Jackson Memorial Service Numerous "A-list" entertainers performed and paid their respects to Jackson

By Dr. Brian Russell • on July 8, 2009
Taken by Apollo 8 crewmember Bill Anders on De...

By Dr. Brian Russell
On Tuesday, the world, and probably you, saw what may have been the grandest memorial service ever held for an entertainer, at least in modern times. Michael Jackson’s public memorial service, held at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, drew roughly 30,000 people (combined inside and outside of the venue), and was remarkably well-controlled from a security standpoint (although that security came at an estimated cost of $4 million to the City of Los Angeles). Numerous “A-list” entertainers performed and paid their respects to Jackson, but his 11-year-old daughter stole the show when she tearfully told the world how much she loved “Daddy.” It seemed as if, at some level, she understood the controversy surrounding her father’s relationships with children and was defending him when she said that he had been the best father anyone could ever want. (By the way, I know this isn’t scientific, but to me, she bears enough resemblance to Jackson that I think he probably was her daddy in both the parenting sense and the biological sense, but I could be wrong. And, given that she apparently wanted to speak in front of that many people, I predict that, of the three children, she’s the most likely to follow in Jackson’s footsteps professionally.) The other two children, ages 12 and seven, didn’t speak, and that was fine. Memorials are really for the living, and that’s true especially when the survivors include children. When deciding whether to even have children attend such an event, I think it’s important to consider whether they will get something out of it that’s worth going through an emotional experience that’s difficult for adults. It looked to me like the daughter probably did, and I imagine that her older brother probably did too. It’s more questionable with respect to the seven-year-old, as kids that young often don’t even fully grasp the concept, particularly the finality, of death, but I won’t second-guess the family’s decision to include him, particularly because he was able to share the experience with his two older siblings (or half-siblings, or adopted siblings, or whatever) and with Jackson’s nieces and nephews in addition to what appeared to be a loving, supportive group of adult relatives. I think that public outpouring of support probably helped Jackson’s mother’s custody case, particularly if she demonstrates continuity in the children’s care by hiring the nanny who, until recently, worked for Jackson and served as the children’s primary “mother figure.” I’ve been asked about the process that will unfold if the court appoints someone like me to evaluate the situation and render an expert opinion, and a good outline of what that process might look like can be found in the archives here, in a post dated March 1, 2007. Stay tuned. (Also, on the drug front, Diprivan, the surgical-strength sedative that reportedly was found in Jackson’s home, is used in veterinary medicine as well as in human medicine, and given the menagerie of animals residing at Jackson’s “Neverland” home over the years, it’s conceivable that the drug could have been procured ostensibly for veterinary use. I think that’s less likely than the all-too-familiar “Hollywood health care” scenario, which I’ve also written about in the cases of Jackson and other celebrities whose deaths involved prescription drugs, but it’s conceivable.)

(While I’m here, there’s an update on the serial killer who was on the loose in South Carolina over the 4th of July weekend — the suspect is dead, killed in a shootout with police responding to a tip from a concerned citizen. Props to the tipster!)

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