Update: MJ Funeral Not At Neverland

July 2, 2009 at 6:18am PST
Photos: splashnewsonline.com

Michael Jackson’s family has been forced to scrap plans to bury the King of Pop at his famous Neverland Ranch – having not gotten the required permits in time.

Fans have already started to flock to the California ranch after reports a public viewing would be held there later this week.

But Neverland has now been ruled out as the final resting place for Jackson, after the investment company that bought the ranch last year failed to get the required residential exemption needed for a burial on private property.

A spokesman for Colony Capital confirmed that the company applied for the exemption, but said: “They couldn’t get it in time.”

Jackson’s funeral and burial now look likely to take place in Los Angeles.

The Jackson family said in a statement on Wednesday: “Contrary to previous news reports, the Jackson family is officially stating that there will be no public or private viewing at Neverland. “Plans are under way regarding a public memorial for Michael Jackson, and we will announce those plans shortly.”

A private memorial service for family and friends is still rumored to be planned for Neverland, possibly after Jackson’s funeral.

—Iain Burchell, Splash News

Comments

Post new comment

  • Web page addresses and e-mail addresses turn into links automatically.
  • Allowed HTML tags: <a> <em> <br> <br /> <p> <strong> <cite> <code> <ul> <ol> <li> <dl> <dt> <dd> <b> <i> <u> <blockquote>
  • Lines and paragraphs break automatically.

More information about formatting options

F. Gary Gray's latest effort, Law Abiding Citizen, starring Jamie Foxx and Gerard Butler, is a knockout! Exhilirating, wry and breathcatchingly paced, it's a stellar accomplishment for everyone involved. Hell yeah you should see it!

Read More
Scott Hicks, the director of Shine, and Clive Owen teamed up for this gloriously beautiful if underwhelming project. It's not that it's bad, it's just not that memorable and with such supreme talent attached, I was hoping for and expecting a lot more.

Read More
Oh, Diablo Cody, why'd you have to do it? I love you so long...and then you made this. Megan Fox does what she always does, she looks hot. At least there's that. Sophmoric, unfunny and obsessively idiosyncratic, it's a painful movie going experience.



Read More
Chocolate and peanut butter. Spaghetti and meatballs. Bobcat Goldthwait and profanity. Two great tastes that taste great together. Gone is the Bobcat of the Police Academy movies and in his stead is a fantastic writer-director who's able to orchestrate the most brilliantly, hilarious vulgarity imaginable. World's Greatest Dad is a fantastic dark comedy (very dark) that features Robin Williams' best performance since Good Will Hunting. See it!

Read More