MJ's Mom or Diana Ross to Care for Kids

Late pop legend Michael Jackson requested in his will that his mother Katherine be made guardian of his three children – and nominated fellow music icon, Diana Ross, as his second choice to take care of them.

The Thriller icon wanted diva Diana to look after Prince, 12, Paris, 11, and Blanket, seven, if Katherine died before him or could not serve as their guardian.

His will – filed on Wednesday with a Los Angeles court – states: “If any of my children are minors at the time of my death, I nominate my mother Katherine Jackson as guardian of the persons and estates of such minor children. “If Katherine Jackson fails to survive me, or is unable or unwilling to act as guardian, I nominate Diana Ross as guardian of the persons and estates of such minor children.”

The five-page will leaves everything to the Michael Jackson Family Trust.

Details of the trust are confidential, but it meant to provide for Jackson’s children and mother. Money from his estate will also be distributed among several charities.

The will does not specifically exclude Jackson’s father Joe, as it had been rumored. But it also doesn’t mention him either?!

A petition filed along with the will says Jackson’s estate is worth more than $500 million, though numerous reports suggest Jackson's debts were mounting faster than it's assets.

Jackson also named his lawyer John Branca, music executive John McClain, and the star’s accountant Barry Siegel as executors of his will. However, Siegel resigned from his role as executor in 2003.

We doubt any of this is going to definitively clear things up, and we still think this is going to be a icky sticky mess that could drag on for years.

—Iain Burchell, Splash News