DONNA SUMMER'S Family Plans Private Memorial Service In Nashville, Tenn. R.I.P.

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Donna Summer's Family to Hold Private Memorial in Nashville

Donna Summer gave many gifts to the music world, so naturally, the singer's family chose to hold her memorial service in the music epicenter of the world: Nashville, Tenn. (The star moved to the music capitol in 1994.)

TMZ, who broke the news Thursday that the legendary "Last Dance" singer had lost her battle with lung cancer at the age of 63, reported Friday that the private ceremony to remember the star is scheduled for Wednesday, May 30.

On Thursday, Summer's family released a statement to the Associated Press on their loved one's passing.

"Early this morning, we lost Donna Summer Sudano, a woman of many gifts, the greatest being her faith," the statement begins. "While we grieve her passing, we are at peace celebrating her extraordinary life and her continued legacy. Words truly can't express how much we appreciate your prayers and love for our family at this sensitive time."

The chart-topping, Grammy winner known as "The Queen of Disco" is survived by daughters Brooklyn, 31, and Amanda, 29, who she shares with husband Bruce Sudano, 63. Summer's eldest daughter, Mimi, is from her previous marriage to actor Helmuth Sommer.


Private family funeral planned for Donna Summer

Donna Summer's funeral will be a private one for family and close friends.
Publicist Brian Edwards said in a statement Friday that Summer's family is overwhelmed and appreciates the outreach from fans and friends, but that her funeral services will remain private.

He didn't provide details on when and where services would be held.
Summer died Thursday morning of lung cancer at age 63 in Naples, Fla. Edwards also said that the singer did not smoke.
Summer earned the title of Queen of Disco after releasing a string of dance hits in the 1970s, including "I Feel Love," ''Love to Love You Baby" and "Last Dance."


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Sources: AP, MSNBC, The Grio, US Weekly, VH-1, Washington Post, Wikipedia, Youtube, Google Maps

Whitney Houston's Funeral Shines Spotlight On Newark's Forgotten BLACK Community

Whitney Houston's funeral brings Newark together as entertainers, fans mourn star

The body of singer Whitney Houston, inside a gold hearse, led a procession of three limousines, four police motorcycles and a police cruiser down Martin Luther King Boulevard on a sunny, brisk Saturday morning. Shortly before 9:30, the column slowly pulled out onto the street for the short journey from Whigham Funeral Home to New Hope Baptist Church, while a fan played “I Will Always Love You” from his car.

Several minutes later, the procession arrived at the church, where services will begin at noon.

Earlier, the Rev. Jesse Jackson had stopped at Whigham to view Houston’s body, then spoke to the media.

"There is a heaviness of heart. We've lost a lot, yet we rejoice,” Jackson said. “She covered as much ground in 48 years as many people cover in 96. When she was on stage she reached unfathomable heights."

Jackson continued: "We have no idea the depths of her pain. What we mostly knew about her is she sang so beautifully ... This is a day of mercy, this is a day of celebration, this is a day of rejoicing."

Houston died last Saturday in the bathroom of her hotel room at the Beverly Hills Hilton. While the autopsy report still reads “deferred” for cause of death, many fear the 48-year-old pop legend finally succumbed to the effects of illegal drugs she once called “the biggest devil.”

Lauretta Malloy, a family friend of the Houston family who said she was preparing to attend the singer's funeral today, said the death of the star and entertainer has been weighing on her heart.

"It's going to be hard," said Malloy, a local singer and performer. "I thought coming here would help work it out of my system.

"I see the love," she added as she looked over at the mini shrine fans made in the church's fence. "I came over here to recognize this is real. Because everyday I kept saying, it didn't happen, it didn't happen."

Malloy's daughter, LeeAnet Noble, a young performer, said she used to long for a day when she would get to work with Houston.

"I was so excited about 'Sparkle' and there was a lot going on - she was healthy and vibrant," said Noble of Houston's upcoming movie project. "People said she was glowing before her death."

