LOS ANGELES, (Reuters) – Michael Jackson’s family yesterday delayed his burial by five days as a judge ruled that a touring show of his memorabilia could go on and police raided another pharmacy in their ongoing probe of his sudden death.
The “Thriller” singer’s burial will now take place on Sept. 3 and not Aug. 29, which would have been Jackson’s 51st birthday, because some family members did not want the pop star to be buried on that day, said Londell McMillan, attorney for the singer’s mother, Katherine Jackson.
McMillan said there was a miscommunication within the family about the burial date. “I think there were two dates floated originally,” McMillan told Reuters, saying some family members wanted him buried on the birthday and others objected.
The service for friends and family will still be held at Glendale Forest Lawn Memorial Park, in a suburb of Los Angeles at 7 p.m. PDT (10 p.m. EDT/0200 GMT).
Jackson suffered cardiac arrest and died on June 25. A police investigation into his death appears focused on his use of prescription drugs and on the doctors who treated him.
Yesterday, federal drug enforcement agents raided a pharmacy in Beverly Hills that Jackson had used.