Organizers and reps for the Jackson family confirmed that memorial services for the late King of Pop Michael Jackson will take place tomorrow, Tuesday, July 7 inside the Staples Center. The announcement ended days of speculation about how the music icon would be memorialized.
Fans will be allowed to attend after registering for free tickets at StaplesCenter.com. Registrations have started since Friday morning, and will run until Saturday evening at 6 p.m. On Sunday fans will be notified and receive information on how to pick up tickets on Monday. The registration process is a bit elaborate and has caused the site to crash once already, but the Jackson family insisted on a process that was democratic and fair, taking into consideration the many fans expected to arrive in Los Angeles for the memorial.
“It was our wish to allow as many of Michael’s fans to be a part of the memorial, and we wish to thank everyone for their support and understanding at this difficult time,” the Jackson family said in a statement.
There are only 17,500 tickets to be given away, with 11,000 entrants able to go inside the arena and the remaining 6,500 ushered just across the street to the Nokia Theater where the proceedings will be simulcast. There are no guarantees for fans who register online and only 8,750 people will be selected randomly by a computer-generated program. Each selected fan will receive two tickets and two wristbands.
No other details regarding the service were announced. At a press conference held outside of the Staples Center, Jackson family representative Ken Sunshine said the plans are still being developed. Sunshine said he hopes the ticket process is handed with “dignity” and that tickets not be resold or counterfeited.
