Michael Jackson will not be buried at Neverland Ranch [Updated]

[Updated at 1:30 p.m.: A representative of Colony Capital, the private equity firm that owns Neverland Ranch, approached Santa Barbara County officials about burying Michael Jackson at the site, an attorney for the county confirmed. Officials researched the request and found that the bureaucratic hurdles on the state and local level for interment on property that wasn’t designated a cemetery were extensive.

“We have not seen [such a burial] in recent decades,” the county lawyer, Michael Ghizzoni, said. “Based on our contacts with the state, we think it would be a process of months, not weeks.”]

Funeral arrangements for Michael Jackson are still in flux, but one thing is clear: The pop icon will not be buried at Neverland Ranch.

Jackson’s family wanted him interred at the Santa Barbara County estate, the site of some of the happiest and saddest times in his life, and Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger had agreed to help clear any state bureaucratic hurdles, a source close to the situation told The Times.

But in the end, the source said, county officials could not find a way to quickly circumvent legal restrictions governing burial at a private residence.

"It’s nobody’s fault. Everybody in Santa Barbara feels bad about it,” the source said.

Law enforcement officials had expressed concerns about thousands of cars driving up a narrow mountain road to Neverland.

Santa Barbara County sheriff's Lt. Butch Arnoldi said that the two-lane Figueroa Mountain Road is not designed for a crush of cars and that his department is discussing how to make the route to Neverland as safe as possible.

There have also been reports the memorial might be held at Staples Center.

Santa Barbara County spokesman William Boyer said Wednesday that despite meetings to prepare for the possibility of a memorial service, county officials had not heard from the Jackson family.

"There's been no decisions that have been made as of last night," Boyer said. He said the county and sheriff's officials had been in touch with their law enforcement counterparts in Southern California.

LAPD officials said Tuesday that they met with the Jackson family but that no final decision had been made on either a memorial service or funeral plans.

-- Harriet Ryan and Andrew Blankstein

Photos: Fans grieve worldwide

Photos: Michael Jackson, 1958-2009

Video: Celebrating Michael Jackson's legacy

Interactive map: See significant sites in the life and death of Michael Jackson, including Neverland Ranch and his boyhood home in Gary, Indiana.

Comments

[SeanBoy]

Just shoot him off into space on one of those rocket thing and into an elliptical orbit that will bring him around Earth once every 70 years or so.

[Helen Hill]

Jackson will be interred there eventually. Bet on it.

[Brian C.]

Finally someone had the smarts to stop this madness.

[fabgear]

Oh please, they are delusional to think that Neverland can be like Graceland. Too far, too remote.

[Sally]

Just as well. Go to a place where the urban systems can control the visitors and where more people can afford to visit. Why not Forest Lawn? Everyone knows where it is.

[Rene]

Why don't the continue to tackle the legal hurdles and bury him there once they are cleared? Do a temporary burial and then bring him to Neverland for a final burial? So he was controversial. Let them bury him in a place that made him happy. It's what we all ask for and it would make his family happy.

[Uncle Dog]

Thank you God!!! Mr. Jackson is not to be buried at Neverland!

No, "everybody in Santa Barbara" does NOT feel bad about that. Let us now hope that the idiotic idea of a "viewing session" is also cancelled. Figueroa Mountain Road is narrow, winding, and with absolutely NO public facilities. There is not even a decent turnaround area in front of his property -- it is essentially a dead end street. The nearest "rest stop" are four porta potties in Los Olivos, six miles down the road. 100,000+ visitors on Friday? Are you out of your mind!!??

His birthplace, Gary, IN, has asked that he be buried there. That makes so much more sense than a remote spot in California which is hard to find, hard to access. Gary is perfect, and could use the money from visitors. Do it.

[Lue Blacknell]

R.I.P. MICHAEL-YOUR MUSIC LIVES ON!!!!!!!!!!!

[Daniel Wilcox]

He should be cremated and the ashes given to his family. If the corpse is buried there are way to many ghoulish fans who might try and steal the body for publicity.

[carlsbadcrawler]

He'll be laid to rest somewhere that charges admission. Do I hear an opening bid?

[David Lacy]

There is a way for Michael Jackson to be buried at Neverland Ranch. State law allows anyone to be buried on property owned or long term leased to a church. The owners could create a legal description of a parcel area( need not be a seperate legal parcel) and deed it to a church(any church) and then he could be buried there and the family would have te right to oversee its' upkeep and care.

