娱乐英语新闻:Judge names Michael Jackson advisors executors of his estate

LOS ANGELES, June 6 (Xinhua) -- A Los Angeles Superior Court judge Monday named two longtime advisors of Michael Jackson executors of his estate, despite an earlier ruling appointing the late pop singer's mother as the special administrator of his vast assets.

Judge Mitchell Beckloff said at a hearing that he initially appointed 79-year-old Katherine Jackson to control his son's estate because he believed the superstar has died without leaving a will.

    Jackson, hailed as the King of Pop, died June 25 at the age of 50 after being found in cardiac arrest at his rented Los Angeles mansion.

A bronze statue overlooks a road leading to the main house inside Michael Jackson's Neverland Ranch in Los Olivos, California on July 3, 2009

    A will signed by the singer in 2002 was filed in the court last week. Jackson in the will named entertainment attorney John Branca and music executive John McClain executors of his estate.

    Jackson family's lawyers earlier asked for a delay in Monday's hearing, arguing that the singer's mother was still grieving and preparing for a funeral service and public memorial tribute scheduled for Tuesday.

    But the judge said he had little choice but to name the two advisors executors, pending another hearing on Jackson's estate set for Aug. 3.

A general view of the back of the main house inside Michael Jackson's Neverland Ranch in Los Olivos, California July 3, 2009

Although Jackson died owing more than 400 million U.S. dollars to various financial institutions, the value of his assets, including his own music catalog and his 50 percent share in the Beatles catalog, is considered to exceed his debts by at least 200million dollars.

    Meanwhile, a city official Wednesday confirmed that the King of Pop will be buried at the Forest Lawn cemetery in Hollywood Hills Tuesday morning, shortly before a star-studded public memorial at Staples Center in Downtown Los Angeles.

    Jan Perry, who is serving as acting mayor as Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa is on vacation, told local television channel NBC4 that the private funeral service will start hours before the Staples Center event.

    Entertainers including Diana Ross, Aretha Franklin, Stevie Wonder, Lionel Richie, Maria Carey and Alicia Keys are reportedly expected to attend the public memorial, although it is not clear whether they will perform to pay tribute to Jackson.