Los Angeles, July 03: A massive public memorial for Michael Jackson is to take place in downtown Los Angeles Tuesday, his concert promoter Randy Phillips said Thursday.Phillips, the president and CEO of AEG, said the service will begin at 10 a.m. (1700 GMT) at the 20,000-capacity Staples Centre with live images screened on widescreen televisions for an overflow crowd expected to gather in the plaza outside the huge basketball stadium and convention centre.
"Details are still to be finalized when I meet with the Jackson family this afternoon," Philips said on local TV station KNBC. "Everything is in preliminary stages except the place and time."
The station also reported that Jackson`s former wife Debbie Rowe, who is the mother of his two older children, would seek custody. "I want my children," she said.
Rowe also said that she would seek a restraining order to keep Jackson`s father Joe, whom the pop star claimed had abused him as a child, away from her children.
In Jackson`s will, he appointed his mother Katherine, 79, as the guardian of his children, with soul diva Diana Ross tapped as an alternate.
Plans to hold the memorial at Jackson`s home in Neverland had to be cancelled because of the difficulties expected in dealing with thousands of fans in the remote region. But Jackson`s brother Jermaine told the Today Show Thursday that the family still hoped to
make the fantasy-like refuge his final resting place once permits were obtained.
Meanwhile, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) joined the investigation into Jackson`s death following evidence that the singer had desperately sought the powerful sedative Diprivan days before his death from cardiac arrest June 25. The drug is used in hospitals as an anaesthetic.
Jermaine said the family has been deeply hurt by speculation that an overdose of prescription drugs may have caused Jackson`s death. "For people to come forward to say things they don`t have the facts (to back up) is very damaging for the family, to me, to us. Because we don`t know," he said in the interview, conducted at Neverland.
IANS
By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts.
Cookies Setting
By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device and the processing of information obtained via those cookies (including about your preferences, device and online activity) by us and our commercial partners to enhance site navigation, personalise ads, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts. More information can be found in our Cookies and Privacy Policy. You can amend your cookie settings to reject non-essential cookies by clicking Cookie Settings below.
Manage Consent Preferences
Strictly Necessary Cookies
These cookies are necessary for the website to function and cannot be switched off in our systems. They are usually only set in response to actions made by you which amount to a request for services, such as setting your privacy preferences, logging in or filling in forms. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not then work or you may not be able to login.
Functional Cookies
These cookies enable the website to provide enhanced functionality and personalisation. They may be set by us or by third party providers whose services we have added to our pages. If you do not allow these cookies then some or all of these services may not function properly.
Targeting Cookies
These cookies may be set through our site by our advertising partners. They may be used by those companies to build a profile of your interests and show you relevant adverts on other sites. They are also used to limit the number of times you see an advert as well as help measure the effectiveness of an advertising campaign. They do not store directly personal information, but are based on uniquely identifying your browser and internet device. If you do not allow these cookies, you will experience less targeted advertising.
Performance Cookies
These cookies allow us to count visits and traffic sources so we can measure and improve the performance of our site. They help us to know which pages are the most and least popular and see how visitors move around the site. All information these cookies collect is aggregated and therefore anonymous. If you do not allow these cookies we may not know when you have visited our site, and may not be able to monitor its performance.