his final rehearsal has been released. Ben Tracy reports.

  • Video Jackson's Last Concert Rehearsal

    Footage released by AEG Live shows Michael Jackson rehearsing for his 'This Is It' comeback concert two days prior to his death.

  • Video Guardians of Jackson Legacy

    Early Show anchors talk to Priya David about the two women Michael Jackson named in his will to raise his three children, his mother Katherine and singer Diana Ross, and where Debbie Rowe stands.

  • Workers standby at the train station at Neverland Ranch in Los Olivos, Calif., Thursday, July 2, 2009.

    Workers standby at the train station at Neverland Ranch in Los Olivos, Calif., Thursday, July 2, 2009.  (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)

(CBS/AP)  Last updated at 10:30 p.m. EDT

A memorial service for Michael Jackson will be held Tuesday at Los Angeles' Staples Center, CBS News has learned.

The news came following a day of discussions between L.A. police and officials and the Jackson family. The Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum and Nokia Theater were also considered.

It wasn't immediately clear if a funeral or a public memorial was being discussed for the entertainer - or both. No further details about the timing of the event or how members of the public might attend have been announced.

Jermaine Jackson confirmed the service would be at the Staples Center at 10 a.m. Tuesday, one in a series of events that would commemorate Michael Jackson.

"We hoping everybody will be safe and things locked down," Jackson said to CNN's Larry King, referring to pulling together the Staples Center event in such a short time.

Jermaine Jackson hopes that his brother can be buried at the Neverland Ranch, near the train station on the 2,500-acre property near Santa Barbara, Calif. He seemed confident that legal measures that prevent burial at Neverland could be overcome.

"There is no place big enough," Jermaine Jackson said regarding the funeral service. "The Washington Monument, [the Los Angeles] coliseum. We want the world to take part in this event. At the same time we are in mourning. This is the most incredible being there will ever be."

A statement released by Ken Sunshine, a family spokesperson, said that 11,000 tickets would be made available to the public, but specifics on how those tickets are to be distributed will be released Friday.

Before his death Michael Jackson had been rehearsing at the Staples Center, home of the Los Angeles Lakers, for 50 sold-out shows he was planning to put on in London. Today, the promoters released footage of Jackson's final rehearsal and in it he looks ready to make a comeback, reports CBS News correspondent Ben Tracy.

Watch video of Michael Jackson rehearsing at the Staples Center two days before he died.

AEG, the company that runs the Staples Center, was also producing Jackson's London concerts, reports Tracy. They offered the venue to the Jackson family for a memorial.

Today the director of those planned summer shows says Michael Jackson's final rehearsal was worthy of the "King of Pop," reports Tracy.

"It was just an incredible night," said Kenny Ortega. "He was electric, he was happy, he was invested. It was inspirational to be in this space."

The memorial discussions were held as the federal Drug Enforcement Administration joining the investigation into Jackson's death, and Jermaine Jackson said he would be "hurt" if toxicology reports showed his younger brother abused prescription drugs.

"In this business, the pressures and things that you go through, you never know what one turns to," Jermaine Jackson said in an interview on NBC's "Today" show.

The circumstances surrounding Jackson's death last week have become a federal issue, with the DEA asked to help police take a look at the pop star's doctors and possible drug use. Allegations have emerged that the 50-year-old entertainer had been consuming painkillers, sedatives and antidepressants.

Asked if he would be shocked or surprised if Michael's drug use was proven, Jermaine Jackson said, "I would be hurt." He said he had heard about prescription drug use in the 1980s when his brother was hurt in an accident filming a commercial but did not know if drug use was a possibility more recently.

"I don't know about these things, because I hate anything with drugs," he said, adding that it hurts the family for people to say things about drug use "because we don't know."

Psychic entertainer Uri Geller, a former Jackson confidant, said he tried to keep Jackson from abusing painkillers and other prescription drugs, but others in the singer's circle kept him supplied.

