Fans must register for tickets to Jackson memorial
Service will be Tuesday at Staples Center
July 4, 2009, 1:43 a.m.
STAFF REPORT
Fans wishing to attend singer Michael Jackson's memorial service Tuesday will have to register for free tickets, organizers said.
Details on how to register for the 10 a.m. (1 p.m. ET) service at the 20,000-seat Staples Center in Los Angeles were announced Friday.
Organizers have set aside a total of 17,500 tickets through an Internet-based lottery for the televised service at the Staples Center, and for a closed-circuit screening at the nearby Nokia Theater.
To be eligible for tickets, fans must log on to StaplesCenter.com and register before 6 p.m. on Saturday. On Sunday, 8,750 names will be drawn randomly and winners will be contacted; each will receive two tickets.
Ticketmaster will then be distributing tickets and wristbands on Monday. No tickets will be sold.
Within minutes of the announcement, the computer system crashed. Officials warned additional disruptions were likely as fans from around the world applied for tickets.
Jackson's family will hold a private ceremony before the public memorial service, his brother said Thursday.
Jermaine Jackson said the ceremony will be held Tuesday morning, but he did not say where.
Jackson did not specify where he wished to be buried in a 2002 will, which was filed in court Wednesday.