One Million Dollars for Michael’s Funeral

Michael’s funeral ceremony on September 3rd was royal, according to the figures. Based on documents released Tuesday, nearly $1 million was spent on Michael Jackson’s funeral at the Forest Lawn park. The documents state that unless the costs are paid to Forest Lawn and local police by September 1st, the funeral would not be able to go ahead. Katherine was unable to pay, and Michael’s lawyers paid for the funeral using her assets. The final amount paid to Forest Lawn is equivalent to $855,730. Michael died in June and was kept in a private vault at the park until burial, and the family paid $5,000 per month for his temporary keeping there. Michael’s mother, Randy (his brother), and Janet (his sister) were involved in planning the ceremony. On Tuesday, Howard Weitzman, one of Michael’s lawyers, said: "Michael was too big, and there’s no reason not to have a ceremony that’s too big." Janet, Michael’s sister, covered part of the ceremony costs. She signed a contract worth $103,578.50 with Forest Lawn and also paid a $49,000 fee. Michael’s lawyers returned her $49,000, but accepted the remainder of her contribution. Source: eMJey / AP