New Hope Baptist Church is where Houston regularly wowed the congregation with what would become known as “The Voice.” The crystalline mezzo-soprano became noticeably damaged by drugs, alcohol and cigarettes over the past decade. Recent news reports say a voice coach, Gary Catona, began working with Houston in 2005 to help her recover that voice.

Catona, who appears in an interview on ABC's "20/20 " program tonight, said Houston was “completely hoarse” when he began working with her and that eventually he could only help her get back 75 percent to 80 percent of her voice’s original quality.

The diminution of Houston’s voice failed to dissuade many fans from regarding her, even in recent years, as still one of the greatest pop singers of all time.
Hedwig Berthold and Rhonda Owens hopped a flight from Miami just to stand in the crowd at the funeral home and church today.

"Just being around this area — and sharing our sorrows with everyone else — is worth every penny," Berthold said. "Whitney didn’t know us, but we knew her."

The city was hoping to host public gatherings today where East Orange residents could gather to watch the Associated Press webcast of the funeral, but the family did not grant city officials permission to display the video feed at a public venue, Jeffries said.

"We’re going to respect the family’s wishes," he said.
Many fans, however, have expressed frustration.

"We're missing something too," Bunny Palmer, 50, of Manhattan, said this morning.
Palmer said he got up at 3 a.m. to drive to Newark for today's services. The 50-year-old, who stood across the street from the red brick church, marveled at how close he was to the building.

"I'm glad I came early," he said.

Palmer said Houston should be remembered for her music.

"That's how we knew her," he said. "All the negativity should die when she died and all you can talk about now is the great music she made and all the people she made happy."
Angela Smith left her home in Millville at 3 this morning in hopes of arriving early enough that she could get close to the church and view the cards, candles and balloons left for the pop star in recent days.

"I've been a Whitney fan all my life, since I was in grade school," Smith said. When I first heard the news, I thought it wasn't real."

"To me it's a legend lost," said Donna Holmes, 33, of Williamstown, who arrived this morning after a 90 -minute drive with two friends, listening to Houston's greatest hits along the way. "We came just to get pictures and show our respect. ... We don’t have this in New Jersey a lot."

Sabrina Hoskins, 38, and Kisha Kamara, 32, both of Camden County, said Houston’s music, which defined their youth, was why they needed to be close to the funeral today. Early this morning they huddled in their black SUV, two blocks away from New Hope. The two women drove up from Camden last night to set up a merchandise table at the corner of Lock St. and Central Ave. where they were still selling long-stem roses, Whitney Houston posters, framed photos, CDs and T-shirts with the iconic singer’s image. Already the pair had taken in more than $700, they said.

“I grew up with Whitney, especially 'The Bodyguard,'" Kamara said, referring to the movie Houston made with Kevin Costner in the 1990s. “She was awesome.”
Both women said they wished they could pay their own respects.

“I wanted to see her body,” Hoskins said. “It would just mean so much. She was a legend."

Among the visitors to Friday's private wake at Whigham Funeral Home were Houston’s mom, Cissy, teenage daughter Bobbi Kristina Brown, cousin Dionne Warwick and Clive Davis, the record producer who signed the singer affectionately known as "Nippy."
The wake was a chance for family and friends to have a quiet moment with the singing sensation they knew on a much more human level.

Rock star Rod Stewart was expected to join a Hollywood Walk of Fame attendee list today that also includes Aretha Franklin, Stevie Wonder, David Bowie, Kevin Costner and Oprah Winfrey. Two high-powered New Jersey politicians, Republican Gov. Chris Christie and Democratic Newark Mayor Cory Booker, who ordered flags lowered to half-staff in the state and city, have confirmed they will attend.

Houston will be buried Sunday at Fairview Cemetery in the same plot where her father is buried.

Houston’s funeral also inspired several of Newark’s gang leaders to call for a day of peace today to honor the Brick City-born pop diva.

The push started after Hykine Johnson — a former high-ranking member of the Sex, Money, Murder set of the Bloods who is better known around Newark by his street handle, "HAK" — published a Facebook post Wednesday night calling for citywide peace on the day of Houston’s services.

