New York Daily News reported on Monday that Joe Jackson, Michael Jackson's father said his son's burial will be held on August 29 at a Los Angeles cemetery, which would have been his 51st birthday. He told a Daily News reporter the Michael Jackson's burial plan was finalized in recent days.
Last week media reports stated Michael Jackson, who died of cardiac arrest on June 25, was buried in a private ceremony in early August. But those reports were based on unnamed sources and never confirmed by Jackson family representatives.
A public memorial for the King of Pop was held in July, but there was never an official confirmation Michael Jackson was buried after the event.
The reason behind Jackson's cardiac arrest remains a mystery. The Los Angeles County Coroner's office has completed its autopsy report but its findings remain sealed until police conclude their investigation. LAPD are looking into the role prescription drugs may have played in Jackson's death and the actions of doctors who were treating him in the weeks before he died. Read More and Pics...
Michael Jackson filmed a Pepsi commercial that went horribly wrong and is now believed to have sparked his lethal addiction to prescription painkillers. UsMagazine.com released the previously unseen footage on Wednesday.
The $1.5 million Pepsi commercial — filmed at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles — used extreme pyrotechnics that famously caught Michael Jackson’s hair on fire.
In the video, Michael Jackson is seen successfully finishing one take of the commercial where pyrotechnics go off around him, but on the sixth take, the explosion happens too soon and MJ’s hair ignites. Michael, then 25, suffered second and third degree burns on his scalp and body.
Watch Michael Jackson Pepsi Commercial video below.
Vanessa Hudgens, the Disney sweetheart, added the list of celebrities who recalls Michael Jackson's life. She had a chance to meet the King of Pop when she was on a tour with High School Musical entourage in Las Vegas. Hudgens says, "It was incredible. Kenny Ortega, the director of High School Musical, was working with him on his last tour and he came out to one of the shows."
"He came backstage with his kids and was just so sweet and so normal and it's really sad. I'll always remember it. It was extremely surreal," Vanessa Hudgens says further. "I admire him so greatly like the rest of the world does but to be able to talk to him and see that he's a normal human being was crazy. I got to talk to him again on the phone ... It was so weird; like, how do you make small talk with Michael Jackson? It was odd but he was so kind and generous."
It turns out that Michael Jackson's favorite song wasn't one of his own. It was "Smile," a song written by comedian Charlie Chaplin (with lyrics by James Phillips and Geoffrey Parsons) for his 1936 movie "Modern Times." That's according to Brooke Shields, Michael's friend who was giving speech at the King of Pop memorial service on Tuesday, July 7.
Over the years, the song — with its message of positivity and overcoming adversity — has been performed and recorded by music legends including Nat King Cole, Barbra Streisand, Diana Ross, Judy Garland and Michael Jackson himself, on his 1995 double album HIStory: Past, Present and Future: Book I. And now, you can add Michael's brother Jermaine Jackson to that list. Jermaine was singing "Smile" at his little brother's memorial service and touched the hearts of the audiences at Staples Center with the song.
Watch Jermaine Jackson sings "Smile" at MJ Memorial Service video here.
Michael Jackson's daughter, Paris Michael Katherine Jackson broke down in tears as she spoke of her love for her late father at his memorial service. 11 year old Paris paid her last tribute to father Michael Jackson, saying an emotional goodbye speech on-stage during the Michael Jackson's public memorial service held at Staples Center in Los Angeles on Tuesday, July 7.
Paris said, "Ever since I was born, Daddy has been the best father you could ever imagine. I just want to say I love him so much." Watch daughter Paris' emotional speech at Michael Jackson's public memorial service video below.
Couldn't help crying on stage, Paris turned to her aunt Janet Jackson, who quickly embrace her. A moment later, Janet and some other Jackson family members led Paris off the stage. Paris' touching tribute was the first public statement made by any of Michael Jackson's kids since his death on June 25.
Michael's sons, Prince Michael Jackson Jr. and Prince Michael Jackson II, were also seen attending their father's public memorial service. The boys took the stage, joining family members, numerous celebrities, and a group of other people to sing "We Are the World/Heal the World."
Celebrities attended at Michael Jackson's public memorial service includes Kobe Bryant, Magic Johnson, Queen Latifah, Mike Tyson, Larry King, and P. Diddy. Music stars like Usher, Mariah Carey, and Jennifer Hudson were some of the tapped performers during the memorial service. Read More and Pics...
Former Guns N' Roses lead guitarist Slash was afraid that he would have a heart attack when he was on stage with Michael Jackson in a concert in 2001, because his newly-fitted pacemaker couldn't take the strain of the gig.
Slash teamed up with Michael Jackson to play at his 30th Anniversary Concert at Madison Square Garden celebrating the King of Pop's solo career. Slash admits the star-studded show made him ill, but he was determined to finish his performance with Michael.
Slash remembered, "On stage I was suddenly hit in the chest by a shock and my vision flooded with electric blue light. It happened about four times each song. I had to stand there and make it look as if everything was normal. I saw it later on TV and you couldn't tell, so I pulled it off." Read More and Pics...
CNN has Michael Jackson rehearsal video showing his preparing the sold out London comeback concert tour on June 23, 2009, just two days before The King of Pop died. The Michael Jackson rehearsal video shows how energetic he dances and sings on L.A. Staples Center stage, the same venue being discussed for his memorial next Tuesday.
Michael Jackson was planned to sing with his 12 year son Prince on This Is It London concert. "He was planning on doing a short duet with his son, Prince," Stuart Backerman, the Jackson's former publicist told Us Weekly. "He knew his kids would enjoy it." Read More and Pics...
LA County Coroner's Office made an announcement on Friday that a determination of Michael Jackson's cause of death has been deferred pending further tests. The development had been anticipated, as the coroner's office had stated before that tests conducted during Michael Jackson's autopsy could take four to six weeks to finish. The medical examiner has ordered additional tests such as toxicology, neuropathology and pulmonary tests.
"After those results have been completed, we anticipate being able to close the case and issuing a final Michael Jackson's cause of death," Craig Harvey, the operations chief and spokesperson for the coroner's office said.
Michael Jackson's autopsy revealed no external trauma to his body. There is not any indication that foul play was involved in the King of Pop's death. An LAPD detective was present during Michael Jackson's autopsy.
Singer Michael Jackson, the King of Pop, has been reportedly died at the age of 50 on Thursday following a heart attack in Los Angeles. He was rushed to the UCLA Medical Center by paramedics who responding to a call from his Bel Air house around midday. Reports say Michael Jackson was declared dead after he stopped breathing. Jackson had suffered a suspected cardiac arrest.
Michael Jackson, member of family group The Jackson 5 who became a pop star, had been living a bizarre life in recent years. Jackson had reportedly been preparing a series of concerts to make a comeback in the London's O2 Arena, UK on July 13.
