Anniversary of Michael Jackson's death

[doug]

updated 12:58 a.m. ET Aug. 9, 2009
Report: Jackson kids' godfather — I’m dad
Star of 1968’s ‘Oliver!’ says he donated sperm, British newspaper reports
The Associated Press
LONDON - A British tabloid reported Saturday that the godfather of Michael Jackson's three children claims to be the father of the singer's daughter Paris.

The News of the World quotes Jackson's longtime friend Mark Lester as saying that he "gave Michael my sperm so that he could have kids — and I believe Paris is my daughter."

Lester is a 51-year-old former child star known for his lead role in the 1968 movie version of the state show "Oliver!" The newspaper also quotes him as saying he's willing to take a paternity test.

In a video interview with Lester broadcast on the News of the World Web site, Lester said he donated his sperm at a London clinic. He said Jackson was married to Debbie Rowe at the time.

"She's the birth mother of the children so I naturally assumed the sperm donation would obviously have gone into Debbie and Debbie would have borne the children," he said.

He said Paris resembled his own 15-year-old daughter Harriet.

Rowe said he had made the revelations because he has "concerns about the welfare and upbringing of the children."

"It's a contact issue," he said on the video. "I dearly want to remain in contact with those kids and I feel now this is the only way I can ensure that."

Jackson and Lester became friends 27 years ago when Jackson's manager told Lester the singer wanted to meet him. Lester lives in Cheltenham, about 100 miles west of London.

Calls to Lester's home were not immediately returned.

Copyright 2009 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.

[doug]

updated 12:44 a.m. ET Aug. 9, 2009
Katherine Jackson’s lawyer opens up
‘She’s getting her grandma swagger back,’ he says of singer’s mother
PEOPLE.com
NEW YORK - It wasn't just a victory. It was finally a moment of relief for Michael Jackson's mother, Katherine, 79, when she won custody of her three grandchildren, Prince, 12, Paris, 11 and Blanket, 7.

And helping make this possible was New York lawyer L. Londell McMillan, whose longtime ties to the Jackson family are as personal as they are professional, giving him a uniquely intimate perspective on Katherine's ordeal.

"After last Monday, it was like a load was taken off of her, and she's kicking her heels a little bit," McMillan tells PEOPLE. "She's got her grandchildren,” they're set. She's starting to rock and roll. She's getting her grandma swagger back."

The kids have been her saving grace amidst her son's tragedy. "It's been very painful for her," says McMillan. "But she has been busy trying to make sure that these children will be provided for."

Bonding with Jacksons
McMillan, who got his law degree at New York University after majoring in collective bargaining at Cornell, began working with Michael about four years ago, when Jackson was faced with a breach of contract lawsuit filed by the Prince of Bahrain. "My relationship with Michael was one of trust," he explains.

He also represented Katherine in a couple matters, and built a connection with her. "I lost my mom almost 20 years ago, but [she and Katherine] were similar in being selfless, loving to laugh and being the most loyal person in the room," says McMillan. "Katherine is a wonderful lady."

His other credentials include helping Michael refinance his Beatles catalog, liberating the artist known as Prince from a Warner Bros. recording contract he was famously unhappy with, and founding the non-profit Artist Empowerment Coalition.

As for Michael's children, the lawyer says: "They're in a great spot. They love their grandma. She is a very vibrant and youthful 79-year-old woman. Mrs. Jackson will be the matriarch of love that she has always been for this family."

He also laughs when recalling the oasis of fun Hayvenhurst has been for Michael's kids. "They love spraying water guns on people — especially those in suits," says McMillan. "If you come into their space, you will get sprayed. Oh, they wait for me to turn that corner!"

Growing up with Jay-Z
Before launching his career representing showbiz legends like Michael and Stevie Wonder, Katherine's lawyer came up through the Bedford-Stuyvesant projects in New York City.

"I went to the same junior high school as Jay-Z and [30 Rock star] Tracy Morgan," says McMillan, who dreamed of going to the NBA or NFL. "We were kids in the projects, running around."


Now McMillan co-owns the New Jersey Nets with Jay-Z, and is something of a hip-hop mogul himself: The publisher-owner of The Source magazine also co-owns a women's shape-wear line, Sliminizer with Kate Liegey, designer of Jessica Simpson's upcoming lingerie collection.

And while the custody case is over, there is much more to be done for Katherine. "She's focusing on making sure that Michael's estate will be protected, preserved and nurtured with her trust, counsel and care," says McMillan. "That's why she wants a seat at the table [regarding his will]. I am confident that Mrs. Jackson will honor the spirit of what Michael wanted."