"When Michael asked for something, he got it. This was the great tragedy," Geller said in a telephone interview with The Associated Press from his suburban London home.

Jermaine Jackson said in the "Today" interview that he wishes he had died instead of his younger brother, and that Michael was "a gift from Allah."

The Los Angeles Police Department asked the DEA to help in the probe, a law enforcement official in Washington told the AP on condition of anonymity because of the investigation's sensitivity.

While the investigation into the singer's death deepened, passionate Michael Jackson fans spent another day in an uneasy limbo, awaiting word from the King of Pop's camp about where and when a memorial service might be held for their hero - and if they're even invited.

Speculation about the potential location of a memorial has ricocheted from the Staples Center to the Los Angeles Coliseum to the Nokia Theater. Jackson family spokesman Ken Sunshine said a public memorial was in the works but that it wouldn't be at Neverland.

The elimination of the proposed Neverland memorial came as a blow to many Jackson fans who had already descended on the estate in the rolling hills near Santa Barbara with the hope of attending a public viewing.

"We're terribly disappointed," said Ida Barron, 44, who arrived with her husband Paul Barron, 56, intending to spend several days in a tent.

On the legal front, Jackson's 7-year-old will was filed Wednesday in a Los Angeles court, giving his entire estate to a family trust and naming his 79-year-old mother Katherine and his three children as beneficiaries. The will also estimates the value of his estate at more than $500 million.

Katherine Jackson was appointed the children's guardian, with entertainer Diana Ross, a longtime friend of Michael Jackson, named successor guardian if something happens to his mother. A court will ultimately decide who the children's legal guardian will be.

Jermaine Jackson told Larry King he wasn't surprised that he or his siblings or father weren't mentioned in the will.

"It doesn't bother me because my mother is mentioned....We are a family. We don't let that get in the way."

He also said he would not want anyone to contest the will.

"If Michael makes a will no one should contest. It's what his wishes were," Jermaine Jackson said.

Jermaine Jackson told Larry King that it was interesting that Diana Ross was chosen as a guardian in case something happened to his mother.

"I think she's great," Jackson said.

Jackson's lawyer John Branca and family friend John McClain, a music executive, were named in the will as co-executors of his estate. In a statement, they said the most important element of the will was Jackson's steadfast desire that his mother become the legal guardian for his children.

The will doesn't name father Joe Jackson to any position of authority in administering the estate. Also shut out is ex-wife Debbie Rowe, the mother of his two oldest children.

Rowe, the mother of Jackson's two oldest children, plans to fight for custody of the children, according to a report from KNBC in Los Angeles.

Jermaine Jackson told King that leaving Rowe completely out of the will was "what Michael wanted."

The will, dated July 7, 2002, gives the entire estate to the Michael Jackson Family Trust. Details of the trust will not be made public.

Jackson owns a 50 percent stake in the massive Sony-ATV Music Publishing Catalog, which includes music by the Beatles, Bob Dylan, Neil Diamond, Lady Gaga and the Jonas Brothers.

Jackson, who died June 25, left behind three children: son Michael Joseph Jr., known as Prince Michael, 12; daughter Paris Michael Katherine, 11; and son Prince Michael II, 7.


