Michael Jackson's Memorial Service Confirmed, 17,500 Tickets Are Given Away

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It's official, memorial service to remember the life and career of the late Michael Jackson will be held at 10 A.M. Tuesday, July 7 inside the Staples Center in Los Angeles. Representatives for the Jacksons have confirmed the matter, thus ending days of speculation on when and where the King of Pop would be memorialized.

Unlike earlier reports which mentioned there will be 11,000 free tickets to be given away to fans for the service, organizers of the memorial have confirmed a total of 17,500 tickets will be handed to public, with 11,000 entrants having the chance to go inside the building and the remaining 6,500 ushered to watch from across the street at the Nokia Center, which will be filled with huge-screen TVs streaming the live event.

Fans who want to get free tickets to the memorial service must log on to StaplesCenter.com and register beginning Friday morning, July 3 until Saturday evening at 6 P.M. On Sunday, 8,750 names will be drawn randomly by a computer-generated program with each selected fan will be receiving two tickets and two wristbands. Ticketmaster will distribute tickets and wristbands to those chosen on the following day.

The increasing number of fans who log on to StaplesCenter.com has caused the site to crash. However, AEG representatives said they have added another server to help with the high volume of traffic. No further details regarding the service were shared with the press. Ken Sunshine, a representative for Michael's family, said at a press conference held outside the Staples Center, plans are still being developed, adding that he hoped the ticket process is handled with "dignity" and that tickets will not be resold or counterfeited.