© 2009 MSNBC Interactive

[doug]

updated 12:01 a.m. ET Aug. 10, 2009
Scoop: Jackson: ‘I’ll die on the stage if I have to’
Michael Jackson had a strong will to live and to perform, a source says, and was looking forward to his planned London concerts.
By Courtney Hazlett
The Scoop
msnbc.com
Associates of Michael Jackson continue to come forward with information about the late singer's requests for prescription drugs. While law enforcement officials are trying to figure out how those medications might have contributed to his death, business associates are attempting to figure how the pop star's usage played into his life.

But even if Jackson was using drugs as heavily as some reports would indicate (official toxicology reports are due any day), it didn’t mean the singer didn't have a strong will to live.

Sources close to the singer say he was enthusiastic about life as well as the 50 concerts he had scheduled at London’s O2 arena.

“He was excited about the concerts, and he was constantly coming up with ideas, said one person involved with the “This Is It” tour from its inception. “He even said to me on several occasions, ‘I am going to give everything I have,’” said the source. “He even said, I’ll die on the stage if I have to. It gives me the chills thinking about it now.”

© 2009 msnbc.com

[doug]

updated 12:27 p.m. ET Aug. 10, 2009
Judge OKs Jackson performance film deal
Movie features footage of singer’s final rehearsals, videos made for tour
The Associated Press
LOS ANGELES - Audiences will get to see the King of Pop perform one more time after a judge approved a major movie deal.

Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Mitchell Beckloff approved a deal between Michael Jackson's estate, concert promoter AEG Live and Columbia Pictures on Friday and announced his ruling Monday.

A proposed contract states the movie will feature footage of Jackson's final rehearsals for a planned series of London comeback concerts. The film could also include videos prepared for display during the "This is It" shows.

Beckloff had until Monday to approve the film and allowed Jackson's mother, Katherine, to review the contracts and raise any objections. Jackson died on June 25, days before he was set to embark to England for his comeback shows.

Copyright 2009 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.

[doug]

Autopsy results delay gives investigators more time
The L.A. County coroner’s office announced that Michael Jackson’s autopsy results were finished, but would remain under seal at the request of the LAPD.

Why the delay? The investigation into Jackson's personal physician, Dr. Conrad Murray, hasn’t been completed yet, according to some law enforcement officials, and more warrants could be carried out this week. Additional doctors may also be included in the investigation.

“The net has been cast wide at this point,” said one law-enforcement source. “Dr. Murray is the focus of the investigation, but he’s by no means the only doctor involved.”
(from msnbc.com)

[doug]

updated 9:05 p.m. ET Aug. 17, 2009
The Scoop
Jackson family close to a TV deal
Michael Jackson’s memorial might not be the last time the late singer's family comes together. Despite serious rifts between family members, the Jacksons are close to agreeing to sit down for a multi-part television special, according to a family member.

Michael’s mother Katherine and sister Rebbie are the ones at the helm of the decision-making process, and in addition to participating in the special, they'd reportedly offer up home movies.

One person who is decidedly not a part of the negotiations is brother Jermaine Jackson.

“Everyone is furious with him, everything he’s done since Michael died is motivated by his desire to revive his career,” said a family friend. “He didn’t even tell the family about that big Vienna tribute — which is falling apart now — they heard about it when everyone else did. Everyone is angry with him.”

© 2009 MSNBC.com

[doug]

Jackson’s birthday burial a family issue
Michael Jackson’s Aug. 29 burial points to a power shift within the Jackson family that could ultimately affect Jackson’s three children.

Up until recently, Michael’s mother Katherine was making the major family decisions, but the decision to schedule the burial for Jackson’s birthday was largely Joe Jackson’s.

“Katherine didn’t want it (the burial) on his birthday, neither did Rebbie (Jackson’s oldest sister),” said a close family friend. Both Katherine and Rebbie Jackson are Jehovah's Witnesses, and do not celebrate birthdays, but the religious reason isn't their only objection.

“(Katherine and Rebbie Jackson feared) it would turn the burial into a spectacle that will be hard for the kids to not be swept up in," the friend said. “Katherine is having a really hard time with Michael’s death, but she puts the kids first. She and Rebbie have been doing a good job of keeping separate from the drama. Joe doesn’t factor how Paris, Prince and Blanket will be a part of the equation. The more decisions he gets to be involved in, the worse it is for the kids.”
(frm msnbc.com)

[doug]

updated 6:41 p.m. ET Aug. 18, 2009
Scoop: Jackson himself set stage for Murray’s video
Late singer started the video statement trend back in 1993
By Courtney Hazlett
The Scoop
msnbc.com
The well-produced video statement released on YouTube by Michael Jackson's cadiologist, Dr. Conrad Murray, took many by surprise: Why would the man at the center of the investigation surrounding Jackson’s death want to put himself in the spotlight?

The short answer: a taped comment allows the famous and the infamous to address the public just when it starts to look like they’re hiding, with the benefit of not having to actually answer any questions.