"If anyone out there is gang banging lets show Whitney Houston respect by commiting no crimes on saturday ... No shootings No robbing No car jacking basically no crazy (stuff) let us show some respect she helped alot of people in Nj lets show lov," Johnson, now an author and filmmaker, wrote in the slang-filled post.

Two other known members of the city’s gang community told The Star-Ledger Friday they would heed Johnson’s call for peace.


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Whitney Houston's Wake: Bobbi Kristina, Cissy, Family, Friends (Video)

Saying their goodbyes: Whitney Houston's mother Cissy and daughter Bobbi Kristina lead family mourners at wake ahead of funeral in star's New Jersey hometown


1) Whitney's daughter Bobbi Kristina pictured for first time since she was rushed to hospital following the singer's death

2) Throngs of fans line streets as police procession guides family and friends to private viewing ahead of funeral

3) Singer's mother Cissy leads family and friends including Dionne Warwick and Clive Davis

4) Ray- J, who has said Whitney will 'live in his heart forever', and his sister Brandy flew out of LAX


Whitney Houston's mother Cissy, and her daughter Bobbi Kristina led family and friends attending a private viewing at a funeral home in New Jersey today.

A tearful Cissy Houston arrived at Whigham Funeral Home in the singer's hometown of Newark as she joined close friend and relatives to pay their respects ahead of the funeral on Saturday.

As well as being surrounded by family the 78-year-old was accompanied by a strong police presence who ensured the large crowds of fans who gathered outside the home kept their distance.

Cissy was escorted into the building by a priest and held hands with a woman in a crisp white shirt. The former gospel singer was dressed smartly in a black coat with an orange and brown leopard print scarf wrapped around her shoulders.

Whitney's daughter Bobbi Kristina, pictured in public for first time since she was rushed to hospital following the singer's death in a Beverly Hills hotel, arrived at the funeral home in dark jeans, white vest and a black jacket.

The 18-year-old is the daughter of Houston and her former husband Bobby Brown. It has been reported that the teen will now live with her grandmother 'indefinitely' according to HollywoodLife.com.

The teenager hid her eyes between a pair of sunglasses and held the hand of a friend as she walked past security.

Family and friends were greeted by what appeared to be an Egyptian decorated casket outside the home.

As well as close family of Whitney in attendance friends also gathered together to pay their respects.

Dionne Warwick was seen arriving and had wore a white shirt and a pair of dark trousers.

Whitney's mentor and life-long friend Clive Davies also made an appearance as reports have emerged the music producer tried to get the singer to enter rehab in the weeks leading up to her death.

Whitney's on-off boyfriend Ray-J was seen making his way through LAX airport with his sister Brandy on their way to New Jersey ahead of the funeral.

Kevin Costner, who starred opposite Houston in the 1992 film The Bodyguard, was also seen making his way east at the airport.

Fans gathered outside where they signed a book of condolence and laid tributes, including flowers, balloons and teddy bears.

It is expected that fans will be blocked off the site once the 48-year-old star's family arrives for her wake ahead of tomorrow's funeral.

Family including daughter Bobbi Kristina, 18, along with her grandmother Cissy, 78, Miss Houston's mother, are due to say a more private goodbye at the pre-funeral service.

The gold hearse which conveyed her body to the funeral home remained parked outside, while fans lined up to pay their respects.

Already, some were waiting outside the temporarily crash barriers near the funeral home.

David Bowie will supposedly be among those attending the private service as will Janet Jackson, rapper Jay-Z, Mariah Carey and R n B singer R Kelly.

Alicia Keys will reportedly perform, as will Stevie Wonder and Aretha Franklin, who was Miss Houston’s godmother.

The late singer’s husband Bobby Brown will also be attending after her family put aside their grievances and begrudgingly sent him an invitation.

It had been thought he would be kept away amid resentment he led his wife astray and fears he was trying to get his hands on her £25million fortune.

