EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW: Michael Jackson's Brain Will Tell Stories About His LifeEXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW: Michael Jackson's Brain Will Tell Stories About His Life

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Zuma Press

Renowned pathologist Dr Michael Baden has exclusively told RadarOnline.com that tests on Michael Jackson's brain could unlock many secrets about the performer's life as well as his death.

An examination of Jackson's brain is part of the forensic examination still underway. "The brain is like a database and these tests will reveal a lot of information like if he was beaten as a child to any small tumors or previous overdoses that he may have suffered," Baden, who recently conducted an autopsy on David Carradine, said.

"The brain results will determine if he was given improper medication and how authentic statements provided by his physicians were."

As the world waits for the toxicology results that will determine the exact cause of Jackson's death Dr Baden believes that they will not be released until the brain analysis is also complete, a process that can take "around four weeks."

It is possible that Diprivan in itself caused him to die, Baden said. "It can slow down breathing and causes blood pressure to fall and a person can die as a result but all the other drugs also mentioned like Demerol, Morphine and Methadone can also be lethal if taken in large quantities.

"It is going to be very interesting to see what all these results tell us about the precise condition Michael Jackson was in."

(source:-www.radaronline.com)

Michael Jackson 'This Is It' waxwork on show in London

On display ... the depiction at Madame Tussaud's waxworks museum matches the "This Is It" concert posters. Picture: AFP

• New waxwork of Michael Jackson on display
• Is 13th time Madame Tussaud's has done MJ
• Was to debut for "This Is It" concerts

A NEW waxwork of Michael Jackson made to mark his planned "This Is It" London comeback concerts went on show in the British capital today.

The US singer, who died on June 25, had been due to play 50 gigs at London's O2 Arena from July 13.

The depiction of Jackson at Madame Tussaud's waxworks museum shows him in his prime in a classic performance pose, matching the "This Is It" concert posters.

Only Queen Elizabeth, who has been replicated 20 times by Madame Tussauds, has been depicted more than Jackson.

"As the response to his tragic death has shown, Michael Jackson was one of the most powerful forces in contemporary music and culture, and he has remained one of the most popular personalities at Madame Tussauds throughout his career," said spokeswoman Liz Edwards.

"We enjoyed a very special relationship with Michael and this is the 13th time we have portrayed him, a reflection of that popularity.

"It was always our intention to make this figure a celebratory one, signalling his much-anticipated return to the stage but also acknowledging all of his incredible achievements.

"We hope it will still be a celebration."

The figure was created using information gathered at a sitting the singer gave in 1989, together with extensive photography and research to reflect the "This is It" image.

The star is dressed in a black Fedora hat, white v-neck T-shirt, sparkly black jacket, white glove, black ankle-length trousers, white socks and black loafers.

"I have produced 100 waxworks but they don't come any tougher than Jackson's," said the sculptor, Stephen Mansfield.

One of the first fans in, Mark Crew, 29, from Yeovil in southwestern England, wore a Jackson-style outfit in tribute.

"I am absolutely thrilled by this new version ... there is something timeless about this waxwork," he said.

"I was concerned about which version of Jackson they would choose to imitate - I don't think fans would have wanted him symbolised in his latter years."

Matt Blank, spokesman for the World Michael Jackson Network, said: "The new waxwork will undoubtedly be very popular. It is in this sad time that people need to share their grief, not just through tears but also through celebrating the life and legacy of the King of Pop."
(source:-www.news.com.au)

Inside Neverland, few touches of past fantasy

No more amusement park or petting zoo — mostly a sense of calm at ranch

For those of us devoted to the study of pop culture, or for those who are just devout Michael Jackson fans, visiting the Neverland Ranch is something akin to a political junkie getting to walk unaccompanied through the White House.

Certainly, the Neverland I visited on Wednesday is a shell of what it was when Jackson used it as a refuge from the world and a place where he could have — what he felt — was a normal life.

At barely dawn of another day post-“King of Pop,” dozens of satellite trucks are stacked up like a technical armada along the windy road that leads to the Neverland gates. The amusement park is gone and the petting zoo is no more.

But despite not being able to shake from memory the alleged wrongdoing that took place at the ranch, you do get a sense of calm when walking the grounds. The property is more vast than it appears in photos, and does not look like the overmanicured estate of an eccentric.

Neverland fits right in to the greater Los Olivos, Calif., backdrop. But that’s not to say the place is entirely normal.