Certainly Murray isn’t doing something we haven’t seen before: The most recent example is singer Chris Brown’s Internet apology for his February assault on girlfriend Rihanna.

Although Brown’s was far more of the mea culpa variety than Murray's thank you, both videos were directly addressed to the public, carefully crafted, and came at a time when months had passed without a statement.

Ironically, both Brown and Murray are taking cues from the first major celebrity to use the video statement as public-relations tool: Michael Jackson himself.

On Dec. 22, 1993, Jackson broke a five-week silence and in a recorded, televised statement, called the child molestation allegations he was then facing “disgusting” and “totally false.”

Whether this tactic directly affected the prosecution’s Sept. 21, 1994 decision to not file charges (the official reason is the boy at the center of the case refused to testify) the tactic itself was novel.

The production quality of Jackson's video is genius in its lack of bells and whistles — no Neverland, no opulence, and an epaulet-free appearance. It was all part of the plan to repaint Jackson as just a regular man in a bad situation.


At the end of the day, perhaps all the men are ordinary people trapped in extraordinary circumstances. But by releasing the video statements during tough times, Brown, who was often referred to as Jackson’s heir apparent, and Murray, who was as close to Jackson as any of his real heirs, are picking up on yet another of the “King of Pop's” pop-culture influences. Unfortunately, this is one case where they'd probably prefer not to have to follow in the idol's footsteps.

© 2009 msnbc.com

[doug]

updated 7:49 p.m. ET Aug. 24, 2009
Coroner rules Jackson’s death a homicide
Court document reveals singer had lethal levels of propofol in system
msnbc.com news services
LOS ANGELES - The Los Angeles County coroner has ruled Michael Jackson’s death a homicide, a law enforcement official told The Associated Press, a finding that makes it more likely criminal charges will be filed against the doctor who was with the pop star when he died on June 25.

A designation of homicide means that Jackson died at the hands of another, but does not necessarily mean a crime was committed.

Forensic tests found the powerful anesthetic propofol acted together with at least two sedatives to cause Jackson’s death June 25 in his rented Los Angeles mansion, according to the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the findings have not been publicly released.

Dr. Conrad Murray, a Las Vegas cardiologist who became Jackson’s personal physician weeks before his death, is the target of a manslaughter investigation by the Los Angeles Police Department. Dateline NBC's Josh Mankiewicz confirmed that Murray is the target of a manslaughter probe.

A search warrant affidavit unsealed Monday in Houston includes a detailed account of what Murray told investigators.

According to the document, Murray said he’d been treating Jackson for insomnia for about six weeks with 50 milligrams of propofol every night via an intravenous drip. But he said he feared Jackson was forming an addiction to the anesthetic, which is normally used in hospitals only, and was attempting to wean his patient by lowering the dose to 25 milligrams and adding the sedatives lorazepam and midazolam.

Singer called propofol his ‘milk’
That combination succeeded in helping Jackson sleep two days prior to his death, so the next day, Murray told detectives he cut off the propofol — and Jackson fell asleep with just the two sedatives.

Then around 1:30 a.m. on June 25, starting with a 10-milligram tab of Valium, Murray said he tried a series of drugs instead of propofol to make Jackson sleep. The injections included two milligrams of lorazepam around 2 a.m., two milligrams of midazolam around 3 a.m., and repeats of each at 5 a.m. and 7:30 a.m. respectively.

But they didn’t work.


Murray told detectives that around 10:40 a.m. he gave in to Jackson’s “repeated demands/requests” for propofol, which the singer referred to as his “milk.” He administered 25 milligrams of the white-colored liquid, — a relatively small dose — and finally, Jackson fell asleep.

Murray remained with the sedated Jackson for about 10 minutes, then left for the bathroom. No more than two minutes later, he returned — and found Jackson had stopped breathing.

“There’s no surprise there” that death could result from such a combination, said Dr. David Zvara, anesthesia chairman at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

“All those drugs act in synergy with each other,” Zvara said. Adding propofol on top of all the other sedatives “tipped the balance.”

Singer had bed sores
Besides the propofol and two sedatives, the coroner’s toxicology report found other substances in Jackson’s system but they were not believed to have been a factor in the singer’s death, the official told the AP.

When he died, Jackson was skinny but not overly emaciated, and his body had bed sores, the official said. The singer is believed to have developed bed sores in the months following his 2005 acquittal of child molestation charges, when he went into seclusion and spent long stretches in bed.


Murray has spoken to police and last week released a video saying he “told the truth and I have faith the truth will prevail.” Murray did not say anything about the drugs he gave to Jackson. Murray’s attorney, Edward Chernoff, had no immediate comment but has previously said Murray never administered anything that “should have” killed Jackson.

A call to the coroner’s office was not returned Monday.

