'MJ's Body To Be Put On Public View'

Michael Jackson's family plan to take his body to his Neverland ranch where it will be put on public view, reports say.

Celebrity website TMZ.com claims the Jacksons will take the body to Neverland, his fantasy ranch in southern California, on Thursday. They will hold a wake on Friday or Saturday ahead of a burial at an undecided time and place, according to TMZ. Earlier it emerged Jackson's estate was valued at $236m in March 2007 - but his father Joe, with whom the singer had a troubled relationship, will get nothing. In his will, Jackson reportedly divides everything between his mother, three children and one or more charities - but there is no mention of Joe Jackson.

That is according to the Wall Street Journal which says the will could be submitted to the superior court in Los Angeles on Thursday. Lawyer John Branca and music executive John Mclain, a friend of Jackson, are named as executors. Mr Branca, who worked for Jackson from 1980 to 2006 and was rehired by Jackson a week before his death, wrote the will in 2002, according to the US newspaper. In an email message, a lawyer for Jackson's parents said neither he nor his clients had seen the 2002 will. "No will has been presented to family or us," wrote the lawyer L Londell McMillan, who also once represented Jackson. "We will review any will when we see it." The size and complexity of Jackson's assets and debts is expected to pose a challenge in unwinding his estate, the newspaper said.

His assets, which include a 50% stake in Sony/ATV Music Publishing, could exceed his estimated debts of $500m (£300m) by as much as $200m (£120m), the paper said. It is not known what custody provisions the 2002 will sets out for Jackson's three children. The singer's mother, Katherine, has been granted temporary custody of the children until a court hearing in August. Joe Jackson, who organised, trained and managed the Jackson 5, has often been portrayed as a controversial figure during Michael's upbringing. In his 1988 autobiography Moonwalk, Jackson called his father "a mystery man to me".

He also noted his father was incredibly strict and sometimes beat him if he missed a step or note during rehearsals. But Joe Jackson disputed his son's claims of abuse, saying in 2003: "I whipped him with a switch and a belt... I never beat him. You beat someone with a stick." On Monday the 79-year-old hit back at fan criticism that he had been insensitive about his son's death. He described Jackson as a "superstar", adding: "He was loved by everyone and I was very proud of him."

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