[Littlejohn]

Why not have the ceremony in Q2 arena in London at the 13 of July? That would be a cool thing to do :-)

[Tiberius]

Or, why not cremate him and scatter his ashes by helicopter all over the people standing in line at Disneyland for the Captain EO ride? Oh wait, they closed that ride years ago....Otherwise perhaps he should be frozen like Lenin and a new museum/mausoleum opened in Hollywood.

[TAmbrose]

Of course he should make one last visit to Neverland, and what ironic justice to have a million people pay their last respects to a true prince; contrary to that malevolent DA Sneddon and the 200 law enforcement folk he pressed into service to hunt down this wild killer. Now Sneddon is free to collect his $200K pension on us and hopefully feel the pain he has caused a truely great artist.

[Big Sam]

The amount of news coverage on Michael Jackson's death has now reached a level that makes American news journalism look like a joke.

How many major stories have now taken a backseat because of the seemingly endless amount of coverage of M.J.'s death?

1) Iran came very close to having an internal revolution after the elections in that country and even today bad feelings runs through the populace like a plague.

2) Not since the days of Allende, Trujillo and other has their been a 'banana republic' revolution like the one that happened in the Honduras.

3) The Russians want to enter into a 'cyberwarfare' treaty with the U.S. that has not been so admantly been one sided since the heady days of Khrushchev and Brezhnev and the posturing of the old Soviet Union viz-a-viz the U.S.

And there are still a lot of other news that certainly is more important now than further coverage of Michael Jackson's death.
No wonder the world looks upon the U.S. as having "dumbed down" over the past twenty years.

[Jany]

Elvis was buried at Forest Hilla Cemetery in Memphis originally and then interred at Graceland. Such arrangements take time.

[matt]

i agree with the first comment - make him like lenin and create a new attraction in hollywood so throngs of people can veiw it. and charge like hell for it and divert some funds to the state or other cash strapped municipality. H-wood is a fitting place for him b/c he was all plastic anyway and is a mascot for our degenerative culture where celebrity is worshiped more than monarchy - they certinly are above the law that's for sure. they should just create a new secular church in h-wood with him as a centerpiece.

[KIMMY]

Some of you people are heartless,this is a human...So keep your stupid ideals..Rest in Peace Michael

[ANGEL1119]

The world has some of the most ignorant and hateful people in the world. A man has lost his life and all you dumb asses can do is make fun of him even in his death. That sad fact is that people seem to forget that he is a human being and all he ever wanted was for people to accept him and love him and if you did not not then why get on here and sham his name?? Does it make you feel good to do so?? I feel sorry for all of you who has no life and are quick to judge, Be careful about judging people, because you too shall be judged. One day you willl die too. MJ rest in peace!

[Socrates]

I'm not sure who owns Neverland now, but why should they and any neighbors have to deal with the circus that would ensue from burying MJ there and from maintaining it as a memorial site? I bet from the minute he was interred until Doomsday crazy people would be camping out and climbing over the fence. The kind of people who choose to live on such an isolated road probably would not welcome the increased traffic and scrutiny that would inevitably come to the area and they should not have to. It is private property and as much as Neverland meant to him, he unfortunately lost it due to his own financial missteps.

[Jamie Roth]

That's too bad that all the bureaucracy will keep Michael from being buried in Neverland Ranch.
There is absolutely NO reason why the process can't be sped up to allow him to rest in peace there. I understand the traffic will be a nightmare, along with many locals and the Police department being "concerned", but this is a ONE TIME thing for an individual who was bigger than any other artist in History.

[jgny]

as long as the jackson family and the hangerons (truthbrothers), can keep this nonsense going they will. (remember james brown), the benefits for them, Album sales and such is a major fiancial benefit. They probably wiped out his debt due to his current album sales and and are looking to reap a hugh long term benefit. I His folks went belly up five years ago. His brothers are all broke, the only one who held on was janet. Now they can all reap the benefit for sitting on their butts when Michael did all the work during the 80"s.

[Let the games begin]

"He" will not BE anywhere. His soul, or whatever spark we have, is gone. You are only talking about a place to bury his mortal remains. Go to an old cemetery and look at the very old tombstones and realize in the scheme of things, identification of your mortal over time remains is just plain silly. Probably it will be a place where these thousands of "fans" can be dramatic. How about this for a memorial.... some of the brighter of you create a "Michael Jackson Foundation", for say, feeding starving children or providing kids with access to the arts or something. Then all of you dig deep into your pockets and donate something like cash in addition to your time. Otherwise, you are just a bunch of drama-seeking, hanger-ons with no actual contributing life of your own. Go do something in his name. What would Michael have you do?

[ed]

Obama should sign an executive order and have him buried at Arlington Cemetery in Washington. He was a leader of a cultural movement in the United States, and deserves recognition of that by Washington's political powers.