Just when you've convinced yourself that this is just a visit to a bucolic ranch, you see a weathered bronze statue of a child where you least expect it. Then you see another, and another. Like ants at a picnic, by the time you notice one it's too late; your meal is about to be ruined.

Given Jackson’s penchant for bedazzling any piece of clothing possible, you might expect the interior of the main house to look more ornate — a rustic version of Versailles. Not so. But for a rogue bathroom fixture, the house is quite storybook. But then it starts to feel a little too fictitious. There is escape, and then there is escaping; the distinction is subtle, but the end result of the latter, in the case of Jackson, sent him so far from reality, a return trip back to the real world wasn't possible. Add Neverland to the list of enablers.

There's been a lot of talk this week about turning Neverland into another Graceland. I've said I don't think it's a good idea, and I maintain it isn't. However, I do consider myself lucky to have had the chance to visit. While turning the ranch into a shrine still doesn't feel right, I would hope that there's a way that the land is never lost, that it can be visited by those who want to see and sense its uniqueness. After all, Neverland is now a part of history.

(source:-msnbc.msn.com)

Jackson’s parents to decide on his burial

Estranged couple may deal with remains according to their own wishes

LOS ANGELES - Authority over how and where Michael Jackson’s remains are buried is left in the hands of his parents Joe and Katherine Jackson, according to California code.

If a person didn’t leave instructions and means to provide for their own burial, there is a clear pecking order of who has the right to control disposition of remains and make arrangements, according to California Health and Safety Code Section 7100.

Control goes first to the power of attorney for health care (Jackson doesn’t appear to have one), then to a surviving competent spouse, then to a competent adult child, and if none of those options exist, power rests with the deceased’s parents.

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That means that Joe and Katherine Jackson may bury their son according to their own wishes, and they also are not legally bound to follow any desires Michael might have indicated verbally.

That Joe and Katherine are left to make the burial decision could go a long way in explaining the delay, as they have an estranged relationship. Although they are legally married, they’ve been living separately — he in Las Vegas and she in the family’s Encino, Calif., home. And even during the days leading up to Tuesday's public memorial service, the parents were at odds with each other.

“Joe would call to have the front gate opened for a buddy of his, and he’d be allowed inside,” said a law enforcement official stationed outside the Encino compound. “Then a few minutes later, the car would come back out the driveway, and we’d get a call from Katherine saying not to let Joe’s buddy back in. This happened over and over.”

A representative for the family is not making any comment on the status of burial arrangements, or the current location of Jackson’s remains.

Why can’t we keep track of the body?
Michael Jackson’s death certificate listed Forest Lawn Memorial Park as the “temporary” destination for his remains. But beyond that indication, neither the family nor Forest Lawn is under obligation to update any public records in a way that clarifies the current or future location of Jackson’s remains.

“There is no requirement that the family notify the state when the body is moved from the temporary location to another location,” said Russ Heimerich, spokesperson for the California Cemetery and Funeral Bureau.

Not only that, but “remains can be stored indefinitely, provided they are in the proper facility,” Heimerich said. In other words, while most prefer to come to a conclusion about disposition as quickly as possible, there’s certainly no ticking clock.

And there’s yet another wrinkle: A “proper” facility does not necessarily indicate a licensed facility. In other words, there can exist a business capable of “proper” storage of remains that is not necessarily a licensed facility, like a cemetery or crematorium.

“It’s going to be difficult to find out where this body is until the family wants to share that information,” said Heimerich.

(source:-msnbc.msn.com)

Jackson children staying out of spotlight

Grandmother is protecting three children from storm of media attention

LOS ANGELES - Many members of the Jackson family have been photographed in the days since the singer's June 25 death, but his three children, Michael Jr., 12; Paris, 11; and Prince Michael II, 7, have not been seen.

However, a Jackson family friend who recently spent time with them said, “the kids are doing as OK as can be expected,” adding that the children are mostly isolated from the storm of media attention surrounding the family.

“They’ve been with their grandmother (Katherine Jackson) ever since and she’s doing everything she can to protect them from all the media focus,” the friend said. “They aren’t even close to processing all of this. They are probably years away from that, really. But they’re doing OK.”

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Stars stay mum on plans for memorial
Scores of celebrities paid tribute to Michael Jackson during the hours and days following his death. Far fewer are confirming that they’ll attend the July 7 memorial for the King of Pop.

