US: Jackson won't be buried at Neverland: LA Times
Thu Jul 2 04:28:48 EST 2009
LOS ANGELES, July 1 AFP - Michael Jackson will not be laid to rest at Neverland Ranch after officials failed to overcome regulations concerning burials on private property, the Los Angeles Times has reported.
Citing a source close to the situation, the Times reported on Wednesday that Jackson's family had wanted to bury the king of pop at his sprawling estate northwest of Los Angeles in the rolling hills of Santa Barbara's wine country.
However Santa Barbara County officials were unable to clear the way for the burial at Neverland to go ahead, the Times reported.
"It's nobody's fault. Everybody in Santa Barbara feels bad about it," the source was quoted as saying.
Santa Barbara County communications director William Boyer was not immediately available for comment on the report.
Earlier reports had indicated Jackson's body would be placed on public display at Neverland on Friday before a private service for his family at the Ranch on Sunday.
The reports triggered a stampede of media and tourists to the sleepy town of Los Olivos near Neverland, with hotels across the surrounding area selling out within hours.
Meanwhile the E! entertainment television reported on its website Jackson would be buried at Los Angeles Forest Lawn cemetery. A spokesman for the home declined to comment on the report.
"We do not comment on services that we have here," he told AFP.