[Kelly M.]

I think that Michael Jackson should be buried at Neverland Ranch. I don't see why they can't allow it considering he was the king of pop. Also, why wasn't there any way to freeze him like they did with Walt Disney?

[Alessia from Holland]

Michiael must be buried in Neverland , his hart was there and he need to live his eternity and legalcy there,he was the Peter Pan of Neverland for all of us . Let's make a promise to the actual owners that we the fans will open one account and donate everybody who love Michael 1$ and we buy the Neverland for him and for us ( the fans) ...He deserve it ! R.I.P Michael ..you are always in ur hearts

[Stacey Z]

I think Michael would have wanted his ceremony to be a sort of celebration with music and artists singing songs like 'We are the World' at his Neverland Ranch in Santa Barbara! RIP Michael, may your soul find peace and happiness and I hope somewhere in heaven you are put in charge of the hymns and praise and worship! :) xoxo ~Stacey ~ Los Angeles, CA

[Jenn]

Michael Jackson should be buried at Neverland Ranch. The county should be able to clear up any restrictions. Michael Jackson is very important to me and his music and legacy must continue. I will sign any petition needed to make this happen.

[DickNasty]

CNN and Don Lemon have no business reporting trust and estate law on TV. He got pretty much everything wrong and I hope they pull him on the carpet for foaming at the mouth to try and be the first to report the contents of the will and the functions of the parties.

I don't know why you guys think that this won't be the circus of the year just like it was while Michael lived.

[Sandie]

My heart is still heavy, we have lost a true loving wonderful human being that was FILLED WITH MUSIC. The powers that be need to make the Neverland burial happen. There is someone buried at Graceland???? That was a private residence also. And Al Sharpton, if you were a true friend you would be telling Joe Jackson to hush up, button his lips, etc.........

[LILI]

Elvis was the KING of ROCK ! Michael Jackson was with NO DOUBT the KING of POP and should be burried at the Cemetary in Santa Barbara until they can transfer him to his NEVERLAND ESTATE just like Elvis.

This gives his fans (those who wish) to pay their respects and the city officials to work around the road access isses.

I'm sure MJ wrote this somewhere in his WILL. People should respect what is written in their wishes where thy want to REST in PEACE!

[Jonathan L]

I thought he was going to be buried in the city he was born in (Gary, Indiana)...over the last couple of days that seemed to be the place where this was going to happen, and those who were closest to the family from the very beginning would like it to be there rather than California. Is this not an option now?

[Sam the Clem]

Michael Jackson fans need to get a clue. MJ did not pick Neverland because he wanted to be with them. He chose that spot --- remote, hard to find, put barbed wire around it, added a locked iron gate, and erected a guard tower to KEEP HIS "FANS" OUT! Like any celebrity, he wanted some privacy, not a bunch of loonies hounding his every step. Note that when he appeared in fornt of them, he was always accompanied by 2 or more giant bodyguards. Can you guess why?

If you really want to let him rest in peace, then bury him privately somewhere away from the mob. As was suggested earlier, if MJ fans really want to have him remembered as a star and not as a child molester, start a foundation to aid the impoverished.

[Antonio Ferreira]

There is a way for Michael Jackson to be buried at Neverland Ranch. State law allows anyone to be buried on property owned or long term leased to a church. The owners could create a legal description of a parcel area( need not be a seperate legal parcel) and deed it to a church(any church) and then he could be buried there and the family would have te right to oversee its' upkeep and care.

[Michael Forever <3]

We the fans of Michael Jackson feel that Neverland is the only fitting place to bury him, either now or in the future. One winding road is not that huge an obstacle, it must be possible to make another entrance somewhere on the property less off the beaten track? I for one sincerely hope they will find a way. If the gentleman who lives in Santa Barbara doesn't like the idea that's a shame, some of us live in tiny places in cities and can only imagine how it feels to live in beautiful surroundings - but I'd sure like to make a pilgrimage to see where MJ spent his happiest times. I hope there is a way to make it happen, sooner - or later, I think it's the only option personally. I could then find out where Uncle Dog lives and camp out in his garden - nice ! :), I do love the stars in a cloudless sky.

[YouDude60]

Typical SB County. Those bureaucrats wouldn't be able to find their way out of a house afire to save their own lives.

[Bootsy]

Last I heard, Michael Jackson left Neverland because of the police search, which he seemed to consider an over-the-line personal invasion. I believe he was quoted as saying that Neverland was no longer his home as he left for Bahrain, and that he never again was at Neverland.

