HOLLYWOOD, Calif. — Michael Jackson’s family is still in the midst of a heavy debate over where to bury the King of Pop, who died on June 25.
It is believed that Jackson’s brother Jermaine, and his father, Joe, want the entertainer buried at his Neverland Ranch. The sprawling estate near Santa Barbara, Calif. was Jackson’s storied home for many years and could be a future source of income for the family if turned into a Graceland-like tourist attraction.
“Jermaine is the one that wants him at Neverland — he and Joseph — because of the whole Elvis thing and the money potential,” a family source tells the Post. “They are seeing dollar signs.”
Jackson’s mother and the rest of his siblings are against Neverland, arguing that the singer fell out of love with the property after sheriff’s deputies came on-site while investigating child-molestation charges against him.
“Katherine doesn’t want him at Neverland,” a source tells People. “She thinks it’s a place of horrible memories. She says Michael wouldn’t want to be there. Part of the family disagrees with her. But Katherine definitely wants to keep Michael’s wishes that he not rest at Neverland.”
There has been much speculation over where Jackson’s body is currently being kept. It was last seen at Tuesday’s public memorial service for the entertainer, held at the Staples Center in Los Angeles. The New York Post reports that Jackson’s remains are currently being stored in a crypt belonging to Motown founder Berry Gordy. It is resting in the Court of Remembrance section at the Forest Lawn Cemetery in the Hollywood Hills, the paper said.
The above-ground Gordy crypt is reportedly in an empty mausoleum, marked only with a swooping letter “G.”
Forest Lawn is the final resting place for a number of Hollywood legends, including Lucille Ball, Bette Davis, Liberace, Gene Autry, Sandra Dee and most recently, Ed McMahon.
While the family remains divided on where to bury Jackson, they are reportedly united with the idea of developing a Jackson family documentary that could generate upwards of $20 million in revenue.
