Police officers stand behind the closed gate of Michael Jackson's Neverland ranch in Los Olivos, California on July 1, 2009 in Los Angeles, California. Court documents estimated the current value of Jackson's estate at more than $500 million. -- PHOTO: AFP
LOS ANGELES - MICHAEL Jackson's 7-year-old will was filed on Wednesday in a Los Angeles court, giving his entire estate to a family trust while making his mother the guardian of his children and cutting out his former wife Debbie Rowe.
An effort to bury Michael Jackson at Neverland Ranch fizzled, and it appears more likely a funeral and burial will take place in Los Angeles, a person familiar with the situation told The Associated Press. The family has the final say.
Authorities in Santa Barbara County had been preparing for tens of thousands of fans to descend on the 2,500-acre (1,000-hectare) ranch after media reports said a public viewing would take place later this week.
Court documents estimated the current value of his estate at more than US$500 million.
Also on Wednesday, a Jackson family spokesman says a public memorial for Michael Jackson is in the works, but it won't be held at the late pop star's Neverland Ranch.
No further details are provided in the statement issued Wednesday by family spokesman Ken Sunshine.
The public relations firm Sunshine, Sachs & Associates has been retained by the family and says it will announce those plans shortly.
The will names Jackson's mother, Katherine Jackson, as a beneficiary of the trust and the guardian of Jackson's children, who are also named as beneficiaries of the trust.
It also names entertainer Diana Ross as a successor guardian for the children and their estates if something happens to Katherine Jackson.
Ross introduced the Jackson 5 on the Ed Sullivan Show in the late 1960s and was instrumental in launching their career. She was a lifelong friend of Michael Jackson.
Jackson's longtime lawyer John Branca and John McClain, a music executive and a family friend, are named in the will as co-executors.
In a statement, Branca and McClain said: 'The most important element of Michael's will is his unwavering desire that his mother, Katherine, become the legal guardian for his three children. As we work to carry out Michael's instructions to safeguard both the future of his children as well as the remarkable legacy he left us as an artist we ask that all matters involving his estate be handled with the dignity and the respect that Michael and his family deserve.' The executors moved quickly to take control of all of Michael Jackson's property, going to court Wednesday to challenge a previous ruling by the judge that gave Katherine Jackson control of 2,000 items from Neverland.
Superior Court Judge Mitchell Beckloff said Katherine Jackson will retain authority over the items until another hearing set for Monday.
Beckloff urged attorneys from both sides to try to reach a compromise soon.
'I would like the family to sit down try to make this work that we don't have a difficult time in court,' the judge said. -- AP
