Jackson's Ex-Wife Won't Attend Memorial

Debbie Rowe Says Attending Would be "Unnecessary Distraction"

(CBS/AP)  An attorney for Debbie Rowe says Michael Jackson's ex-wife is backing out of plans to attend the pop superstar's memorial service.

Rowe, the mother of Jackson's two oldest children, had originally planned to attend Tuesday's memorial service at the Staples Center.

But Rowe attorney Marta Almli said Monday her attendance would be "an unnecessary distraction" and that Rowe will "celebrate Michael's memory privately."

Meanwhile, Los Angeles city councilwoman Jan Perry said she'd "love it" if the Jacksons helped defray some of the city's expected costs associated with Tuesday's memorial, but that officials hadn't heard from the family.

Appearing on CBS' "The Early Show" Monday, Perry said that even though the state of California is in dire financial straits, the city of Los Angeles budgets every year for extraordinary events. But she said incremental costs, such as information technology and street cleaning, weren't budgeted for yet.

Perry, who is serving as the city's acting mayor while Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa is in South Africa, also encouraged people without tickets to the memorial to "stay away" from the area.

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The event will be held at the Staples Center, a 20,000 seat venue normally home to the L.A. Lakers and star-studded events. But on Tuesday, friends and family, along with thousands of Jackson fans, will flood the area for the memorial service for the King of Pop.

And in this city, no stranger to massive public events, officials say they're prepared for anything -- from street closures to barricades to manpower, police are mounting a major security effort.

Click here for complete coverage of Jackson's death
Event organizers, who say they received more than 1.5 million online requests, will hand out 17,500 passes at Dodger Stadium later on Monday after notifying recipients by e-mail Sunday night.

Some 11,000 of those tickets will allow entry to the Staples Center, while the remaining 6,500 ticket holders will watch a simulcast of the ceremony in the neighboring Nokia Theater.

City officials are also preparing for upwards of half-a-million fans without tickets, who may converge on the area despite repeated pleas that they watch on TV from home.

"You'll be standing in the hot sun on a city street. Watch this in the manner that it should be watched with friends at home or somewhere else where you have access to a TV," suggested LAPD Chief of Staff Jim McDonald.

For Jackson's family and close friends, the day will begin at Forest Lawn Cemetery, where they will gather for a small private ceremony before making the 13 mile trip to the Staples Center.

The Rev. Al Sharpton, in an appearance Monday on ABC's "Good Morning America," made no mention of whether the Jacksons would help the city with some of the expected costs.

"The city is trying to do what it should do to secure people," said Sharpton, a family friend. "That's what cities do. Clearly, no one in the family are happy that the city is incurring any expense at all. You're talking about an historic figure that will have an historic celebration, probably one that we would not see similar in this generation."

Meanwhile, lucky fans celebrated when they got an e-mail saying they had scored the hottest ticket in town. "Congratulations, your application was successful," said the message sent to Deka Motanya, 27, of San Francisco.

She immediately Twittered: "OMG OMG OMG OMG i got tickets to the michael jackson memorial service!!!"

It was a real-life version of Willy Wonka's golden tickets. Each selected person gets a pair of free tickets, with the odds of being chosen about 1 in 183.

Jackson died at age 50 on June 25 after going into cardiac arrest in the bedroom of his rented mansion. The cause of Jackson's death has not been determined. Autopsy results are not expected for several weeks.

According to an L.A. Times report, a search of his rented mansion turned up bottles of Diprivan, a powerful sedative that can stop a patient's breathing and heart. Investigators are likely to focus on how the singer gained access to the drug

"Knowing Michael, all he would have needed would have been one doctor he trusted to tell him it was ok and that would have been enough for him," said CBS News consultant and Jackson biographer J. Randy Taraborrelli.

And amid the buzz surrounding the memorial and the rumors of Jackson's prescription drug use, legal wrangling over the pop star's will continued Monday.

The family is currently seeking a delay to settle the issue of who will control of the estate and to see if another will exists.

[dlgb2]

I was disgusted to see this headline as top news the first time I saw it about a week ago. Now, it is even more disgusting. CBS no longer seems to know what is news and what is lingering hype.

[ladystar1]

So very tacky. California has made a fortune from Michael Jackson, and now they have the audacity to beg for money to cover expenses for his memorial service. They are whining about the cost to the city, when they should be grateful for the dollars that will be spent by the mourners while they are there. This has to be the epitome of greed.

[ladystar1]

So very tacky. California has made a fortune from Michael Jackson, and now they have the audacity to beg for money to cover expenses for his memorial service. They are whining about the cost to the city, when they should be grateful for the dollars that will be spent by the mourners while they are there. This has to be the epitome of greed.

[sam-kiley]

bonjour
elle aurait pu faire un effort et assiter, mais bon c'est elle qui voit, c'est vrai aussi qu'il ya exagération dans l'organisation de ce service a la mémoire de michael jackson, trop d'argent dépensé...en fin de compte pourquoi..mais bon c'est eux qui voient....au revoir

[rsmik]

What a bunch of idiots. You live in a big world, get out of your small minds.

LA is paying for public services: control and cleanup during and after the memorial, not the memorial itself. Large cities always budget for events. LA is just asking the Jackson family for some help - NYC gets some costs defrayed by event organizers and advertisers for New Year's Eve, for example.

[koko98-2009]

The Jackson family throws dimes around like they were manhole covers. The city is not going to see a cent from the Jacksons.

[specialty8]

I'm sure if any money was available Al and Jessie took care of that.

[dragyn30]

I think Al & Papa Joe would make sure that they got their fair $hare!

This really is sick and the media jumping all over Debbie Rowe like a pack of wild dogs was disgusting - she should have set that one pushy camera hound right on his arse!!!

They really should create laws to protect people from the paparazzi or if they do eventually get pi**ed off enough to deck these invasive disrespectful pigs then so-be-it they would get what they deserved!

[MMLong3996]

I think it's absolutely absurd that the city/county/state is having to pay for any of the funeral/service/memorial for ANYONE. It should fall 100% in the family's pockets. Ridiculous. He was a singer. End of story. He was not a god, king, saint, etc. of anything. Why does he deserve this yet the next person doesn't?

[npkppprc]

California is broke and the taxpayers are paying for a memorial for a child molesting drug addict???????????

[keyingdemon]

I'm SURE LA would like the Jackson family to assist in paying for the memorial but it ain't happening. They're just as cash-strapped as the rest of the world; Michael and Janet's concerts were the only things making money.

[Compashn]

I am sure that Michael would have appreciated assistance with replacing the legal fees he paid to defend himself in court. He was acquitted, but incurred outrageous legal expense in doing so. What goes around...perhaps this is justice.

[radarbob1]

This is really B.S. , I liked Jackson too, but these folks and the media are turning him into a god