So far, a firm “yes” from an A-list star has remained elusive. However, several top stars are said to be in talks about attending and performing, including Jennifer Hudson, Stevie Wonder, Alicia Keys and Aretha Franklin. Publicists for talk-show host Oprah Winfrey couldn’t confirm whether or not she’d be attending.

Although one rumor claimed that non-disclosure agreements were stopping celebrities from discussing their attendance, an organizer says that’s not the case.

Instead, stars aren’t talking out of respect for the gravity of the event.

“Remember, it’s a memorial,” said the source. “We’re trying to get everyone to treat it that way.”

Big costs for L.A.
Although the city of Los Angeles has a budget for “extraordinary events” such as the public memorial scheduled for July 8 at the Staples Center, the city is still looking at as much as $2.5 million in incidental costs associated with the memorial.

A source within the LAPD who is directly involved with the calculations of those costs, which include sanitation, IT expenses and technical support, among others, confirms that $2.5 million is the current “best calculation” for now.

The LAPD will have a final deployment review later on Monday to make sure there are “sufficient resources” for the memorial. Another estimate could be expected then.

Jan Perry, Los Angeles City Councilwoman and acting mayor, said she does not yet have an exact number for the incidental costs, but conceded they could be significant and every effort will be made to keep track of them. “I'll be proposing a motion, likely on Tuesday (July 7) that will require every department to report their costs associated with the memorial.”

Perry also clarified, “We are not paying for this memorial. Costs from Staples or AEG are not ours to cover, this is a private event. In terms of police protection, for one of the designated ‘extraordinary’ events like the memorial, it is covered by the existing police budget.”

No shortage of video from Jackson rehearsals
The video AEG released from Michael Jackson's final rehearsal, which took place 48 hours before his sudden death, is just one of many that exist.

“Practically every minute of every rehearsal, since they began in March, was videotaped,” according to a well-placed source inside the “This Is It” tour production. “After Michael died everything was turned over to AEG.”

Also, the source verifies that the tape that's already been released is indeed from Jackson's last rehearsal.

“Some people are saying that because he wasn't performing to 110 percent it must be from an old rehearsal. That's ridiculous — it's the last rehearsal. You can tell he's totally on, that is just how an artist rehearses. When it's a real show, that's when you go all out.”

(source:-msnbc.msn.com)

Jackson knew kids’ veils would have to come off

But singer’s three children may be well-prepared for spotlight

Mark J. Terrill / AP Michael Jackson's siblings comfort his daughter, Paris, and sons, Prince Michael and Prince Michael II, during their father's memorial service.

LOS ANGELES - Even Michael Jackson knew the masks and veils would have to come off one day.

After a lifetime of hiding from the media glare at the insistence of their impossibly famous father, Jackson's children are front and center. Though their inevitable debut came a way no one could have predicted, those close to Jackson and the family say his three kids may be better prepared for the onslaught of attention than anyone could expect.

"They are going to grow up in the limelight," said Al Malnik, a former Jackson financial adviser and friend, "but I think because (of the) way that Michael has brought them up they have the capacity to deal with it."

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They are also — for now at least — being cared for by Katherine Jackson, who has raised a whole family in the public eye.

"If anyone knew how to deal with the scrutiny and the whole culture of paparazzi, it was the Jacksons," said Rev. Al Sharpton, a confidant of the Jackson family. "It is not new to them."

The lives of Michael Jackson's children never qualified as normal. They had no mother, wore masks to conceal their faces and traveled the world while being raised by one of the planet's most famous figures.

But by all accounts from those who have watched and been close to the children, Prince Michael, 12, Paris-Michael Katherine, 11, and Blanket (Prince Michael II), 7, are not only normal, but model children: unaffected by fame, sweet, polite and very smart.

"Those kids are exceptionally bright. They really have the capacity and understanding," said Malnik of Jackson's kids, who were home-schooled.

Whether they will retain those qualities following the death of their father, a potential custody fight and the enormous media scrutiny that they have been placed remains to be seen. Already, they have been on the covers of magazines and tabloids, their images endlessly replayed on television — ABC this week devoted an entire hour in prime-time to an expose on their lives.

"Michael just having passed away, it's difficult enough to deal with privately, much less publicly and making statements about it," said Malnik.

But Sharpton says that Katherine Jackson, 79, and the rest of the Jackson clan are working hard to provide some semblance of normalcy as they grieve.

