AEG urged to donate proceeds from Jackson memorial to children's charities

LOS ANGELES, July 3 (Xinhua) -- Civil rights leaders and community activists on Friday called on AEG, promoters of the Michael Jackson memorial at Staples Center in Los Angeles, to donate proceeds from the event to children's charities.

"Donating the proceeds from the Jackson tribute to children's charities and help organizations would be the best and most fitting way to celebrate and pay homage to the humanitarian spirit of giving and help that Jackson dedicated his life to," said Los Angeles Urban Policy Roundtable President Earl Ofari Hutchinson.

Hutchinson joined the civil rights leaders in the plea to AEG.

A news conference on the planned memorial was held on Friday morning. Publicists for the Jackson family earlier indicated that 11,000 tickets would be given away for free and 9,000 guests would be invited to the tribute.

It is not clear how the tribute might generate the proceeds anticipated by Hutchinson and others.

Nevertheless, Hutchinson said: "The donations are particularly timely and needed given the threat of massive cutbacks in funding for children's health and welfare programs in California."

Representatives for the Jackson family confirmed on Thursday that the memorial service will be held at 10 a.m. Tuesday at Staples Center, ending a week of speculation about where the public will be able to pay its final respects to the eccentric singer.

Jackson, 50, was pronounced dead on June 25 at Ronald Reagan Medical Center at the University of California in Los Angeles, about two hours after he collapsed at his rented Holmby Hills estate.

Jackson was in Los Angeles rehearsing for 50 sold-out concerts in London.

It was unclear where Jackson would be buried, although reports resurfaced on Thursday that the singer would be buried at Forest Lawn Hollywood Hills.

There was also a lingering question about who would be footing the bill for the memorial service, which could potentially draw hundreds of thousands of people to downtown Los Angeles and require a massive police presence.