Spokesmen for the family of singer Michael Jackson have released some details of his public memorial service, planned for Tuesday. Some fans will be able to witness the service in person, and others can watch the broadcast on television.
Tim Leiweke, president of the concert promoter AEG, says the memorial will be made available for worldwide broadcast from Staples Center, the Los Angeles arena that the company owns. He says a video feed of the service will be offered free to television networks.
"It is the family's wish to create a service and a celebration that all of Michael's fans around the world can be part of," he said.
The memorial is set for 10 A.M. Tuesday Los Angeles time. A spokesmen for the Jackson family says no funeral procession is planned. He would not release details of the service, which he says are being finalized.
17,500 fans will be offered free tickets to the service through an Internet based lottery. The website for promoter AEG says the tickets are available only to U.S. residents. 11,000 fans will see the event live. Another 6,500 will watch a simulcast in an adjacent venue, Nokia Theatre.
Thousands of fans have come to Los Angeles hoping to take part in the memorial. But local officials say access will be restricted on the streets near Staples Center, and only those with tickets will be able to approach the site Tuesday.
Jackson spokesman Ken Sunshine says the family is worried that some people may resell their tickets or offer fake tickets for sale.
"Among the most difficult times we have had the last day or two in planning this is to try to avoid people that would stoop to that depth and counterfeit tickets or try to scalp tickets for this," he said.
Jackson died suddenly in his rented home June 25 as he was preparing for a series of 50 comeback concerts in London. The concerts were sponsored by promoter AEG.
Investigators have taken medical evidence from Jackson's rented home, where an emergency caller reported that the pop star had stopped breathing.
Authorities are looking into the possible role of prescription drugs in the singer's death. A medical examiner found no external signs of foul play and is now awaiting results of toxicology tests, which are expected to take several weeks. U.S. media reports that the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) has joined the investigation.