The 90-minute service will take place at noon local time at the New Hope Baptist Church in Newark, New Jersey, where Miss Houston was first discovered as a teenager.

It will reportedly be a mixture of religious music and celebrity tributes including a speech from Kevin Costner, Miss Houston’s co-star in The Bodyguard.

The church’s choir will perform the processional and the opening and a house band will be on stage throughout.

The song list and who will be in the backing cast for each artist has not yet been worked out.

Among the others who will reportedly attend the service are Dionne Warwick, Miss Houston’s cousin, Bill Cosby and U.S. chat show queen Oprah Winfrey.

R n B singer Brandy will be there as will The Rev Jessie Jackson, Chaka Khan and US X Factor judge Antonio 'L.A.' Reid.

Sir Elton John has denied reports he will be there.

The eulogy will be read by the Pastor Marvin Winans, who married Miss Houston and Brown in 1992.

All the proceedings will be streamed live on the Internet and roadblocks will be in place around the church to keep the public back and ensure those attending can get there on time.

Just hours later Brown, 43, will apparently split from the rest of his grieving family and travel to Connecticut - where he will play a lucrative concert at a casino.

The funeral comes one week after Houston was found dead in the bath of her hotel room in Los Angeles.

Police have reportedly obtained her medical records and are investigating what drugs were supplied to her in her final days.

No cause of death has been identified yet and officials are waiting for the results of toxicology tests.

Ray J, who was dating Whitney in the months before her death has finally broken his silence.

The 31-year-old released a statement that said: 'Over the past few days, I've tried to process the emptiness that I am experiencing. What my heart feels cannot be expressed in words.

The world lost an icon, but I lost my close friend.'

Alluding to a nickname given to Whitney by her father he added: 'Nippy, I miss you so much!'
'You were so happy and full of love. Your smile will live in my heart forever.'
Ray J was seen at LAX airport today catching a flight to New Jersey ahead of Whitey's service tomorrow.

Today it has been revealed that Mel Gibson reached out to the I Didn’t Know My Own Strength singer a few years ago to try and deal with her addiction issues.

The Braveheart star was invited to the funeral tomorrow by Whitney's family but is unable to attend because of prior family commitments TMZ reports.



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Amy Winehouse's Private Funeral; "Back To Black" Video

Amy Winehouse to Be Cremated Following Emotional Funeral

Details surrounding Amy Winehouse's final hours became clearer as her family and friends laid her to rest today.

Kelly Osbourne and Mark Ronson were among the famous friends that joined Winehouse's family and loved ones at London's Edgwarebury Cemetery earlier today. Winehouse will be cremated following the service.

Winehouse's U.K.-based representative, Chris Goodman, told Britain's Daily Mail that her father gave a touching eulogy at today's ceremony.

"Mitch's last words to Amy in his eulogy were 'Goodnight my angel,'" Goodman said. "Sleep tight. Mummy and Daddy love you ever so much."

Reg Traviss, Winehouse's most recent boyfriend, attended the funeral and spoke to Britain's Sun newspaper about the singer's death, saying "I have lost my darling who I loved very much." Blake Fielder-Civil, Winehouse's ex-husband, was not in attendence. He's currently serving a 32 month jail sentence.

Rabbi Frank Hellner officiated the Jewish service in which family and friends sang Winehouse's favorite song, Carole King's "So Far Away." Afterwards, Winehouse's body was taken to Golders Green Crematorium, where her grandmother was cremated. Her family will sit shiva for two days in mourning.

What Killed Amy Winehouse?

U.K. officials began an autopsy Monday to determine what killed the 27-year-old singer, who was found dead in her home in London's Camden district Saturday. They are awaiting the results of a toxicology test, which are expected in two to four weeks. No formal cause of death has been established, and officials reportedly have found no paraphernalia or sign of drugs in Winehouse's home.

Winehouse's official cause of death will be released in October.

On Monday, Goodman revealed that a bodyguard hired to watch the singer was the first person to discover her death.