Jackson’s family released a statement Monday, saying it has “full confidence” in the legal process and the efforts of investigators. It concludes: “The family looks forward to the day that justice can be served.”

The 25 milligrams of propofol Murray told police he gave Jackson the day he died “is not a whopping amount,” said Lee Cantrell, director of the San Diego division of the California Poison Control System. But by combining propofol with a cocktail of the other sedatives, known as benzodiazepines, it “may have been the trigger that pushed him over the edge,” Cantrell said.

Cantrell said it’s perplexing that someone would give various benzodiazepines if one was found not to be effective.

“This is horrible polypharmacy,” he said, referring to the interaction between the various drugs. “No one will treat an insomniac like this.”

The affidavit says Murray told investigators he didn’t order or buy any propofol and had found about eight bottles of it in Jackson’s home along with numerous other medications. But investigators served a search warrant Aug. 11 at a Las Vegas pharmacy and uncovered evidence showing Murray legally purchased from the store the propofol he gave Jackson the day he died.

Murray didn’t tell paramedics or doctors at UCLA hospital where Jackson was rushed June 25 about any drugs he administered other than lorazepam and flumazenil, according to the affidavit. The document says it was only during a subsequent interview with Los Angeles Police detectives that Murray gave a more full accounting of the events leading up to the 911 call.

The coroner’s office has not publicly released its autopsy findings, citing a request from police detectives to withhold results until their investigation is complete.


Homicide, or “death at the hands of another,” is one of several possible findings in a coroner’s death investigation. The designation does not necessarily mean a crime was committed though it is a useful starting point for prosecutors, said Dr. Michael Baden, the former chief medical examiner in New York City and a forensics expert involved in many high-profile murder cases.

“It is an easier prosecution when the medical examiner calls it a homicide,” said Baden, who is not involved in the Jackson investigation.


© 2009 msnbc.com

[doug]

updated 9:56 a.m. ET Aug. 28, 2009
Michael Jackson, 1958-2009
Warrant reveals marijuana in Jackson’s home
Police got a tip that they would find heroin, but there was none found

A file picture dated 01 March 2005 shows US singer Michael Jackson arriving at the Santa Barbara County Superior Court in Santa Maria, California, USA. The Los Angeles coroner Fred Coral confirmed that pop star Michael Jackson had died on 25 June 2009 of cardiac arrest. In an audio interview with CNN, Coral said Jackson was pronounced dead at 2:26 pm local California time after paramedics responded to a call at his house.
The Associated Press
LOS ANGELES - Police who searched Michael Jackson's home the day after he died were acting on information from family members who said they'd found a bag of heroin in his bedroom, but a person with knowledge of subsequent test results on the substance said it turned out not to be the drug.

The search did, however, turn up a number of other drugs including marijuana, the generic form of Valium and other sedatives. A detective also indicated Jackson's body showed signs of injections.

The disclosure came in an affidavit supporting a search warrant that was executed June 26, three days earlier than any previously reported search of Jackson's rented mansion in Bel-Air.

Two warrants came to light Thursday after several media outlets including The Associated Press asked to unseal four search warrants Los Angeles police detectives served in the early days of the Jackson death probe. The judge ordered two of the documents to remain sealed.

The unsealed warrants provide a glimpse into how police were directing their investigation immediately after Jackson's death. The warrant served at his rented Bel-Air mansion the day after he died lists "PC 187," the California penal code for murder, in the box labeled "probable crime."

That warrant states family members told a coroner's official "they had located a quantity of tar heroin in a bag in the decedent's bedroom," though the person with knowledge of tests on the substance said heroin was quickly ruled out. The person was not authorized to speak to the media and asked for anonymity.

Detectives also secured a search warrant for the car of Dr. Conrad Murray, the personal physician with Jackson when he died. The affidavit states detectives spoke to Murray in the hospital after the singer's death but he only gave a short summary of what had happened then left the hospital over detectives' objections.

In the intervening two months, investigators have pieced together a much fuller picture of how Jackson died and Murray has emerged as the central figure in a manslaughter probe. Investigators believe he was negligent in administering the powerful anesthetic propofol and other sedatives to Jackson and that those drugs killed the singer.

Murray's attorney Edward Chernoff has said Murray never administered anything that "should have" killed Jackson. The coroner has not officially released autopsy results but a law enforcement official who requested anonymity because the investigation is ongoing told the AP the death has been ruled a homicide.

The search of Murray's car turned up some documents, but no additional drugs.

Also Thursday, an attorney for Jackson's longtime dermatologist does not plan to petition for a role in the upbringing of the singer's three children. Mark Vincent Kaplan said Dr. Arnold Klein is satisfied that a judge appointed an attorney to oversee their interests.


