Michael Jackson's family 'want him buried in concrete' to protect his grave

[link to www.telegraph.co.uk]

Michael Jackson's family want his coffin to be be encased in concrete to prevent fans from robbing his grave.
The singer, wearing a stage costume, will be laid to rest in a gold-plated coffin, along with tokens from his life in music, including one of the white gloves he loved to wear.

But, according to US media reports quoting a friend of the family, the Jacksons want the coffin entombed in concrete immediately after the funeral – which is expected to be held in secret before Tuesday's public memorial service – because of fears that a crazed fan could try to dig it up.

Jackson, who died aged 50, is expected to be temporarily buried in a cemetery, but a final resting place has been assigned for him by his family at the Neverland ranch, 150 miles north-west of Los Angeles, where he lived until 2005.

The spot is next to the ranch's train station. Jackson used to ride in the train, which he named after his mother, Katherine, every day to go from his house to his private zoo.

It is against California law to bury a body outside a cemetery, but the family intends to challenge that. Jermaine Jackson, 54, the singer's brother, said: "The people who make the laws can change the laws."

But it could take months to obtain legal consent. The initial burial place is likely to be Forest Lawn Memorial Park, where stars including Marvin Gaye and Bette Davis are buried. But the family may decide to keep the exact location of the grave secret before moving the singer's coffin to Neverland.

As well as the risk of someone disturbing his remains, family members are concerned that his grave could be desecrated, or be daubed with graffiti referring to his 2005 trial on child abuse charges, of which he was cleared.

A similar double burial was held for Elvis Presley.

Jackson's public memorial service will be held at the Staples Center in Los Angeles. Millions of applications have been made in an online lottery for 17,500 tickets.

There are fears that touts may be using multiple email addresses to apply for the free tickets in order to sell them on. Ken Sunshine, the Jackson family spokesman, said: "I'm hoping people have dignity. For those that try to take advantage of this, shame on them."

Hordes of ticketless fans are expected to descend on Los An geles, and 1,400 police officers have been asked to volunteer for duty to control the crowds.

If Jackson is buried at Neverland, his family faces an uphill battle with nearby residents to open it as a place of pilgrimage similar to Graceland, where Elvis is buried. Graceland attracts more than 600,000 visitors a year.