"She was in her bedroom after saying she wanted to sleep, and when he went to wake her, he found she wasn't breathing," he told the Sun. "He called the emergency services straight away. He was very shocked. At this stage no one knows how she died. She died alone in bed."

The Sun also reported that Winehouse had seen a doctor Friday night as part of a routine series of checkups, given her history of drug and alcohol abuse. The doctor saw nothing wrong.

The Grammy-winning singer was literally rocking out the night before she died, according to People magazine,

"We know that she was well enough to be playing drums well into Friday night," said Julie Dam, People's assistant managing editor. "We spoke to neighbors who said she was usually so quiet. It's worth noting that she was making a lot of noise that night."

But Winehouse's clean bill of health and activity prior to her death might have masked underlying problems from years of substance abuse that eventually killed her.

"She may have had asthma and emphysema because of her smoking," said Dr. Eric Braverman, an addiction specialist and author of the book "The Edge Effect." "From that, you can have a terrible respiratory arrest. You can have a seizure. Your lungs can choke off your trachea. It happens in asthmatics a lot."

Respiratory conditions might not have been picked up by Winehouse's physician.

"If you have a pulmonary disease, you need a lung function test, not a stethoscope," Braverman said. "So a simple physical that tells you you have a clean bill of health doesn't say much."

Winehouse's father told reporters in 2008 that she had been diagnosed with early-stage emphysema. She was also vocal about her struggles with eating disorders, which could have played a part in her death, too.

"You can also suffer cardiac arrhythmia from dieting and not eating properly," Braverman said. "Even panic attacks in her state can constrict the lungs and bring on death."


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Sources: ABC News, Amazon.com, VeVo, Youtube, Google Maps

Michael Jackson's Private Funeral Was Fit For A King...Criminal Charges Are Still Pending

Michael Jackson's Funeral: Paris Weeps, Macaulay, Liz Taylor, Chris Tucker, Corey Feldman All Mourn

(Little Michael performs "Who's Loving You" with his brothers on the Ed Sullivan show.)



(Michael Jackson is finally laid to rest. MSNBC reports.)

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

(Michael Jackson's casket arrives for his final private service.)



Paris Jackson wept as she stepped into the mausoleum where her father, Michael, was to be entombed. Katherine Jackson, overcome by sorrow, turned back when she was faced with her son's final resting place.

On a sultry Thursday evening, amid a sea of white flowers and with a bejeweled crown placed atop his casket by his children, the King of Pop was given an intimate, private version of the lavish public memorial held shortly after his death in June.

Gladys Knight performed the hymn "Our Father" (The Lord's Prayer) and moved many to tears, according to one guest who asked not to be identified because of the sensitivity of the day.

When it was over, many of the the 200 mourners hugged each other. Among them were Elizabeth Taylor, Jackson's ex-wife Lisa Marie Presley, Barry Bonds and Macaulay Culkin.

The Rev. Al Sharpton, who gave a eulogy at the public event and at Thursday's service, also extolled Knight's earlier performance of "His Eye is on the Sparrow."

"Gladys Knight sang her heart out. Now we prepare to lay him to rest," Sharpton posted on his Twitter account during the service that was held outside and then within the marble mausoleum.

The mourners followed the crowned, lushly flower-draped casket as Jackson's five brothers – each wearing a bright red tie and a single crystal-studded glove – carried it into the mausoleum. The 11-year-old Paris cried as the group entered the imposing building and was comforted by her aunt, LaToya.

Paris and brothers Prince Michael, 12, and Prince Michael II, 7, known as Blanket, began the service by placing the crown on their father's golden casket. They were composed through most of the hour-and-a-half ceremony.

As it ended, Katherine Jackson appeared extremely weary and had to be helped to her car, according to the guest. Earlier, she had a difficult time going into the mausoleum; she was overcome, turned back, and it wasn't clear if she went in at all, the guest said.