Kaplan surprised many by saying Klein wanted a role in the children's lives during a court hearing earlier this month. Jackson's mother, Katherine Jackson, was granted permanent guardianship of the children at the hearing, and a judge ruled that Klein didn't have legal standing to intervene, but told the doctor he could file a motion later if he still had concerns.

Kaplan said Klein got involved because he was concerned about the children having a normal upbringing not related to show business. Jackson told Klein repeatedly that he wanted his children to have a formal education and not be subjected to the rigors of traveling and performing, Kaplan said.

Klein's involvement in the case raised questions about the whether the doctor could be the father of Jackson's two oldest children, a rumor fueled by tabloid reports and Klein's own cryptic answers when questioned on the matter.

© 2009 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.

[doug]

updated 7:38 p.m. ET Aug. 27, 2009
Michael Jackson, 1958-2009
Klein won’t seek legal role in Jackson kids’ lives
‘It’s just not necessary,’ says the pop star’s former dermatologist
The Associated Press
LOS ANGELES - Michael Jackson’s longtime dermatologist does not plan to petition for a role in the upbringing of the singer’s three children, his attorney said Thursday.

Mark Vincent Kaplan said Dr. Arnold Klein is satisfied that a judge appointed an attorney to oversee the interests of the singer’s children, who range in ages from 7 to 12.

“It’s just not necessary,” Kaplan said. “It’s already been addressed.”

Kaplan said Klein got involved because he was concerned about the children, Prince Michael, Paris Michael and Prince Michael II, having a normal upbringing not related to show business. Jackson told Klein repeatedly that he wanted his children to have a formal education and not be subjected to the rigors of traveling and performing, Kaplan said.

Kaplan surprised many by saying Klein wanted a role in the children’s lives during a court hearing earlier this month. A judge ruled that Klein didn’t have legal standing to intervene, but told the doctor he could file a motion later if he still had concerns.

Jackson’s mother, Katherine Jackson, was granted permanent guardianship of the children during the hearing as spelled out in the singer’s 2002 will.

Klein’s involvement in the case raised questions about the whether the doctor could be the father of Jackson’s two oldest children, a rumor fueled by tabloid reports and Klein’s own cryptic answers when questioned on the matter. Kaplan said during the hearing and on Thursday that Klein legally isn’t the father and that questions about whether he is the children’s biological father aren’t important.

“Whether he is or is not the DNA source wouldn’t change one iota greater or less his concern and care about the children,” Kaplan said.

The attorney said Klein would still like to be a part of the lives of Jackson’s children, but that intervening in the guardianship case wasn’t necessary.

“It’s important to Dr. Klein that there’s always a safe harbor there for them to contact him for any reason if he can be of any assistance in their well-being,” Kaplan said. “He doesn’t want to be a distraction in that case.”

Kaplan said he didn’t want people to think that Klein abandoned his petition because of comments by Katherine Jackson’s attorneys that they are considering a wrongful death lawsuit or by Klein’s name being mentioned in law enforcement’s investigation into the singer’s death on June 25.

Kaplan, a family law attorney, would not address Klein’s role in the investigation. He said Jackson’s death was hard on the doctor, who may not attend the singer’s private funeral on Sept. 3.

“He is grieving over the loss a friend — a very close friend,” Kaplan said.


Klein also has emerged as a figure in the Jackson death probe, as federal drug agents look at who was prescribing medications to the singer. Investigators are scrutinizing Jackson’s interactions with at least seven doctors, including Klein, and the Drug Enforcement Administration last week served an administrative inspection warrant at a pharmacy next to the dermatologist’s Beverly Hills office.

According to the warrant, a statewide database shows Klein self-prescribed medications on 27 occasions. The drugs include Valium, Vicodin and the sedative midazolam.

Klein’s attorney, Garo Ghazarian, said the allegation “is not what it appears to be” and his client had never self-prescribed.

© 2009 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.

[doug]

updated 9:40 p.m. ET Aug. 31, 2009
Scoop: Doctor: Jackson wanted odd drug drip in ’94
A file picture dated 01 March 2005 shows US singer Michael Jackson arriving at the Santa Barbara County Superior Court in Santa Maria, California, USA. The Los Angeles coroner Fred Coral confirmed that pop star Michael Jackson had died on 25 June 2009 of cardiac arrest. In an audio interview with CNN, Coral said Jackson was pronounced dead at 2:26 pm local California time after paramedics responded to a call at his house.
By Courtney Hazlett
The Scoop
msnbc.com
Michael Jackson was requesting midazolam, which often goes by the brand name Versed, in New York City-area hospitals as early as 1994, according to a physician who was asked, but declined, to accommodate Jackson’s request.

According to the coroner’s report released Aug. 29, Jackson’s cause of death was “acute propofol intoxication” along with “benzodiazepine effect.” Midazolam is one of the benzodiazepines found in Jackson’s body, and is typically used in hospital settings for procedural sedation. Like propofol, it is not recommended to be used as a sleep aid.

