14 DAY TRIAL // Michael Jackson was finally laid to rest last week, no less than ten weeks after he was rushed to the hospital in cardiac arrest. Because the Jackson clan also organized, with the help of AEG Live, the public memorial service at Los Angeles’ Staples Center, the funeral was only for friends and family – meaning, no media. Randy Jackson is now speaking out against those outlets who got footage of the ceremony, as TMZ can confirm.
Despite no invites being sent out to the media and the repeated plea on behalf of the family to have some privacy during these trying moments, it seems some media outlets could not be deterred from trying to get a glimpse at Michael’s funeral service. Some footage was captured from high up in the sky, and it has already aired on television and taken over the Internet. Randy, speaking on behalf of the entire Jackson clan, is now urging the same media outlets to pull the footage off the air.
“As a family, we are all aware of how Michael’s life, and his death, touched so many around the world. It is why we held a public memorial in my brother’s honor. And it is the reason we chose to release a small amount of footage leading up to yesterday’s ceremony at Forest Lawn. I was dismayed last night and again today at the coverage I saw on television of our ceremony for Michael. We had asked the media to respect the privacy and the sanctity of this event; to give us one moment of privacy to mourn as a family out of the public spotlight.” Randy Jackson says in a statement released to MTV.
Airing the footage is a clear violation of privacy, he adds, which is why he would like to extend a plea to all those involved to pull it off the air. “Unfortunately, despite a no-fly zone around Forest Lawn, many media organizations decided to ignore our wishes. They employed helicopters that not only surreptitiously recorded our private family ceremony, but also severely disrupted it. I therefore ask today that media organizations airing helicopter footage of the ceremony we held for my brother immediately pull that footage from their air and refrain from airing it in the future.” Randy adds.
As of now, no media organization has yet responded to the public plea of never showing the MJ funeral footage again. It is not known whether the Jacksons are considering legal action – as neither is whether they stand good chances of winning if they do pursue such action.