"The kids are at the compound," said Sharpton of the Jacksons' Encino, Calif., home. "The days that I was there, they would play with their cousins and were very familiar with them and their aunts and uncles. ... That's the only family they knew."

Unity displayed at memorial
Katherine Jackson, who Michael named as his choice of caretaker in case of his death, was named by a judge as the temporary guardian of Jackson's children, and they have been with her and the entire Jackson clan ever since his June 25 death. Their longtime nanny, Grace Rwaramba, has also been with the children, according to a source close to the family who is not authorized to speak for the family and requested anonymity.

While the Jackson family has long been perceived as dysfunctional — their battles have played out famously on the public stage — what struck many people at Jackson's memorial service on Tuesday was their display of unity.

Paris-Michael clutched grandmother Katherine during the service, while Prince Michael held onto his Aunt Janet as his sister made her tear-jerking testament of love about her father. Blanket hid behind a phalanx of Jacksons siblings onstage, and when Michael's brother Marlon broke down while addressing the Staples Center crowd, the entire Jackson family, including the children, embraced in one powerful group hug.

"The family is much closer than one wanted to perceive," said Sharpton, who acknowledged that Paris' speech was spontaneous. "People far overestimate and embellish any perceived differences in that family."

Custody battle?
The public images of a Jackson family united in grief may help Katherine Jackson as she heads into Monday custodial hearing involving Mrs. Jackson and the biological mother of Jackson's two oldest children, Deborah Rowe. Rowe, who was previously married to Jackson, has not had a relationship with Prince or Paris-Michael, but since Jackson's death has expressed interest in raising not only her two biological children, but Blanket as well, to whom she has no relation (the mother of Blanket, born to a surrogate, has never been revealed).

It is unclear if a custody battle will develop. Rowe's attorney said she has not decided it she plans to seek custody, and people close to interactions with both camps, who requested anonymity because of the sensitivity of the subject, said both sides have been gracious and cordial, not contentious.

Sharpton said the Jacksons haven't been anticipating a battle, but when asked about the best interests of the kids, said: "They ought to be around the people they are most familiar with. This is not the beginning of their relationship (with the Jacksons)."

Still, some have expressed concern that the Jackson's kids may suffer by being placed with their extended family. Michael's father Joe has been roundly criticized for promoting a record label on television in the days after his death, and Michael had long described him as physically and emotionally abusive. Katherine's age has led to questions about her ability to look after adolescent children.

Dr. Arnold Klein, Jackson's longtime dermatologist and friend, told "Larry King Live" on Wednesday night he feared that the performing family might turn Jacksons' kids into "The Jackson 3, their intelligence dancing away — because these children are bright."

But Sharpton dismissed the idea that the Jacksons would seek to exploit the children or take them on a path other than the one Michael Jackson had intended for them.

"For the life of me I don't now why people would assume based on no evidence at all why the Jacksons wouldn't have their own grandchildren and niece and nephews at heart," he said. "It is the most ridiculous notion I've heard."

(source:-.msnbc.msn.com)

Jackson kids ‘are really level-headed’

Family friend says Blanket ‘a lot like Michael,’ Paris thoughtful, Prince fun

Mark J. Terrill / AFP - Getty Images For most of her life, Paris, center and her brothers Prince Michael I, right, and Prince Michael II (a.k.a. "Blanket"), were carefully shrouded from the public eye, often emerging with their father wearing colorful masks.

At the Michael Jackson memorial Tuesday, the world met — and was deeply moved by — the King of Pop's 11-year-old daughter, Paris, who gave an unplanned, emotional tribute to her father.

For most of her life, Paris, and her brothers Prince Michael I, 12, and Prince Michael II (a.k.a. "Blanket"), 7, were carefully shrouded from the public eye, often emerging with their father wearing colorful masks. So, who are the Jackson children?

According to family friend Gotham Chopra, the late star's eldest son Prince is a "fun kid" who "has a lot of energy." He describes Paris as "very thoughtful, very caring, and very sensitive" and quiet Blanket as "a lot like Michael."

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As PEOPLE reported in 2007, by all accounts, the kids are bright, well-behaved and seemingly well-adjusted. A spokesman from the National Zoo, who accompanied the family on a visit, told PEOPLE at the time, "I was struck by how considerate and nice and normal they all were." Jackson's longtime bodyguard Miko Brando recently echoed that sentiment. "They are well-mannered, well-behaved kids," he said. "They are really level-headed."