“Late one night we received a call from one of Michael’s people, saying Michael couldn’t sleep, and he’d like a Versed drip,” said the physician. “They were calling ahead to make sure he could be admitted directly to the hospital, and not go through the emergency room.

“He was told no, he couldn’t just be given a Versed drip to go to sleep — that’s not an accepted medical use for Versed, and even if he was on it, he’d have to be hooked up to a cardiac monitor. He wanted to be left alone in the room after the drip was started.”

Paul Callan, former NYC homicide prosecutor and medical malpractice expert, said, “If these reports are true the doctors and hospitals are very lucky that New York’s 2.5-year medical malpractice statute of limitations and the statute for criminal charges have long ago expired preventing civil lawsuits and criminal charges.”

Callan also said that the hospitals and doctors involved could face sanctions. “They (the doctors and hospitals) are not out of the woods by any stretch... New York State authorities can bring disciplinary charges against the doctors and hospitals involved. Medical licenses can be suspended and severe fines imposed. This conduct is egregious and sanctionable,” said Callan.

© 2009 msnbc.com

[doug]

Paris Jackson keeps her hair after cut
When 11-year-old Paris Jackson went to Amp Salon in Las Vegas last weekend, the trip illustrated one of the unusual twists behind routine events for Michael Jackson’s offspring.

According to the Daily Mail, moments after a stylist finished the pre-teen’s new look, security collected hair from the floor and bagged it before anyone could make off with a single stray strand. The military-like maneuver may seem strange, but one onlooker instantly understood why the Jackson clan considered it a necessary precaution.

“Can you imagine the value of Paris’ hair? DNA — the truth, finally,” reporter Alicia Jacobs told the paper
(from msnbc.com)

[doug]

updated 5:54 p.m. ET Sept. 1, 2009
Michael Jackson, 1958-2009
Quiet, historical final resting place for Jackson
He will join Clark Gable, Jean Harlow, W.C. Fields in mausoleum

Michael Jackson's final resting place will be the Great Mausoleum at Forest Lawn Glendale.
The Associated Press
GLENDALE, Calif. - Michael Jackson’s life played out on a world stage, headlines screaming his every move, frenzy following his footsteps.

His death, memorial and investigation amplified the delirium and prolonged the anguish of family and fans. On Thursday, he is scheduled to be interred at Forest Lawn Glendale in what will be a hidden monument in a mausoleum made of marble and mortar.

There will be only silence. No marquees, no spotlights, no paparazzi.

He will be enveloped by the grandeur of the grounds, the majesty of the buildings and the significance of history.

In the Great Mausoleum, he will join Hollywood legends of yesterday like Clark Gable, Jean Harlow, W.C. Fields and Red Skelton, as well as “The Last Supper Window,” a lifesize stained glass recreation of Leonardo da Vinci’s masterpiece, and Moses, a reproduction of Michelangelo’s sculpture for the tomb of Pope Julius II in Rome.

On a hilltop nearby, in a building the size of a sports arena, hang two of the world’s largest paintings, “The Crucifixion” and “Resurrection.”

Like so many of the people in it, the park has also become fabled. Founded in 1906 by a group of businessmen on 55 hillside acres in the town of Tropico (later Glendale), there was no forest and no lawn, just a traditional dusty graveyard with granite tombstones and elaborate messages.

By the time Hubert Eaton arrived in 1912 at the age of 31, according to Forest Lawn literature, he had graduated from college in Missouri, punched cattle in Montana and lost a small fortune on a silver mine in Nevada. He took the job as sales manager at the cemetery so he could repay his mine backers.

He convinced people to buy plots before they died. After just a year, he had increased sales 250 percent. After three years, his sales had multiplied so much, he was able to buy a stake in the company and was named general manager.

Despite resistance from his board of directors, monument makers, the community and customers, Eaton eliminated tombstones so grass could be planted and lawns mowed; he renounced the name “cemetery,” changing it to “memorial park”; he started collecting world-class art or detailed reproductions; and he added mausoleums, acres, trees, florist, gift shop and chapels that are used for funerals and weddings.

In 1933, Eaton was the first to combine a mortuary with a cemetery, overcoming opposition from morticians, casket makers, and the state. Today, the Glendale park covers 300 acres and employs 150 people.

The park was divided into sections like Slumberland, Babyland, Graceland and Inspiration Slope. You can find places for immortality, affection, tranquility, mercy, harmony, fidelity and devotion.

A patriotic theme was incorporated in the early 1950s with the Court of Freedom, the Freedom Mausoleum and sections with names like liberty and victory.

For decades, Forest Lawn, like so many other cemeteries, had a whites-only policy, but park spokesman William Martin said he didn’t know what year that ended.

