Jackson’s Burial Shifted; Now Tuesday

The burial of Pop King, Michael Jackson, which was earlier scheduled for Sunday, has been shifted to Tuesday next week.

The funeral arrangements descended into farce as plans for an extravagant procession, public viewing of the body and a burial at his Neverland ranch in California were axed and a public memorial service was put off until next week.

Fans who had gathered outside the ranch 150 miles north-west of Los Angeles believing they would be allowed to see the body were left disappointed after Jackson’s family said there would be no event there.

The plan was undone by a combination of red tape and health and safety concerns. It is illegal in California to bury a body outside a designated cemetery and police were also worried that Neverland, which is approached on a narrow track, could not cope with a massive influx of fans. There was also not enough time to obtain a permit for the viewing.

A public memorial is now expected to be held in Los Angeles next Tuesday. The Jackson family has been offered the home of the Los Angeles Lakers basketball team to hold it in.

There was confusion over whether Rev Jesse Jackson or Rev Al Sharpton would deliver the eulogy. Both have been prominent on the airwaves in their support of the Jackson family in recent days.

Jesse Jackson has delivered rites for prominent black figures including Miles Davis, the jazz musician, while Mr. Sharpton led the 2006 memorial for James Brown, the singer-songwriter.

Jackson’s family disclosed that his children Prince Michael , Paris and Prince Michael II, have already been to view the body of their father and said the experience had been “tough” on them. It is thought Jackson will be buried in the Hollywood Hills at the Forest Lawn Memorial Park where his grandmother is buried. Other stars laid to rest there include Humphrey Bogart and Clark Gable.

The coffin may be buried in concrete to prevent any possibility of crazed fans trying to rob the grave, and the family is also considering whether to bury Jackson in one of his favourite stage costumes, including a white glove.

The memorial park may only be temporary, as Jermaine Jackson, the singer’s brother, said he still wants to see Neverland as the final resting place. But it could take weeks for legal clearance to be given.

Jermaine Jackson said: “This is his home, he created Neverland. Why wouldn’t he be here? I feel his presence. And I love that, and I want my mother to come back here and feel what I feel. He built this place with love and you can see it and feel it.”

Jermaine, 54, described how he had seen the body and kissed his brother on the forehead, and said he wished he had died instead. He said: “He went too soon. I don’t know how people are going to take this, but I wish it was me. The world is mourning. We are mourning. The fans are mourning. It is unreal. Unbelievable. “To see him there lifeless and breathless was very emotional for me, but I held myself together, because I know he’s very much alive.”

Ken Sunshine, the Jackson family spokesman, said there would be a public memorial.

AEG Live, which was promoting Jackson’s comeback 50-date concert series at the O2 Arena in London, owns the Staples Centre in downtown Los Angeles where the LA Lakers play. It is believed to have offered the venue, and the Nokia Theatre next door, to the Jackson family as a venue.

The stadium can hold 20,000 people and, if the Jackson family takes up the offer, large television screens would be set up outside for thousands of other fans to watch. Hundreds of millions of people could watch around the world.

But he said Jackson had experienced “a tragic and in many ways sad personal life.”

Michael Jackson will be buried in a solid bronze, gold-plated coffin worth $25,0000, it has been reported The casket, called a Promethean, will feature a blue velvet interior and a hand-polished, mirror finish, according to TMZ.com. It is the same type of coffin which soul singer James Brown was buried in.

Jackson saw the casket first hand when he paid tribute to the singer as he lay in state in New York City’s Apollo Theatre, where he started his career, in 2006

Brown’s body was transported to the theatre on a white carriage similar to that seen in the last few days at Jackson’s Neverland ranch.

The Jackson family met the Los Angeles Police Department and the California Highway Patrol to discuss possible funeral arrangements in the city, a police spokesman said.

Another venue has had to be found after an initial plan to hold an event at Jackson’s Neverland ranch, 150 miles north-west of Los Angeles, was blocked by red tape.

It is illegal under Californian law to bury a body outside a designated cemetery. Police were also concerned about the practicalities of holding a public viewing at Neverland, which is only approachable by a small two-lane road.

The Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, which hosted the 1984 Olympic Games and can hold 92,000 people, has also emerged as a possible venue for the memorial.

One Jackson’s unfulfilled dreams was the two albums in the works he did not release before his death, Billboard reported today.

The singer was reportedly crafting a pop album with songwriter Claude Kelly and Akon as well as a collection of classical compositions.

“He was the ‘King of Pop,’ the biggest to ever do it, and the one thing you never lose - whether known by the whole world or just 10 people - is your love for music,” Kelly told the music trade mag. “That never goes away, and it never went away for him amidst his troubles.”

Akon added that Jackson’s upcoming sold-out “This Is It” shows in London had been an inspiration, as well.

“He said, ‘My fans are still there. They still love me. They’re alive,’” Akon said. “His kids are like his first priority, and they had never seen him perform live. He was trying to create the most incredible show for his kids.”

Billboard also reported that Jackson was working on an instrumental album, collaborating with composer David Michael Frank, who had previously worked with the singer on a 1989 TV tribute to Sammy Davis Jr.

“He had two demos of two pieces he’d written, but they weren’t complete,” Frank said. “For one of them, he had a whole section of it done in his head. He had not recorded it. He hummed it to me as I sat at the keyboard in his pool house and we figured out the chords - I guess this recording I made is the only copy that exists of this music.” And Jackson had more compositions in the works, including a jazz track.

“He mentioned more instrumental music of his he wanted to record, including one jazz piece,” Frank noted, adding that Jackson had called him to check in on the project several weeks ago. “I hope one day his family will decide to record this music as a tribute and show the world the depth of his artistry.”

This wasn’t the only music Jackson had in the works. When Access Hollywood visited Jackson for his last on-camera interview in Ireland in 2006, he was joined by Will.i.am, who himself was also collaborating with Jackson on new songs.

The Black Eyed Peas frontman told BBC News earlier this week that Jackson had held onto the recordings.

“He had all the hard drives because I didn’t want to be responsible for that,” Will.i.am said. “It’s one thing to lose a Black Eyed Peas hard drive. I move around a lot and to make songs with Michael Jackson and risk me losing that music, I didn’t want that responsibility. So he kept all the stuff that we worked on.”

“It demanded all the people to the dance floor,” Will.i.am said. “Of course, it was melodic. As he would say, ‘juicy.’”

The status of these recordings, and whether they will see future release, remains unknown.