Michael Jackson — Update

The following information is based on Michael Jackson’s willJackson service set for Tuesday, BBC News, July 3, 2009;  Andrew Edgecliffe-Johnson, Jackson sales surge outstrips Presley, Fin. Times, June 30, 2009; Christopher Beam, Grave Concerns: Is it legal to bury Michael Jackson at Neverland Ranch?, Slate, July 1, 2009, and Abhinav Ramnarayan, Michael Jackson’s ex-wife wins delay in child custody hearing, guardian.co.uk, July 3, 2009:

• Michael’s will is a complete pour over, that is, his entire estate passes to the Michael Jackson Family Trust.  Thus, the actual disposition of Michael’s estate is unknown.
• However, there are rumors that his mother receives 40%, his three children share in 40%, with 20% passing to children’s charities as determined by the trustees.
• Michael’s mother, Katherine, is named as the guardian of the persons and estates of his three children.  Singer Diana Ross is named as the alternate guardian.
• The court has granted Katherine temporary custody of the children.
• Debbie Rowe, the birth-mother of two of Michael’s children, was successful in delaying a custody hearing.  She now has time to decide if she will seek custody of the two children.  Debbie also indicated her willingness to undergo DNA testing to show that she is also the biological mother (as compared to merely the birth mother) of these children.  A hearing will occur on Monday, July 6, 2009.
• The birth-mother of Michael’s youngest child is unknown.
• A public memorial for Michael is planned for Tuesday, July 7, 2009, at the Staples Centre in Los Angeles.
• The value of Michael’s estate is increasing rapidly due to huge sales of his recordings.  For example, Amazon.com, reports selling more of Michael’s music in the 24 hours after his death than in the last 11 years.  This is bigger surge than after the deaths of Elvis Presley and John Lennon.
• 100 plus hours of video and audio footage of the rehearsals of his planned comeback tour could be extremely valuable.
• Neverland Ranch may be transformed into a tourist attraction modeled after Graceland.