© MMIX, CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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Add a Comment See all 29 Comments
by LisaMann2 July 5, 2009 1:47 PM EDT
All the Love. Support, Care and concern for Michael and his family is amazing!
Where was all this LOVE? When he was alive. Half the people that proclaime
Love now are the same one?s that gossiped, criticized his appearance and dragged
Him through the mud. PEOPLE NEED TO GET REAL!!! What good is it to show a
dead person love and respect if you don?t show love and respect when they are
alive. This happens all the time with family members and so called friends.
CHECK YOURSELF PEOPLE!!!
Reply to this comment
by MJFAN4LIFE July 3, 2009 7:38 PM EDT
Michael Jackson crossed color lines that no entertainer of his time has ever done. He was loved not only in this country but many countries. Elvis, who was a racest, performed in front of segregated groups and never stood for equality. Michael loved you whether you were black, white, yellow,brown or green for that matter. He helped more people than probably any entertainer alive (or dead) and his kindness was always taken as a weakness and used against him in the worst way. Yes he deserves the attention of the world. RIP MJ. We will miss you. Never will there be another like you.
Reply to this comment
by andie52 July 3, 2009 12:53 PM EDT
Michael Jackson; a combination of the masks of comedy and tragedy. Brilliant entertainer. Tortured soul. Besides emotional and psychological demons, his near-anorexic frame couldn't handle the number of medications he was taking. Only a matter of time before something breaks down.
Reply to this comment
by TryTakingMyMoney July 3, 2009 11:34 AM EDT
"men have very vivid sexual dreams while under Propofol anesthesia"...Well, maybe since he lost Neverland he was trying to fill the void with this drug. Sounds like his perversion cost him 22 million and his life. Folks, It's time to stop idolizing this sick person! You're stating to remind me of liberals and the media idolizing our socialist messiah. Time to get back to destroying America.
Reply to this comment
by onesword July 3, 2009 11:59 AM EDT
Not until after the funeral.
by poochie44 July 3, 2009 11:18 AM EDT
Please, please, please! Enough already about Wacko Jacko.
It's overkill and I'm sick of hearing about him and his sick ways.
Report on the important things in the world.
Reply to this comment
by onesword July 3, 2009 11:57 AM EDT
Then, why are you here?
by nishaboston July 3, 2009 10:27 AM EDT
For those who dislike Michael Jackson so much why click on the article and eve bother leaving a comment. Get a life!
Reply to this comment
by onesword July 3, 2009 11:56 AM EDT
Because they are really undercover MJ admirers trying hide behind lame and stupid comments.
by jackp32 July 3, 2009 10:19 AM EDT
I'll bet members of NAMBLA are well represented at the gathering. Jackson was probably the idol of many in that organization.
Reply to this comment
by nishaboston July 3, 2009 10:26 AM EDT
Typical old and tired Michael jackson joke, come up with something more original.
by grabandgo July 3, 2009 8:30 AM EDT
So what type of services were their for Farrah Fawcett?
She was a great person, too bad her story is overshadowed by this child molester.
Reply to this comment
by knowdalaw July 3, 2009 7:25 AM EDT
In the last rehearsal video of Michael Jackson, he looks a little stiff and somewhat slow. He does not bend his knees as low as the other dancers do as well.

Please notice, that at the end of the video, he keeps breathing out as if he is exhausted. Then he closes his eyes, and put on a wide goofy looking grin.

Please look again and you will notice what I am saying.
Please look again and you will notice what I am saying.
Reply to this comment
by airboatboy July 3, 2009 5:54 AM EDT
Why not get the people that were working on all the props for his final tour to make a puppet out of him and dance him around one more time? They could moonwalk him and everything! I bet Papa Joe would be the puppeteer!
Reply to this comment
by kamsack50 July 3, 2009 4:08 AM EDT
No way, sorry, for Michael news to end with the memorial.
Too much still unanswered. And anyway, I want some news to keep his story with us.
Reply to this comment
by albert571 July 3, 2009 2:35 AM EDT
Yea and maybe they can figure out why Michael wanted to be white and preferred white boys over black boys. Just a couple of questions that make you go HMMMM.I could go on to the really nasty stuff but that would cause a riot and now that Michael is the Hero the blacks needed since Obama Failed them so badly.
Reply to this comment
by grabandgo July 3, 2009 8:31 AM EDT
Good point, the blacks are followers, not leaders.
by onesword July 3, 2009 11:47 AM EDT
Is that why his death followed after Farrah Fawcetts?
by engymass2 July 3, 2009 12:32 AM EDT
You know.... Ronald Reagan died, Princess Diana, Gandhi, Martin Luther King Jr., Albert Einstein..... I can go on and on.....
How many US Presidents have died before MJ came along ??? NONE OF THEIR CELEBRATIONS OF THEIR MEMORIES COMES CLOSE TO THE LEVEL OF MICHAEL JACKSONS ? He found some area of the human brain and used it to become SUPER FAMOUS......??? How, and what, did he do to accomplish this ?? Oh, did I mention he came from the stock of people who were of the last great slave trade !?!? And still, more popular than ANY of the US Presidents before him....... scientists will be studying this guy for a "long time to come" ..... !!!!
Reply to this comment
by michaelrsi July 3, 2009 12:17 AM EDT
You think you have improved this web sit. All I know is that I haven't be able to find the CBS Evening News with my favorite broadcaster, Katie Couric all week since the overhaul of this site.

