Los Angeles: Michael Jackson's family on Friday 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 September 3 and not August 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 attorney for the singer's mother, Londell McMillan.
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 19:00 hrs PDT.
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.
On Friday, federal drug enforcement agents raided a pharmacy in Beverly Hills that Jackson had used. Police have previously raided the home and offices of Jackson's personal doctor, Conrad Murray, who was hired to care for Jackson ahead of a series of London concerts planned for July and has become a key subject of their investigation.
They have searched the offices of Jackson's dermatologist, Dr Arnold Klein, in recent months, too.
Also on Friday, Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Mitchell Beckloff approved a deal between executors of Jackson's 2002 will and concert promoter AEG Live for a travelling exhibition of Jackson memorabilia over the family's objections.
Tensions over the estate's administration have risen in recent days, in part because mother Katherine Jackson's attorneys have said they could file a wrongful death lawsuit against Murray and name AEG, which paid the doctor, as a co-defendant.
McMillan said Katherine Jackson and others in the singer's family objected to the touring exhibition because they believe it is irresponsible to rush into too many business deals, and doing so could undermine a potential wrongful death suit.
"Mrs Jackson will not approve something that could possibly be used against her if she chooses to file a future lawsuit," McMillan said.
AEG attorney Kathy Jorrie called the idea of filing a wrongful death suit against the company "outrageous" and said it "has only been supportive of Michael Jackson".
"It's so disturbing that he (McMillan) would once again suggest that Katherine Jackson has a wrongful death claim against AEG," Jorrie told Reuters.
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