MICHAEL Jackson’s fans have been urged to stay away from his memorial service in Los Angeles next Tuesday unless they are among 17,500 to receive tickets.
Organisers announced plans for the memorial yesterday amid reports that a powerful sedative used by anaesthetists was found at the singer’s home.
Details of next Tuesday’s event have yet to be finalised, but organisers said it would be available free to television stations around the world and would be streamed live on the internet. There will be no funeral procession through the streets of Los Angeles and his funeral will be private.
Los Angeles Police Department chief Earl Paysinger said fans without tickets would not be allowed near the Staples Centre, where the memorial will be held.
“If you do not have a ticket, if you are not credentialed, not only will you not be allowed at these venues, you will not be allowed in this area,” he said. “I would encourage all of the Michael Jackson fans and well-wishers to take advantage of the TV broadcast.”
Tickets for the memorial will be distributed through an internet lottery, with 8,750 pairs of tickets allotted to successful applicants.
Authorities investigating allegations that Jackson had been consuming painkillers, sedatives and anti-depressants were yesterday quoted in US media as saying the powerful sedative Diprivan was found in his home. Also known as Propofol, Diprivan is an anaesthetic widely used in operating theatres. It is administered intravenously and is seldom found outside hospitals or clinics.
Cherilyn Lee, a registered nurse who was working with the singer, said this week that he often asked her to give him Diprivan to deal with persistent insomnia.
CNN reported this week that Jackson travelled with a mini-clinic and an anaesthesiologist who medicated the singer during his HIStory tour in the mid-1990s. Authorities still do not know what killed Jackson and are awaiting toxicology results, which are due back in two to three weeks.
The future of Jackson’s three children remains uncertain after his former wife Debbie Rowe, the mother of the two eldest children, won a delay in a custody hearing.
The children are currently in the care of the singer’s mother, Katherine (79), who he stated in his will should receive permanent custody.
Ms Rowe, who gave up visitation rights to her children following an $8.5 million (€6 million) divorce settlement when they were toddlers, said this week that she wanted the children back. Later, however, her lawyer said that Ms Rowe had yet to decide whether she would seek custody.
A 30-second video clip of Jackson rehearsing days before his death appears to show the singer in good health, adding to the mystery surrounding his death. The footage shows Jackson dancing in an energetic, tightly choreographed scene as he rehearsed for 50 live shows which had been planned for London this month.