‘Elegance and good taste’

The number of Forest Lawn locations has grown to 10 — Hollywood Hills, Glendale and Covina Hills are the three largest.

“They have a reputation for excellence. They are highly respected in every regard. They take excellent care of their facilities. They handle a high volume of families. Most of their employees are long-term and dedicated to their work. Those things say a lot about a company,” said Ron Hast, executive editor and publisher of the Northern California-based Mortuary Management with Funeral Monitor, who was one of Marilyn Monroe’s pallbearers in services in 1962 at Hollywood Forever Cemetery.

Martin, who has been communications manager at Forest Lawn Glendale for nearly four years, dodges most questions, including names of famous inhabitants, how many people are interred there or how much room is left. He is even tighter lipped about Jackson.

When asked if there had been increased interest in Forest Lawn since the Jackson family announced its plans, he said, “The public interest has been raised. That’s putting it mildly.”

Hast operated a transportation backup service for Forest Lawn for 25 years. He doesn’t know exactly how many people are there, but it is “tens of thousands.” The celebrity list is long and includes George Burns, Gracie Allen, Walt Disney and Nat King Cole, he said.

Hast said the park is a good fit for Jackson, because they are experts at handling celebrity security “and they will do it with elegance and good taste.”

Scott Michaels, owner of Dearly Departed Tours in Los Angeles, believes Forest Lawn Glendale has a double standard when it comes to celebrities. “They protect their celebrities vehemently, but they brag about them,” he said.

“Not too long ago, they had an exhibit in their museum about celebrities buried in their cemetery,” Michaels said. “These people wanted to be famous when they were alive. Fame didn’t end with their deaths. We still watch their movies. It’s frustrating for some not to be able to pay their respects.”

Martin acknowledged there was a time when Forest Lawn boasted about its celebrity crowd, but no more.

“We don’t advertise, we don’t market it,” he said. “It is just inappropriate.”

Over 70,000 people have been married at Forest Lawn parks. Ronald Reagan and Jane Wyman and Regis Philbin and his wife Joy were married at Wee Kirk o’ the Heather church at Glendale.


Privacy for the family

Cemetery Web sites and blogs have been buzzing since Jackson’s family announced the Forest Lawn plan. Hits to Lisa Burk’s blog at www.gravehunting.com have gone through the roof, she said. Interest in him “blows everything else out of the water because he was so internationally known.”

She said if the Jackson family wants privacy, they will get it at the mausoleum. “It’s impossible to get in there. It was before and it will be worse now.”

Even though visitors see a portion of the mausoleum when they go see the Last Supper show — a 10-minute presentation about the stained glass window, put on regularly 365 days a year — most of the multistory building is restricted. It is well monitored and some areas are only accessible with pass keys, Hast said.

Author Mark Masek went to Forest Lawn in mid-August to take photos of the mausoleum for his Web site on celebrity graves, www.cemeteryguide.com.

Two black vans blocked his exit from the grounds, Masek said, and a pair of security guards stood by while he deleted all the photos he had taken. “I fully cooperated and did everything they asked me to,” he said.

In his book “Hollywood Remains to be Seen,” a look at 14 area cemeteries, “I had pictures for every cemetery except the two Forest Lawns,” he said, “because they prohibit commercial photography.”

Finding celebrities and their markers or monuments at Forest Lawn Glendale has kept a lot of people busy over the years. Cybermaps abound with detailed lists, directions and photos. Dozens of books have been published guiding the starstruck to dead stars.

That won’t change. In fact, it would seem Jackson’s presence at Forest Lawn will provide new challenges for everyone involved.

Copyright 2009 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.

[doug]

updated 5:35 a.m. ET Sept. 4, 2009
Michael Jackson, 1958-2009
Family, celebrities say final goodbye to Jackson
Elizabeth Taylor among mourners at emotional burial service for pop star

Janet Jackson, Randy Jackson, Jackie Jackson, Tito Jackson, Jermaine Jackson and Marlon Jackson attend Michael Jackson's funeral service held at Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Glendale, Calif., on Thursday.
The Associated Press
GLENDALE, Calif. - Paris Jackson wept as she stepped into the mausoleum where her father, Michael, was to be entombed. Katherine Jackson, overcome by sorrow, turned back when she was faced with her son's final resting place.

On a sultry Thursday evening, amid a sea of white flowers and with a bejeweled crown placed atop his casket by his children, the King of Pop was given an intimate, private version of the lavish public memorial held shortly after his death in June.

The funeral at Glendale Memorial Park was simple but touching, according to one guest. The person, who asked not to be identified because of the sensitivity of the day, said Gladys Knight's performance of the hymn "Our Father" (The Lord's Prayer) was soared in the vast mausoleum and moved many to tears.

