Michael Jackson's funeral arrangements descended into farce as plans for an extravagant procession, public viewing of the body and a burial at his Neverland ranch in California were axed and a public memorial service was put off until next week.
Fans who had gathered outside the ranch 150 miles north-west of Los Angeles believing they would be allowed to see the body were left disappointed after Jackson's family said there would be no event there.
The plan was undone by a combination of red tape and health and safety concerns. It is illegal in California to bury a body outside a designated cemetery and police were also worried that Neverland, which is approached on a narrow track, could not cope with a massive influx of fans. There was also not enough time to obtain a permit for the viewing.
A public memorial is now expected to be held in Los Angeles next Tuesday. The Jackson family has been offered the home of the Los Angeles Lakers basketball team to hold it in.There was confusion over wither Rev Jesse Jackson or Rev Al Sharpton would deliver the eulogy. Both have been prominent on the airwaves in their support of the Jackson family in recent days.
Jesse Jackson has delivered rites for prominent black figures including Miles Davis, the jazz musician, while Mr Sharpton led the 2006 memorial for James Brown, the singer-songwriter.
Jackson's family disclosed that his children Prince Michael , Paris and Prince Michael II, have already been to view the body of their father and said the experience had been "tough" on them.
It is thought Jackson will be buried in the Hollywood Hills at the Forest Lawn Memorial Park where his grandmother is buried. Other stars laid to rest there include Humphrey Bogart and Clark Gable.
The coffin may be buried in concrete to prevent any possibility of crazed fans trying to rob the grave, and the family is also considering whether to bury Jackson in one of his favourite stage costumes, including a white glove.
The memorial park may only be temporary, as Jermaine Jackson, the singer's brother, said he still wants to see Neverland as the final resting place. But it could take weeks for legal clearance to be given.
Jermaine Jackson said: "This is his home, he created Neverland. Why wouldn't he be here? I feel his presence. And I love that, and I want my mother to come back here and feel what I feel. He built this place with love and you can see it and feel it."
Jermaine, 54, described how he had seen the body and kissed his brother on the forehead, and said he wished he had died instead. He said: "He went too soon. I don't know how people are going to take this, but I wish it was me. The world is mourning. We are mourning. The fans are mourning. It is unreal. Unbelievable.
"To see him there lifeless and breathless was very emotional for me, but I held myself together, because I know he's very much alive."
Ken Sunshine, the Jackson family spokesman, said there would be a public memorial.
AEG Live, which was promoting Jackson's comeback 50-date concert series at the O2 Arena in London, owns the Staples Centre in downtown Los Angeles where the LA Lakers play. It is believed to have offered the venue, and the Nokia Theatre next door, to the Jackson family as a venue.
The stadium can hold 20,000 people and, if the Jackson family takes up the offer, large television screens would be set up outside for thousands of other fans to watch. Hundreds of millions of people could watch around the world.
Meanwhile, President Barack Obama dismissed criticism in some quarters over his decision not to issue a formal public statement when Jackson died.
He called Jackson a great entertainer and said: "I still have all his stuff on my iPod. I grew up on his music."
But he said Jackson had experienced "a tragic and in many ways sad personal life."
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