It may seem like a contradiction, given their father's staggering fame and highly scrutinized lifestyle, but many say that as a father, Jackson was nothing but normal and loving. "There were a few times he brought his kids to work," says tour dancer Christopher "Kriyss" Grant. "You could tell by the way they looked at him that they adored him."

Adds Jackson's former publicist Raymone Bain: "They were Michael's first priority."

Looking forward, Prince, Paris and Blanket will continue to be well cared for. "The Jacksons have come together and are really loving the kids," says Chopra. "Cousins and puppies are [around in] full-force, and the kids are enjoying [it]." And no matter what the public may have thought about Jackson, adds Bain, "his children will be his greatest legacy."

(source:-msnbc.msn.com)

L.A. taxpayers ‘ripped off’ by Jackson memorial

Councilman calls on promoter to pay some of estimated $1.4 million cost

LOS ANGELES - A city council member on Thursday called on AEG Live to pay some of the estimated $1.4 million cost for policing Michael Jackson’s memorial service at the Staples Center.

Dennis Zine told Fox 11 that the city’s taxpayers “are getting ripped off” because the owner-operator of the Staples Center profited by charging media up to $50,000 to use risers outside the venue.

AEG President Tim Leiweke had said Zine was out of line for asking AEG to pay for policing because it helped solicit donors for the Los Angeles Lakers’ NBA victory parade last month.

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Jackson’s concert promoter, AEG Live, said that it paid for the memorial itself along with the Jackson estate, but did not mention the cost of crowd control.

The parade and memorial both resulted in extraordinary costs to Los Angeles at a time when it is in debt for half of a billion dollars and facing employee layoffs.

The cost of city services for the Lakers’ parade was about $1 million. Donors covered about $850,000 of that sum. The Lakers and AEG spent another $1 million to produce the parade and rally at Memorial Coliseum.

(source:-msnbc.msn.com)

L.A. taxpayers ‘ripped off’ by Jackson memorial

Councilman calls on promoter to pay some of estimated $1.4 million cost

LOS ANGELES - A city council member on Thursday called on AEG Live to pay some of the estimated $1.4 million cost for policing Michael Jackson’s memorial service at the Staples Center.

Dennis Zine told Fox 11 that the city’s taxpayers “are getting ripped off” because the owner-operator of the Staples Center profited by charging media up to $50,000 to use risers outside the venue.

AEG President Tim Leiweke had said Zine was out of line for asking AEG to pay for policing because it helped solicit donors for the Los Angeles Lakers’ NBA victory parade last month.

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Jackson’s concert promoter, AEG Live, said that it paid for the memorial itself along with the Jackson estate, but did not mention the cost of crowd control.

The parade and memorial both resulted in extraordinary costs to Los Angeles at a time when it is in debt for half of a billion dollars and facing employee layoffs.

The cost of city services for the Lakers’ parade was about $1 million. Donors covered about $850,000 of that sum. The Lakers and AEG spent another $1 million to produce the parade and rally at Memorial Coliseum.

(source:-msnbc.msn.com)

Jackson publicist: There was no intervention

Says 2007 meeting with Jackson family was business-related

LOS ANGELES - Raymone Bain, the former longtime publicist for Michael Jackson, has said there is no truth to rumors that have surfaced in the media since the pop star’s death, claiming that members of the Jackson family staged a failed intervention for the pop star in 2007.

“It is not true,” Raymone told Access Hollywood’s Billy Bush in a new interview.

Raymone, who filed suit against the King of Pop earlier this year for $44 million over claims he failed to pay her for her publicity services and more, said a meeting with the family took place in 2007, but it was business related.

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“I recall in February, there was a meeting with Mr. Jackson and his sisters and brothers about a concert,” she recounted. “There was a concert promoter who accompanied them there. That is the meeting that I… am aware of… I know nothing else about any other intervention.”

Raymone also shot down rumors that Michael’s family members – including his mother Katherine – were shut out of the pop star’s life after the alleged intervention, telling Billy the family were always involved in Michael’s life.

“During the time that I represented Michael Jackson, he had communications all of the time with his mother and his family,” she said. “I don’t know of a time when Michael Jackson did not have access to his mother — under my watch. I cannot speak for last year and prior to or after my tenure with Mr. Jackson. But I do know that he loved his mother, he loved his father, he loved his sisters and brothers unconditionally. And Mrs. Jackson and his family had access to Michael Jackson.”

