After a week of uncertainty over the resting place of Michael Jackson, his family decided Friday that the public memorial service for the late singer will be held on Tuesday at the Staples Center in downtown Los Angeles.
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Pop star Michael Jackson rehearses for his planned shows in London at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California in this handout photo taken June 23, 2009. [Xinhua] |
The Jackson family said in a statement that the event has been set for 10 a.m. Tuesday at the downtown Staples Center. Some 11,000 free tickets will be made available for the service.
Randy Phillips, chief executive of AEG Live, which owns the Staples Center and was Jackson's promoter, said tickets would be free. He was not sure how they would be distributed.
Los Angeles City Councilman Dennis Zine said plans for the memorial are clearly moving forward, but he wished there had been more time to work out the logistics for such a huge event.
The service could draw 100,000 fans. The center's capacity is about 20,000, Zine said.
(Xinhua News Agency July 4, 2009)
