Jackson service set for Tuesday

A MEMORIAL service for Michael Jackson will be held on Tuesday at the Staples Centre in Los Angeles where he had been rehearsing for his London concerts.

His family announced the event as concert promoters AEG Live released a video of the singer rehearsing for the O2 gigs, two days before his death.

Some 11,000 free tickets will be made available for the service.

Meanwhile, a lawyer for Jackson's ex-wife Debbie Rowe says she is undecided about whether to fight for custody.

Tuesday's memorial service will start at 10am (1700 GMT).

On Thursday, Ms Rowe won a delay in a custody hearing while she decides if she wants to raise Michael Joseph Jackson Jr, known as Prince Michael, 12, and Paris Michael Katherine Jackson, 11.

The singer's youngest son — seven-year-old Prince Michael II — was born to a surrogate mother whose identity has never been revealed.

Debbie Rowe was married to Jackson for three years

Jackson's will asks for his mother, Katherine, 79, to have permanent custody of all three children.

A judge has now delayed a guardianship hearing — scheduled for Monday — until July 13, at the request of Ms Rowe and Katherine Jackson, who has temporary custody of the children.

It follows media reports that Ms Rowe wanted to look after her children.

But her lawyer, Eric George, told reporters: "I am representing to you now. Debbie has not reached a final decision concerning the pending custody proceedings."

On Thursday, it was revealed that Jackson had left Ms Rowe out of his will.

"I have intentionally omitted to provide for my former wife, Deborah Jean Rowe Jackson," the document stated.

Rowe married Jackson in 1996 but filed for divorce in 1999. She gave up custody rights to the children but sought them again in 2003.

They agreed a settlement in 2006 but the terms were never disclosed.

In 2003, Ms Rowe appeared in footage released by Jackson in response to a controversial ITV documentary, which raised allegations of inappropriate behaviour with children by the star.

In it, Ms Rowe described her family as "non-traditional"", saying her children were her gift to Jackson.

"My kids don't call me mom because I don't want them to," she said. "These are Michael's children."

Meanwhile, in Los Angeles, the concert promoter for Michael Jackson's cancelled London shows said on Thursday that audio and video tapes made before the King of Pop's death could generate hundreds of millions of dollars and erase debts on the singer's estate.

Randy Phillips, chief executive of AEG Live, said his company has recorded enough of Jackson's songs to release two albums and video to make a movie, DVD, or both from Jackson's recent rehearsals for concerts planned for London's 02 arena.

A lot is at stake for AEG and Jackson's family, because Phillips said the King of Pop's death would likely leave his estate liable for more than US$25 million ($37 million) AEG spent on production costs and the singer's expenses ahead of the London shows.

"And then the estate could eradicate its debt and move forward with the restructuring of the Sony/ATV deal, and all these other things that they're dealing with," he said. BBC/ Reuters