The Jackson family's tardy arrival delayed the service for nearly two hours; no explanation was given to mourners. The invitation notice indicated the service would begin promptly at 7 p.m.; it began closer to 8:30.

The 77-year-old Taylor and others were left waiting in the late summer heat, with the temperature stuck at 90 degrees just before sunset, and some mourners fanned themselves with programs for the service. As darkness fell, police escorted the family's motorcade of 31 cars, including Rolls-Royces and Cadillacs, from their compound in Encino to Forest Lawn, about a 20-minute journey, with the hearse bearing Jackson's body at the end.

About 250 seats were arranged for mourners over artificial turf laid roadside at the mausoleum, and a vivid orange moon, a mark of the devastating wildfire about 10 miles distant, hung over the cemetery.

There were two over-sized portraits of a youthful, vibrant Jackson mounted next to the casket amid displays of white lilies and roses. At Jackson's lavish public memorial, red roses covered his casket.

A large, blimp-like inflated light, the type used in film and television production, and a boom camera hovered over the seating area placed in front of the elaborate marble mausoleum. The equipment raised the possibility that the footage would be used for the Jackson concert documentary "This Is It," or perhaps the Jackson brothers' upcoming reality show.

More than 400 media credentials were issued to reporters and film crews who remained at a distance from the service and behind barricades. The few clusters of fans who gathered around the secure perimeter that encircled the cemetery entrance struggled to see.

Maria Martinez, 25, a fan from Riverside, Calif., who was joined by a dozen other Jackson admirers at a gas station near the security perimeter, gave a handful of pink flowers she had picked at a nearby park to a man with an invitation driving into the funeral.

"Can you please put these flowers on his grave?" she told him. "They were small and ugly, but I did that with my heart. I'm not going to be able to get close, so this is as close as I could get to him."

The man consented, adding, "God bless."

Glendale police said all went smoothly and there were no arrests.

Jackson will share eternity at Forest Lawn with the likes of Clark Gable, Jean Harlow and W.C. Fields, entombed alongside them in the mausoleum that will be all but off-limits to adoring fans who might otherwise turn the pop star's grave into a shrine.

The closest the public will be able to get to Jackson's vault is a portion of the mausoleum that displays "The Last Supper Window," a life-size stained-glass re-creation of Leonardo da Vinci's masterpiece. Several 10-minute presentations about the window are held regularly 365 days a year, but most of the building is restricted.

The Jackson family had booked an Italian restaurant in Pasadena for a gathering Thursday night, and family members and guests were seen coming and going late into the night.

"I feel like I watched Michael finally given some peace and I made a commitment to make sure his legacy and what he stood for lives on," Sharpton said outside the restaurant around midnight. "So at one level we're relieved; another level we're obligated."

The ceremony ends months of speculation that the singer's body would be buried at Neverland Ranch, in part to make the property a Graceland-style attraction. An amended copy of Jackson's death certificate was filed Thursday in Los Angeles County to reflect Forest Lawn as his final resting place.

In court on Wednesday, it was disclosed that 12 burial spaces were being purchased by Jackson's estate at Forest Lawn Glendale, about eight miles north of downtown Los Angeles, but no details were offered on how they would be used.

The King of Pop died a drug-induced death June 25 at age 50 as he was about to embark on a comeback attempt. The coroner's office has labeled the death a homicide, and Jackson's death certificate lists "injection by another" as the cause.

Dr. Conrad Murray, Jackson's personal physician, told detectives he gave the singer a series of sedatives and the powerful anesthetic Propofol to help him sleep. But prosecutors are still investigating, and no charges have been filed.


CNN Coverage Of Jackson's Private Funeral----

Seventy days after his sudden death, Michael Jackson will be interred in what may or may not be his final resting place Thursday evening.

Only his family and closest friends will attend the private burial starting at 7 p.m. PT (10 p.m. ET) inside the ornate Great Mausoleum on the grounds of Forest Lawn cemetery in Glendale, California.

They'll then drive to an Italian restaurant eight miles away in Pasadena, California for "a time of celebration," the nine-page engraved invitation said.