If that is the case, then why would he want to be buried there? Why would anyone who cared about him want to bury him at a place that provided him with bad memories? Seems a horrible choice for an eternal resting place.

Burying Michael Jackson at Neverland would be like burying John McCain at the Hanoi Hilton, or Bill Buckner behind 1st base at Fenway Park.

[wawa]

would Michael be buried in Muslim way ?
Is that true that michael had converted to muslim last year?

[Terri]

If they do wish to bury him at Neverland, why not do the masoleum(sp?) style burial? That way, there is NO digging in the ground, and it can actually be more secured than a ground burial.

Does anyone remember the late, GREAT Dale Earnhardt Sr. #3 when he passed away? His death, also, was a very unexpected death. Yet, He was buried on his property in North Carolina within a few days. There was an incredible looking masoleum put up within a very short amount of time. Google Dale Earnhardt's grave on google earth and you will see what I'm talking about. His house, where his wife still lives, is in the front of the property, there is the lake he loved to fish on, and then far back on the property is where his resting place is at. Check it out. This is a great idea, and it would allow for security to oversee Michaels resting place. If he is buried at a regular cemetary, I'd hate to see what the "fans" would do......

What IS the actual reason why they cannot place him at Neverland anyway? It is private property, isn't it?
thanks all

[Heart Broken]

The government can do anything it wants to do when it wants to do it. Return Michael to Neverland. And then return Neverland to Michael it one true owner.

[Dorothy]

I don't think we as fans of his should have a say in where to bury him. Let's live that to his family to decide. We should be praying for his soul. Remeber that right now he needs our prayers more than anything else.

I love you MJ.

Dorothy
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[nora]

umm, wow, well i think they should buried in Indiana, and that is because thats where he started.. thats where he was born, thats where he was rased.. but thats just me...
and i herd he became muslim to... i hope whatever he did, god (ALLAH) will 4give him 4 what ever he did wrong...

[sydneyfan]

I can not understand how come authorities dont allow him to be burried at Neverland if the governor has also agreed to clear obstacles...
What needs to be cleared? Just bow your head and say yes

[Tyessha]

i think Michael should be burried at his very own Neverland Ranch Despite of what everyone said he was doing he was still our king of pop and he bought joy to our lives and he did save and heal the world

[David Brach]

After watching the memorial service it was no question if we would support any effort to make the Michael Jackson Foundation #1 again. We signed up at michaeljacksonfoundation.com to get information when the new website launches. Rest in peace dear Michael

[siclician]

He will be missed. DONT BURY HIM AT NEVERLAND> HE WOULD NOT LIKE THAT> HE LFT THERE AND WOULD NOT GO BACK AFTER THE COPS WENT THERE. LEAVE HIM NEXT TO HIS GRANDMOTHER. HE WILL BE AT PEACE THERE. NEVER LAND WAS NO LONGER A PLACE OF PEACE AND SAFNESS FOR HIM

[Ame]

The people who want him buried at Neverland are only thinking about themselves.Neverland is the past,must be
forgotten about.Only chaos would come of this.The road back to the ranch is long,,too long,,,Just rediculous.He should be at
Forest Lawn with his family,period.If his fans sincerely want him to be at peace,they should stop this Neverland nonsense.
If people would bother to read about it,Micheal hated Neverland and never wanted to go back there,period.

[Carm]

Michael Jackson was not just an icon. He had to of been one of the kindest,loving,forgiving,caring,innocent minded man ever ! I can't stop crying because he deserved to see his kids grow up.
I truly saw the love of God in his eyes and music.

The media should have just left him alone. He was never weird, he was unique, one of a kind. I so feel the pain that he went through, its so much like mine.

He actually said at one point in an interview that he never wanted to be berried, and wanted to live forever. I hope they find the best place to have his funeral.

I love you forever Michael.

[spider]

always ask myself why should we make a will, a will is our last wishes, seems everytime after someone dies, and has some wishes in there will, they not carried out because other people decide??? lol i think is stupid. if Michael want to be buried at neverland, stop bragging about rules and regulations, pathetic can you tell me what harm it does if he is buried on HIS OWN LAND! second he wishes that and still the mother and family can decide i think is insane his wish is that or oyu agree or not i think it should be carried out why otherwise spend all the money on a will if nobody is doing what is standing in it.
Rest in Peace Michael

[bernadette]

michael jackson brother jermain want micheal to be bury in nerverland, jermain know his brother micheal, micheal create nerverland, yes he did had bad memories but the dream micheal was in nerverland. dont let micheal jackson body hide from his fans, micheal love his fans, and bury him where al his fans can come visite him, i am sure michael would be happy.