Los Angeles - As plans for a public viewing of Michael
Jackson's body were revealed Tuesday, the tussle for control of his
children and estate took on some new twists, while two separate
reports linked his death to a powerful sedative.
A registered nurse told CNN that several days before his death
Jackson had called her and begged her to administer the drug
Diprivan, a drug usually used to start or maintain anesthesia during
surgery.
The nurse Cherilyn Lee, said that Jackson was complaining of
insomnia but she warned him that 'the medication is not safe,' she
told CNN. 'I told him - and it is so painful that I actually felt it
in my whole spirit - 'If you take this you might not wake up,'' she
said.
Her interview coincided with a report on celebrity website TMZ.com
that police had found quantities of Diprivin in Jackson's home,
further adding to the speculation that it was the drug that caused
his death.
The reports could cast a shadow over the start of Jackson's
memorial later in the week. His body is to be returned to his home at
Neverland on Thursday for a public viewing for fans on Friday,
broadcaster CNN reported.
The family is to hold a private memorial at Jackson's fabled
central California refuge on Sunday, but no details were released on
funeral arrangements for the former King of Pop, who died last week
from cardiac arrest at the age of 50.
Jackson's family is expected to leave from Los Angeles in a 30-
vehicle convoy Thursday morning for the roughly 200-kilometre drive
to the remote and sprawling ranch in the Santa Barbara hills.
On Tuesday, thousands of Jackson fans gathered at the famous
Apollo Theatre in New York for a memorial, which included a video
tribute. Carrying Jackson posters and flowers, they were allowed into
the theatre in batches of 600 people.
The Apollo Theatre in Harlem is a special place for Jackson fans -
that's where the Jackson 5 got its start when Michael was a child. As
news of Jackson's death spread Thursday, fans started gathering at
the Apollo late into the night, both mourning their loss and
celebrating his life.
'Let's spread the word - it was Michael who opened the door ...
who broke down race barriers, national barriers and made a way for
Tiger Woods, made a way for Oprah Winfrey, made a way for Barack
Obama,' said civil rights activist Al Sharpton. He blamed the press
for the many controversies that engulfed Jackson. 'You can scandalize
him, but we know better,' he said.
Meanwhile, authorities near Neverland fear that an influx of fans
could overwhelm roads and infrastructure in the bucolic farming
region and were meeting to make arrangements for the thousands of
fans expected to pay their respects.
Details of the Neverland memorial arrangements came as reports
surfaced that Jackson was not the biological father of his three
children and his family acknowledged the existence of a will made by
Jackson in 2002, which reportedly names his mother Katherine Jackson,
79, as executor of his estate.
Jackson family lawyer Londell McMillan confirmed the existence of
the will, but declined to detail its contents. The Wall Street
Journal said the will named Jackson's mother Katherine as the
administrator of his estate. Other reports said that the will left
nothing to Jackson's father or his siblings.
Celebrity website tmz.com and gossip magazine Us Weekly reported
that neither Jackson nor his ex-wife Debbie Rowe were the biological
parents of the two children born during their marriage - Michael
Joseph Jackson Jr, known as Prince Michael, 12, and Paris Michael
Katherine Jackson, 11.
His third child, Prince Michael II, 7, was also conceived outside
the womb and delivered by an unknown surrogate mother and is also not
Jackson's biological child, the reports said.
Us Weekly reported that the father of Jackson's two older children
is his dermatologist Arnold Klein, who has also been identified as a
potential source of the prescription medications that have been
linked with his death.
The claims were denied by veteran showbiz journalist Roger
Freidman, who said that Rowe and Jackson were the biological parents
of the older two children. He said he had spoken to Rowe, who planned
to wait until after the funeral to contact Jackson's family to
discuss the custody of the children.
On Monday, a judge granted temporary guardianship of the three
children to Jackson's mother, but scheduled a further hearing for
next Monday on her request to become their permanent guardian. She
has also filed a petition to be named the executor of Jackson's
tangled but valuable estate.
The assets in Jackson's estate are valued at over 1 billion
dollars, though he had amassed more than 400 million dollars in debt.
The value of his estate is likely to soar in the coming years as fans
flock to buy his records and other merchandise associated with him.
Jackson had 13 of the top 20 selling albums on iTunes Monday and
40 of the top 100 songs.
USA
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