Los Angeles - The late singer Michael Jackson named fellow
music great Diana Ross as the backup guardian of his three children
in the event that his mother Katherine, 79, was unable to fulfill
that role, according to his 2002 will revealed on Wednesday.
According to the will, all of Jackson's assets have been left to
the Michael Jackson Family Trust.
It was filed Wednesday in Los Angeles Superior Court with a
separate petition that estimates the value of his estate at more than
500 million dollars, primarily comprised of his half share of a music
publishing catalog that holds the rights to more than 250 Beatles'
songs, as well as other music.
The revelation came amidst feverish preparations at Jackson's
Neverland ranch some 200 kilometres to the north, where television
cameras already occupied prime positions along the country road
leading to his home.
Although a public viewing had been slated at Neverland for Friday,
logistical problems were mounting for the remote location to handle
the throng of thousands of fans expected to seek a last glimpse at
the remains of the King of Pop, the Los Angeles Times reported.
Media crews and hundreds of fans were already lining the narrow
road leading to the remote, but extravagant, hideaway, as dozens of
service trucks kept rolling through the estate's gates to prepare for
the events.
But family and officials were reevaluating the plan and could re-
locate the public viewing to downtown Los Angeles, possibly to a
large venue such as the Staples Centre, the Times reported.
A private memorial service has been slated for Sunday at
Neverland.
Jackson died Thursday, aged 50, of cardiac arrest. Amid widespread
speculation about the cause of his death, a nurse who had worked for
Jackson told CNN that several days before his death the pop star
had called her and begged her to administer the drug Diprivan, a
substance 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 Diprivan in Jackson's home,
further adding to the speculation that it was the drug that caused
his death.
USA
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