Every time you improve this web email newscaste I have to work and work and work checking out every link I can find until I get your ********* news. This link is so improved, I'm convinced all you have now are thses stupid segments. I don't want to see segments. I what to know what everyone else who watched the TV version saw. Why can't I just open the email to Katie Couric and then quickly open the news caste without having to spend a ********* half hour trying to fint it?

If you can't offer this service without constantly changing how you get the news on, why don't you just cancel this web sites and I can find ways of watching my Couric on TV. I would be appreciative if your design nerds would read what I say here and be understanding when you fire them.

Michael R. Shearer 503 692-1606, Tualatin (Portland) Oregon
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by Sloughfoot July 2, 2009 10:56 PM EDT
Dead meat does attract maggots and carrion beatles
Reply to this comment
by brendaleu July 2, 2009 10:09 PM EDT
Michael Jackson Was and is the GREATEST and when anyone listen to his music you would have to move or wiggle in some way. I love his music when others didnt but i didnt care, i would stell dance and wiggleit didnt matter who or where i stell will dance and sing along.Thanks Michael,I will alway love you and youre music,my prayers are with you and family
Reply to this comment
by ClaudiaW2010 July 3, 2009 1:01 AM EDT
brendaleu...I feel your sincerity coming through. I feel the same way. What a personal stamp Michael Jackson made on music and dance, over a period of time that spanned 30+ years. I don't know why people who didn't feel his music would click on an article about him and then bother to make a mean comment. And I am so disappointed in Larry King's shallow attempt at manipulation in his interview with Michael's brother, Jermaine, on Michael's beloved acreage, NeverLand. Larry King is so much more flexible with Michael's hanger-on's, isn't he? Minor example of what Michael Jackson had to put up with. Very minor in comparison, but all the bullying, jealousies, and name-calling, by both whites and blacks, would have destroyed a weaker man much sooner. Irony, he will outlive by a century, at least, ALL the weak ones. Peace to you, Michael Jackson.
by mjfan512 July 2, 2009 9:24 PM EDT
Michael no one will ever be bigger in pop not now not later.To me you will always be KING OF POP!!! YOUR STILL #1 AND ALWAYS WILL BE.=)
Reply to this comment
by mjfan512 July 2, 2009 9:22 PM EDT
I think that the state should let Jackson's close family decide what Michael would have wanted to do with Neverland Ranch.I think Michael RIP might have wanted this.
His Scincere Fan,
Ruby Romero
Reply to this comment
by poochie44 July 2, 2009 7:34 PM EDT
After the memorial can you please stop with the MJ overkill? Enough already!
Reply to this comment
by 45ford July 3, 2009 1:46 PM EDT
exactly! i've repeatedly yelled "enough already" for the past several days. the media is incessantly pounding every minute twist of the story. it's like they resurrect MJ then turn right around and beat him to death umpteen times over every day. plant his butt in the ground and get it over with.
by blog_fever2 July 2, 2009 5:50 PM EDT
Turn Neverland Ranch into a museum NOW!!!
Reply to this comment
by brendaleu July 2, 2009 10:01 PM EDT
I think turning neverland into a museum and a place to remember Michael Jackson is a Great thing to do just like Michael, GREAT and a fantastic intertainer and singer he's the greatest.
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