Grief Expert David Kessler on MJ's Private Interment
Grief expert David Kessler talks to ET about Michael Jackson's private interment and how he perceives the King of Pop's three children are handling the loss of their father.
"Interestingly enough, I think as long as his body was still in movement between the tests, the autopsy and where he was going to be buried, you almost have a sense that he is still with us," Kessler says. "When someone is finally laid to rest, you do have a sense of completion, a closure to that chapter of his life."
Kessler, who co-authored several books together with Elisabeth Kübler-Ross, including On Grief and Grieving: Finding the Meaning of Grief Through the Five Stages of Loss, tells ET after watching footage of the private burial, that the family must be filled with a lot of emotions.
"I think it's a time for Michael's children to really adjust to their new 'normal' world and it looks like they are doing very well in that," he says. "Being with Katherine, being with the family, they are used to it and seem comfortable with it."
Kessler goes on to say that it was good for the family to give themselves this private ceremony. It is their last time collectively to come together with Michael and say their final goodbyes.
"A funeral like this reinforces that a life meant something. You want the funeral to be reflective of the life that was lived and the life that was lost," Kessler adds.
The world-renowned specialist on death and dying, first met Michael through Elizabeth Taylor, and had been invited to bring a group of sick children to Neverland for a day of fun.
He recalls, "When I first met Michael, I talked to Elizabeth Taylor afterwards, and I said, 'He seems so guarded.' Elizabeth, who can be so feisty, said to me, 'If people came up to you and just pulled out your hair, wouldn't you be on guard?' It made me think these two live in a whole other world than the rest of us. They need a type of security that we don't understand."
For all the latest on the investigation into Michael Jackson's death, keep checking back here -- and watch ET!
Posted September 04, 2009 5:19:00 PM
ET / Thanks Sheril Snider!