LOS ANGELES - THE mystery surrounding the death and final resting place of Michael Jackson deepened on Thursday, on the eve of a memorial service expected to be attended by family members in his hometown of Gary, Indiana.

The city's mayor announced it would hold a memorial service on Friday for its most famous son, to be attended by Jackson's father, Joe, fueling speculation about where the 'King of Pop' was to be buried, or if he had already been interred after Tuesday's star-studded memorial.

The star's gold-plated coffin took center stage at a Staples Center send off in Los Angeles, but there has so far been no confirmation about where and if the star was already buried.

Nielsen, a TV ratings group, said 31.1 million Americans tuned in for the event in which Jackson's daughter Paris, 11, grabbed international attention with a heartbreaking eulogy to her father.

'Ever since I was born, Daddy has been the best father you could ever imagine. And I just wanted to say I love him so much,' Paris said.

Since the event, rumours have swirled that the pop icon was interred at the Forest Lawn Cemetery in Hollywood Hills, with celebrity news website TMZ.com claiming those reports were not true.

The Los Angeles Times reported on its website that the body was in safekeeping and no final decision had been made about a burial time or place.

The uncertainty over Jackson's final resting place spurred rumors that his remains may yet end up at his beloved Neverland Ranch northwest of Los Angeles.

Meanwhile TMZ quoted glovemaker Dorothy Gaspar saying that La Toya Jackson wanted her brother to wear a glove inside the casket.

'Turns out La Toya chose a white leather glove Dorothy made for Michael 10-12 years ago - a glove covered in Swarovski crystals,' the website said. -- AFP