Jackson body set for public viewing

Jul 1 2009

Michael Jackson's body will go on public view at his Neverland ranch, according to reports.

Although the family are yet to confirm any details of the 50-year-old's funeral, reports in the US media suggest his body will be taken to the ranch about 150 miles north-west of Los Angeles.

The complex was where Jackson kept his personal fairground and where he often entertained fans and it is thought a public viewing of the King of Pop's body has been scheduled for Friday, with a private funeral being held on Sunday.

A Jackson family lawyer has confirmed the singer - who suffered a cardiac arrest last Thursday - had left a will. Londell McMillan said: "My clients are now aware after filings that a will has been presented. His various advisers are looking for additional documents."

In documents filed in court when Jackson's mother won temporary custody of her son's three children and the family moved to become administrators of his estate, it was stated the singer died without a valid will.

If Jackson named a executor in his will they are likely to become the estate administrators. Reports in the US suggest the will names Jackson's mother as guardian to his children while his assets will be placed in a trust fund.

Meanwhile, a nurse has claimed an insomnia-racked Michael Jackson pleaded with her to give him a powerful sedative days before his death despite warnings it could be harmful.

Cherilyn Lee, a private treatment specialist, said she repeatedly rejected his demands for the drug, Diprivan, which is given intravenously. But a frantic phone call she received from Jackson four days before his death made her fear that he somehow obtained Diprivan or another drug to induce sleep, she said.

Following Jackson's death, allegations emerged that the 50-year-old King of Pop had been consuming painkillers, sedatives and antidepressants. But Ms Lee said she encountered a man tortured by sleep deprivation and one who expressed opposition to recreational drug use.

"He wasn't looking to get high or feel good and sedated from drugs," she said. "This was a person who was not on drugs. This was a person who was seeking help, desperately, to get some sleep, to get some rest."