He lived in the spotlight from the age of 10, and he died in it as well, with the nation glued to their TV sets. Now Michael Jackson's fans are waiting to publicly mourn him. His funeral, to be held Tuesday at Los Angeles's Staples Center, according to news reports, could be huge. It's possible that it will eclipse Elvis's (75,000 fans congregated in Memphis, Tenn.) and rival Princess Diana's (250,000 people in Hyde Park), according to the Daily Telegraph. But what exactly can we expect? A prominent friend of the Jackson family who asked to remain anonymous offers some insights. (Source: Newsweek)

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An executive with a concert promoter says Michael Jackson's memorial service will be Tuesday at Staples Center in downtown Los Angeles - if that's what his mother wants. Randy Phillips, chief executive for AEG Live, which owns Staples and was Jackson's promoter, says he met Thursday with Jackson's brother Randy. They discussed holding a public memorial Tuesday at Staples but Phillips says Jackson's mother, Katherine, will have the final say. (Source: Los Angeles Times)

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The Michael Jackson funeral will be at 10 a.m. Tuesday at Staples Center in Los Angeles. Sources said AEG Live, which owns the arena and the adjacent Nokia Theatre, will use both facilities and the surrounding plaza. Meanwhile, things keep getting curiouser and curiouser in and around the Jackson "case." Even before a proper burial the death is morphing from a personal tragedy into a series of titillating tell-alls or testy tussles. (Source: Billboard)

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Michael Jackson's funeral is being scheduled for 10 a.m. on Tuesday, July 7, at the Staples Center in downtown Los Angeles, sources said. AEG Live, which owns the basketball arena and the adjacent Nokia Theater, will use both facilities and the surrounding plaza. There's no word yet on how ticketing will be handled. (Source: Hollywood Reporter / Reuters)

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Fans around the world are waiting for the final details of Michael Jackson's funeral. Speculations had been made by many that a public memorial would be held at Jackson's former home, Neverland Ranch. But today a Jackson family spokesman says a public memorial for Michael Jackson is in the works, but it won't be held at the Pop Icon's Neverland Ranch. The Jackson family has remained inside the family compound since last week, and father Joe Jackson said there will be no final arrangements made until the results of the second autopsy are completed. (Source: Examiner.com)

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A Jackson family spokesman announced Wednesday there will be a public memorial for the fallen King of Pop, but it won't be held at his famed Neverland Ranch. The announcement by publicist Ken Sunshine ended days of furious speculation over whether Jackson's fans would get to bid farewell to the pop legend at his sprawling fantasy ranch in Santa Barbara. No further details on Jackson's memorial plans were given. (Source: New York Daily News)

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A memorial for Michael Jackson will be held at Neverland Ranch, the pop star's crumbling Xanadu-like estate replete with zoo and amusement park, but which Jackson abandoned years ago in the wake of child molestation charges, law enforcement sources said. Jackson's body will be moved to the ranch and a memorial service will likely be held there Friday, according to the sources and published reports. (Source: ABC News)

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Michael Jackson's family plans to return the pop star's body to his Neverland ranch on Friday ahead of a public viewing, reports said today. CNN and celebrity news website TMZ.com, quoting unnamed sources, said the Jackson family planned to take the body to Neverland, the King of Pop's sprawling fantasy ranch in southern California, on Friday. The family intends to hold a wake either on Saturday or Sunday ahead of a burial at an undetermined time and place, the reports said. (Source: News.com.au)

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From Elvis Presley to Princess Diana, iconic funerals are often marked by massive crowds, celebrity mourners and gut-wrenching emotion - and Michael Jackson's memorial will be no different. More than one million people are expected to pay homage to the King of Pop at his funeral, an event which could dwarf the memorial services held for Presley in 1977 and Diana 20 years later, experts say. Plans for Jackson's memorial began to filter out Tuesday, with reports saying the tragic icon would make a poignant return by motorcade to his Neverland fantasy ranch on Thursday. A public viewing of Jackson's body is planned for Friday before private services for his family take place at the weekend. (Source: The Vancouver Sun)

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Michael Jackson's body will be moved by motorcade to his sprawling Neverland Ranch in Santa Barbara County on Thursday for a sort of lying-in-state period where friends, family and fans can pay their respects until funeral plans are finalized, media reports said Tuesday. Visitors will be allowed to see the body on Friday and a private memorial service for family only will be held Sunday, the reports said, citing unnamed law enforcement sources preparing to handle traffic tie-ups from a 30-car motorcade. (Source: USA Today)