(source:-msnbc.msn.com)

Jackson medical records subpoenaed

Officials are in the process of reconstructing the Jackson’s medical history

The L.A. County coroner’s office has subpoenaed files and records related to the care of Michael Jackson, the Los Angeles Times reported on Wednesday.

Officials are in the process of reconstructing the Jackson’s medical history following his death on June 25. Toxicology results from his subsequent autopsy are still several weeks away and cause of death has been deferred.

A source told the Times on Wednesday that “any and all” Jackson medical records had been subpoenaed, “including radiology and psychiatric records.”

An attorney for Dr. Arnold Klein, Jackson’s friend and dermatologist, confirmed to the newspaper that the doctor had received a subpoena.

The Times previously reported that at least three doctors were part of the investigation. According to the newspaper’s sources, such an investigation could be necessary to determine the star’s cause of death. A drug, such as the anesthetic Diprivan, reportedly found in Jackson’s Holmby Hills home, goes through the body quickly and thus might not appear in toxicology tests.

Anesthesiologist Paul Wischmeyer told the newspaper that Diprivan would be “probably undetectable” in the bloodstream 20 minutes after a dosage, but that alternate tests could be done to look for evidence of the drug.

“You can find it in the urine,” he said. “It wouldn’t be a test a coroner could do, but they could send out for it.”

Dr. Klein appeared on CNN’s “Larry King Live” on Wednesday, where he told King that he had prescribed Jackson the painkiller Demerol, but had warned him about Diprivan.

“I told him he was absolutely insane,” Klein said, having allegedly discovered that the singer was using the drug while on tour in Germany.

He defended his own prescriptions to Jackson, adding, “If you took all the pills I had given him in the last year at once, it wouldn’t do anything to you.”

(source:-msnbc.msn.com)

Family viewed Michael Jackson in open casket

‘He looked peaceful,’ says David Fossett, 50, a cousin of Jackson’s

	Jermaine, Randy, Marlon and Janet Jackson remember their brother at the public memorial. The family had a private open casket viewing on July 6.

The night before the world paid tribute to Michael Jackson, close family members viewed the entertainer’s body in an open casket at Forest Lawn in the Hollywood Hills.

“He looked like himself. He looked like he just was laying there sleeping,” says David Fossett, 50, a cousin of Jackson’s who grew up with him and still lives in Jackson’s hometown of Gary, Ind. “He looked peaceful.”

Relatives gathered around the casket, “talked to each other and cried” during the viewing on Monday night, Fossett tells PEOPLE. Jackson’s parents, Katherine and Joe Jackson, were not among those gathered, but after the viewing, mourners went back to the Jackson home in Encino.

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It was a somber mood,” Fossett says. “Even though he’s this big entertainer, he’s still our family.”

Family reminisces
But there was some levity as well as relatives reminisced. Fossett said he recalled for the group when Jackson, family and friends descended on Disneyland for the grand opening of the Captain EO movie, which starred Jackson. He also talked about the time in 1972 when Michael and the rest of Jackson 5 returned to Gary to perform at West Side High School.

Fossett and others stayed the night. Tuesday morning, the family had a quick breakfast and then got into their vehicles for the convoy to the 30- to 40-minute private service. About 70 relatives gathered at Forest Lawn, where Jackson’s cousin Wendell Hawkins conducted a Jehovah’s Witness service, according to Fossett and another cousin, Myron Hawkins, who is Wendell Hawkins’ brother.

Jehovah’s Witness ceremony
Fossett, who is not a Jehovah’s Witness, describes the service as “spoken in a way that their belief is that (God) is going to be back on this earth.” Wendell Hawkins “addressed guests and said he was glad that (Michael’s) life was connected with Jehovah.” During the service, John 3:16 was read, the Biblical passage that speaks to God so loving the world that he gave his only son, and Ecclesiastes 9:5, which refers to the living knowing they will die, but the dead being conscious of nothing.

Jackson’s three children, Paris, 11, Prince Michael I, 12, and Prince Michael II, 7, were crying during the service. “They lost their father,” Fossett says. “They were sad.” But the kids were comforting each other, holding each other’s hands and hugging, and in turn were being supported by family, he says. “All of us were comforting each other.”