When it was over, many of the the 200 mourners hugged each other. Among them were Elizabeth Taylor, Jackson's ex-wife Lisa Marie Presley, Barry Bonds and Macaulay Culkin.

Tears and music
The Rev. Al Sharpton, who gave a eulogy at the public event and at Thursday's service, also extolled Knight's earlier performance of "His Eye is on the Sparrow."

"Gladys Knight sang her heart out. Now we prepare to lay him to rest," Sharpton posted on his Twitter account during the service that was held outside and then within the marble mausoleum.

The mourners followed the crowned, lushly flower-draped casket as Jackson's five brothers — each wearing a bright red tie and a single crystal-studded glove — carried it into the mausoleum. The 11-year-old Paris cried as the group entered the imposing building and was comforted by her aunt, LaToya.

Paris and brothers Prince Michael, 12, and Prince Michael II, 7, known as Blanket, began the service by placing the crown on their father's golden casket. They were composed through most of the hour-and-a-half ceremony.

As it ended, Katherine Jackson appeared extremely weary and had to be helped to her car, according to the guest. Earlier, she had a difficult time going into the mausoleum; she was overcome, turned back, and it wasn't clear if she went in at all, the guest said.

The Jackson family's tardy arrival delayed the service for nearly two hours; no explanation was given to mourners. The invitation notice indicated the service would begin promptly at 7 p.m.; it began closer to 8:30.


The 77-year-old Taylor and others were left waiting in the late summer heat, with the temperature stuck at 90 degrees just before sunset, and some mourners fanned themselves with programs for the service. As darkness fell, police escorted the family's motorcade of 31 cars, including Rolls-Royces and Cadillacs, from their compound in Encino to Forest Lawn, about a 20-minute journey, with the hearse bearing Jackson's body at the end.

About 250 seats were arranged for mourners over artificial turf laid roadside at the mausoleum, and a vivid orange moon, a mark of the devastating wildfire about 10 miles distant, hung over the cemetery.

There were two oversized portraits of a youthful, vibrant Jackson mounted next to the casket amid displays of white lilies and roses. At Jackson's lavish public memorial, red roses covered his casket.

A large, blimp-like inflated light, the type used in film and television production, and a boom camera hovered over the seating area placed in front of the elaborate marble mausoleum. The equipment raised the possibility that the footage would be used for the Jackson concert documentary "This Is It," or perhaps the Jackson brothers' upcoming reality show.

More than 400 media credentials were issued to reporters and film crews who remained at a distance from the service and behind barricades. The few clusters of fans who gathered around the secure perimeter that encircled the cemetery entrance struggled to see.


Maria Martinez, 25, a fan from Riverside, Calif., who was joined by a dozen other Jackson admirers at a gas station near the security perimeter, gave a handful of pink flowers she had picked at a nearby park to a man with an invitation driving into the funeral.

"Can you please put these flowers on his grave?" she told him. "They were small and ugly, but I did that with my heart. I'm not going to be able to get close, so this is as close as I could get to him."

The man consented, adding, "God bless."

Glendale police said all went smoothly and there were no arrests.

Jackson will share eternity at Forest Lawn with the likes of Clark Gable, Jean Harlow and W.C. Fields, entombed alongside them in the mausoleum that will be all but off-limits to adoring fans who might otherwise turn the pop star's grave into a shrine.

The closest the public will be able to get to Jackson's vault is a portion of the mausoleum that displays "The Last Supper Window," a life-size stained-glass re-creation of Leonardo da Vinci's masterpiece. Several 10-minute presentations about the window are held regularly 365 days a year, but most of the building is restricted.

The Jackson family had booked an Italian restaurant in Pasadena for a gathering Thursday night, and family members and guests were seen coming and going late into the night.

"I feel like I watched Michael finally given some peace and I made a commitment to make sure his legacy and what he stood for lives on," Sharpton said outside the restaurant around midnight. "So at one level we're relieved; another level we're obligated."

The ceremony ends months of speculation that the singer's body would be buried at Neverland Ranch, in part to make the property a Graceland-style attraction. An amended copy of Jackson's death certificate was filed Thursday in Los Angeles County to reflect Forest Lawn as his final resting place.

In court on Wednesday, it was disclosed that 12 burial spaces were being purchased by Jackson's estate at Forest Lawn Glendale, about eight miles north of downtown Los Angeles, but no details were offered on how they would be used.

The King of Pop died a drug-induced death June 25 at age 50 as he was about to embark on a comeback attempt. The coroner's office has labeled the death a homicide, and Jackson's death certificate lists "injection by another" as the cause.

Dr. Conrad Murray, Jackson's personal physician, told detectives he gave the singer a series of sedatives and the powerful anesthetic propofol to help him sleep. But prosecutors are still investigating, and no charges have been filed.

© 2009 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.