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It's official, Michael Jackson's funeral plans include a public memorial service this Friday. Michael Jackson's body will return to his Neverland Ranch on Thursday morning for a public viewing on Friday, CNN reported. A private memorial service is scheduled for Sunday. Many Michael Jackson fans from all over the world have been waiting for funeral arrangements to be announced. It is unknown how many fans will be able to make the trip to Neverland. (Source: Examiner.com)

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Michael Jackson's family want to put on an elaborate "celebration" of the King of Pop's life but say the funeral will be after an investigation into his death. The Reverend Al Sharpton, the civil rights leader, met with the musical clan at their compound in Los Angeles to discuss holding an official event to mourn the music superstar who died last week aged 50. Amid frenzied speculation about a possible global memorial service, Sharpton said the family wanted to honour both Jackson's superstar impact and his humble roots as the son of a steelworker in Gary, Indiana. (Source: The Age)

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Michael Jackson's father said on Monday it was too soon to set a funeral date for the pop star, saying the family was waiting to hear details of a second, private autopsy on the self-styled King of Pop. "We don't have a time frame for that (the funeral) because I want to see how this autopsy is coming out," Joe Jackson told reporters after a family meeting at the Jackson family's home in suburban Los Angles. Standing beside Joe Jackson outside the house -- the site of a makeshift memorial of flowers and balloons -- civil rights leader Al Sharpton said the family did not want to "rush into" plans to commemorate Jackson's life and musical legacy. (Source: Reuters)

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The Rev. Al Sharpton says Michael Jackson's family is carefully considering how to celebrate the legacy of the pop star. Sharpton and Michael Jackson's father, Joe, spoke Monday outside the family's home in the Encino area of Los Angeles. Joe Jackson says planning for a funeral will await a finding on what happened to his son. But Joe Jackson says the funeral will not be closed to the public. (Source: Newsday.com)

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Michael Jackson's father said today that funeral plans for the deceased pop singer were being delayed because he wanted to find out how his son died. Joe Jackson said he will be ready to announce arrangements once he knows more about what led to his son's death last week. "We are researching what happened to Michael," said Joe Jackson, who ordered a second private autopsy on his son after the L.A. County coroner conducted its autopsy. "I want to see how this autopsy comes out." (Source: Los Angeles Times)

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One of the many rumours that swirled around Michael Jackson in the final years of his life was that he had secretly converted to Islam and taken the name Mikaeel. The "King of Pop" does not seem to have spoken about this publicly himself, and that scene in Bahrain when he went shopping badly disguised in an Arab woman's abaya could be put down to his well-known penchant for dressing up. So unless there is some statement in his will or documentary evidence in his estate, his funeral expected this week may be the last time to test whether this rumour has any basis in fact. (Source: Reuters Blogs)

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As the world continues to reel over the death of the so-called "King of Pop," Michael Jackson, last Thursday, and questions continue to circulate about the cause of death, funeral arrangements also remain unclear. The only thing for sure: it will be a blockbuster, perhaps the biggest celebrity funeral ever. The Telegraph indicates that the Jackson family may opt for two funerals, one a private service, and another a public ceremony for fans. According to the Telegraph, Jackson's brother Tito disclosed the option to them. Services are expected to take place later this week. (Source: HULIQ)

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Funeral and memorial services were still pending today for music superstar Michael Jackson, with his father telling reporters outside the family's Encino estate that the family was still looking for answers about why the 50-year-old singer died. "We're not ready for that yet, because we're trying to wait on something else," Joe Jackson said. "We're searching to see what happened to Michael. .... We don't have the time frame yet 'cuz I want to see how the autopsy's coming out, you know, the second autopsy. They're doing it right now and I'm expecting to hear about it real soon." (Source: myFOXla.com)

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How will his family memorialize Michael Jackson - a small private service, a huge public funeral, a series of splashy public celebrations around the globe or some combination? The arrangements are as unclear as the cause of the pop star's unexpected death four days ago. Jackson's father, Joe Jackson, said Sunday that the family was still working on funeral arrangements and had nothing to announce yet. "I'm glad this is happening now," the elder Jackson said as he arrived on the red carpet for the BET Awards in Los Angeles, "but (the world) should have saluted him when he was living." (Source: USA Today)

