Where Will Michael Be Buried?

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Where Will Michael Be Buried?

Tue., Jul. 7, 2009 5:15 PM PDT by Josh Grossberg and Ashley Fultz

REUTERS

Neverland? Never mind that, for now. But where exactly will Michael Jackson's remains wind up?

Following today's all-star tribute, Jackson's shiny, flower-adorned casket was wheeled out of Los Angeles' Staples Center.

While the family relocated to the Beverly Wilshire Hotel for a private wake, sources say the coffin was transferred to an ambulance, which was accompanied by a Hummer and destined for...

Well, we're not exactly sure, but we have some ideas.

Although Los Angeles police say there won't be a family motorcade back to Forest Lawn Memorial Park, where the Jacksons held a private funeral service earlier today, family friend and unofficial spokesman Majestik Magnificent told E! News that Michael's body is returning to the famous burial grounds, and the cemetery has ordered all press to clear out.

Indeed, E! News has obtained a copy of Jackson's death certificate listing Forest Lawn as the mortuary. (Just because Forest Lawn is named, doesn't mean he will be buried there—just that his body had been held there after his death.)

View the death certificate

The death certificate, signed by sister La Toya, is dated Tuesday and was filed by a deputy coroner. The cause of death is noted as "deferred." A burial permit was also filed with the Los Angeles County's Office of Vital Records, but that document has not been made public.

Because the burial permit was filed in Los Angeles County and not Santa Barbara, the chances of a Neverland burial are dwindling, despite brother Jermaine's stated preference for the sprawling ranch as Michael's final resting spot.

"We have not been contacted by the Jackson family or any of their representatives about a burial or a funeral service at the Neverland Ranch," William Boyer, communications director for Santa Barbara County, tells E! News.

"Because this would be on private property, they would actually have to go to the state Department of Consumer Affairs. We would know about it because part of the permitting process is the state goes through a checklist of things they would need to do...local jurisdiction would have to be asked. We have not received any contact from the state."

Dan Redmond, spokesman for the Cemetery and Funeral Bureau of the California Department of Consumer Affairs, concurred, saying the family would have to get a "certificate of authority" from the bureau and "that has not happened."

Another reason the Jacksons may prefer Forest Lawn: Michael's maternal grandmother, Martha Bridges, is buried there.

—Additional reporting by Whitney English and Lindsay Miller

(Originally published July 7, 2009, 2:28 p.m. PT)