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Los Angeles
29 June 2009
As fans mourn the death of pop star Michael Jackson, the singer's family is sorting out the details of his estate. Jackson's mother is asking to administer his estate on behalf of his three children.
The singer's mother, Katherine Jackson, filed court papers on Monday, asking to be named the permanent guardian of Jackson's three children and the administrator of his estate.
The court granted her temporary custody of the children - two boys and a girl who range from 7 to 12 years old - and set dates in July and August to take up the other questions. Two of Jackson's children were born to his ex-wife, Debbie Rowe; the third was born to a surrogate mother.
Michael Jackson's father, Joe, said the children should stay at the family's Los Angeles compound.
"Of course, this is where they belong," said Joe Jackson. "We're the parents and we've got other kids their size. They love those kids, and we love those kids too. We're going to take care of them and give them the education they're supposed to have."
Joe Jackson says the family is not ready to release details of the singer's funeral plans. A family friend, political activist the Reverend Al Sharpton, says they want to ensure that the pop star is properly honored.
"It is the determination of the family to be careful and deliberate on how they plan his celebration of life because we're talking about a historic figure that really changed pop culture around the world," said Al Sharpton.
Authorities are trying to determine what happened in the singer's last hours, as he suffered cardiac arrest in his rented home on Thursday. Investigators have questioned the physician who was with him, Conrad Murray, and are looking into the role prescription drugs might have played in Jackson's death. The doctor's lawyer told investigators that Murray did not give Jackson any medication that could have caused his death.
The Los Angeles County's coroner's office has conducted an autopsy and says there were no indications of trauma or foul play. The coroner's office says results from its toxicology tests could take up to six weeks. Meanwhile, the Jackson family has hired a private pathologist to conduct a second autopsy.
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