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The Jackson family has officially begun to plan funeral arrangements for the King of Pop, Michael Jackson. Tito Jackson spoke exclusively to TMZ.com and confirmed that the family was together to begin making initial funeral arrangements early Saturday afternoon around 1:30 p.m. According to Tito, the family is discussing the possibility of a public service in addition to a private one. (Source: BET.com)

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Michael Jackson's physician, Dr. Conrad Murray, said through his lawyers that he will meet with Los Angeles police at an undisclosed location at 4 p.m., according to TMZ. Meantime, members of Michael Jackson's family are meeting today at patriarch Joe Jackson's house talking about funeral plans and other family business. That's the word from Tito Jackson, who told the celebrity gossip site that custody and plans for Michael Jackson's three children are also being discussed. (Source: myFOXla.com)

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The U.S. Embassy in Colombo had inquiries about Pop King Michael Jackson's death, with callers asking if fans seeking visas to attend the funeral would get special consideration for their applications, the New York Times said in one of its reports over the weekend. When contacted by the Daily Mirror a spokesman for the US Embassy in Colombo confirmed there were a couple of inquiries though not inundated as was reported by New York Times. He however said there would not be any special consideration. (Source: Daily Mirror)

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Up to a million mourners are expected to pour into Los Angeles from around the world this week for a Michael Jackson memorial service that could prove an even bigger public spectacle than the funerals for Princess Diana and Elvis Presley. The Jackson family was meeting over the weekend to discuss the singer's wish to be buried at his now dilapidated Neverland ranch. A more conventional choice for the service would be the giant Forest Lawn Cemetery in Los Angeles where film legends such as Humphrey Bogart, Clark Gable and Jean Harlow are buried. (Source: Daily Mail)

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What's the hold up with Michael Jackson funeral arrangements? I am told that there is right now a discussion going on within his family and advisors about burying him at Neverland Ranch in Los Olivos, California. Sources tell me that the proposal came from Tohme Tohme, Jackson's former manager, the non-doctor and special ambassador to Senegal. Tohme works with Colony Capital LLC, the firm that holds the mortgage note on Neverland. Their idea is to turn Neverland into Graceland, with Jackson's grave the central attraction. (Source: Billboard)

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Will Michael Jackson's funeral prove a bigger spectacle than Princess Diana's? Although funeral arrangements have not yet been officially announced for the fallen King of Pop, it is expected that Jackson's memorial service could bring forth the largest fan attendance and outpouring of public emotion since the death and funeral of Princess Diana in 1997. Jackson's funeral, as some media analysts believe, could draw tens of thousands of mourners and hundreds of millions of television viewers. (Source: Examiner.com)

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Was Michael Jackson a Muslim? Allah knows. And we are about to find out. In his will, Michael Jackson expressed a wish for his body to be cremated and sprinkled over the surface of the moon. But cremation is forbidden in Islam, and the parlous state of the singer's finances now rather precludes the possibility of lunar sprinkling. Star trekking across the universe is the domain of those for whom it is difficult to enter the Kingdom of Heaven. (Source: Cranmer)

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Michael Jackson's funeral will be the entertainment world's biggest ever with more than a million mourners. Jacko's family were discussing plans for his big send-off yesterday in talks at their "compound" in Encino, California. Talks regularly broke down with family members unable to speak through grief. An insider said: "They are feeling confused, upset and angry by the lack of information about those who were around the pop superstar in his final days." It is likely they will opt for a big showbiz style send-off. (Source: Daily Star)

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The Jacksons gathered last night for the saddest of family reunions - to prepare for one of the biggest funerals in history. Hundreds of thousands of fans from around the world are expected to line the streets of Los Angeles. The funeral is likely to eclipse Elvis Presley's 1977 send-off when 75,000 people lined the streets of Memphis. (Source: SundayMail.co.uk)

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Tito Jackson said that he and other members of the Jackson family are also discussing whether a memorial service, in addition to a private ceremony, should go ahead. According to TMZ.com, the Website that broke the news of Jackson's death, the family gathered together on Saturday afternoon, and sources said that arrangements are expected to be announced early this week. (Source: Telegraph.co.uk)

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Los Angeles fire and police officials have begun preparations for what they expect will be a massive turnout at the memorial service for Michael Jackson, ABC News has learned. No date has been set yet for the event but authorities are expecting large crowds. (Source: ABC News)

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