The first page inside the invitation holds a quote from "Dancing the Dream," a book of essays and poems published by Jackson in 1992:

"If you enter this world knowing you are loved and you leave this world knowing the same, then everything that happens in between can be dealt with." Gallery: Invitation for Jackson's service »

The news media -- which have closely covered every aspect of Jackson's death -- will be kept at a distance, with their cameras no closer than the cemetery's main gate. The family will provide a limited video feed that will only show mourners arriving.

Little is known about the planned ceremony, though CNN has confirmed that singer Gladys Knight -- a longtime friend to Jackson -- will perform. Her song has not been disclosed.

The massive mausoleum, which is normally open to tourists, was closed Wednesday as preparations were completed for the funeral. A security guard blocking its entrance said it would reopen to the public on Friday.

Fans of Clark Gable, Carole Lombard and dozens of other celebrities buried on the grounds have flocked to Forest Lawn-Glendale for decades, but Jackson may outdraw them all.

It is unclear how close tourists will be allowed to Jackson's resting place. Security guards -- aided by cameras -- keep a constant vigil over the graves and crypts, which are surrounded by a world-class collection of art and architecture.

The Forest Lawn Web site boasts that the mausoleum, which draws its architectural inspiration from the Campo Santo in Italy, "has been called the "New World's Westminster Abbey" by Time Magazine.

Visitors will see "exact replicas of Michelangelo's greatest works such as David, Moses, and La Pieta" and "Leonardo da Vinci's immortal Last Supper re-created in brilliant stained glass; two of the world's largest paintings," the Web site says.

Jackson's burial has been delayed by division among Jackson family members, though it was matriarch Katherine Jackson who would make the final decision, brother Jermaine Jackson recently told CNN.

He preferred to see his youngest brother laid to rest at his former Neverland Ranch home, north of Los Angeles in Santa Barbara County, California.

That idea was complicated by neighbors who vowed to oppose allowing a grave in the rural area -- and by Jackson family members who said the singer would not want to return to the home where he faced child molestation charges, of which he was ultimately acquitted.

The mystery of where Michael Jackson would be buried became a media obsession in the weeks after his death.

After his body was loaded onto a helicopter at UCLA's Ronald Reagan Medical Center hours following his June 25 death, it stayed in the custody of the Los Angeles County coroner for an autopsy.

It was only later disclosed that Jackson's corpse was kept in a refrigerated room at the Hollywood Hills Forest Lawn cemetery until his casket was carried by motorcade to downtown Los Angeles for a public memorial service in the Staples Center arena.

Again, speculation about Jackson's whereabouts grew when the media lost track of his casket after his brothers carried it out of sight inside the arena. Though the family has not publicly confirmed where the body was taken, most reports placed it back at the Hollywood Hills Forest Lawn while awaiting his family's decision.

Though Thursday's interment may settle one Michael Jackson mystery, a more serious one remains. The coroner announced last week that he had ruled Jackson's death a homicide. A summary of the coroner's report said the anesthetic Propofol and the sedative lorazepam were the primary drugs responsible for the singer's death.

Los Angeles police detectives have not concluded their criminal investigation and no one has been charged.



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Sources: Huffington Post, MSNBC, NY Times, People.com, CNN, Youtube, Google Maps

Michael Jackson's $25,000 Custom Made Casket...Private Service, Forest Lawn Memorial Park.

TMZ----

A $25,000, solid bronze, 14-karat gold plated, custom casket has been ordered for Michael Jackson.

The casket -- ordered Wednesday night from Batesville Casket Company -- is called a Promethean and will feature a flame blue velvet interior and a hand-polished, mirror finish.

This is the same casket used to bury James Brown... and is extremely rare.

(MSNBC reports: The Jackson family prepares for Michael's private funeral and public memorial. More than 1 million fans have applied for tickets to attend his public memorial at the Staples Center in Los Angeles.

Michael's private service for family and close friends only, will be held at Forest Lawn Memorial Park.)

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