Michael Jackson's Funeral Will Be Held in LA

Michael Jackson's Funeral Will Be Held in LA (dailymail.co.uk)

It is official… a public memorial service will be held for the King of Pop in Los Angeles next Tuesday.

Jackson’s family announced the news through their publicist, saying the memorial has been set for 10 a.m. Tuesday at the Staples Center in downtown Los Angeles. In a brief statement, the family also said that 11,000 tickets would be distributed for free to fans who want to mourn Jackson at the Staples Center, home of the Los Angeles Lakers and Clippers basketball teams.

Although how the tickets would be distributed and how city officials will handle the likelihood of a massive crowd had not been decided yet. A press conference to announce further details was planned for Friday.

With this situation, Los Angeles City Councilman Dennis Zine wished there had been more time to work out the logistics for such a huge event. As he said about his concern, “If you can imagine 100,000 people show up and you have 20,000 capacity (at the Staples Center), there is not sufficient room. Now you have a crowd-control problem.”

Especially with the July Fourth holiday weekend, Zine added “it’s the worst time … to work something out.” He also said he’s concerned about the cost of police overtime for the cash-strapped city.

Meanwhile, Jackson’s brother Jermaine told Larry King during Thursday’s broadcast of CNN’s Larry King Live, that there will be a private ceremony for family and some special guests before the public memorial. Jermaine said the family wants to have other memorials around the United States. “I feel his presence because this is his creation,” Jermaine said. “I really feel this is where he should be rested because it’s him. It’s serene.”

We’ll be there to give you our final goodbye, Michael!

[ via Yahoo! News ]

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