It has been 10 years since Michael Jackson – the “King of Pop” – passed away from an overdose of the anaesthetic drug Propofol. Today the media is full of headlines, covering everything from Jackson’s cause of death to the latest scandal in the documentary “Leaving Neverland.”
One subject of interest relates to the way Jackson was buried. It turns out Jackson’s family was so concerned about protecting their famous relative’s body following his death, they had him interred in a golden coffin.
This was then encased in solid concrete to prevent looting, with security cameras on 24 hours a day.
‘King of Pop’ remembered 10 years on
While Michael Jackson’s reputation has recently been tarnished due to the “Leaving Neverland” documentary, many fans still mourn the King of Pop. At the time of his passing, fans and family alike were in mourning. His family was so concerned that fans might try and take souvenirs from Michael’s grave, they encased his solid gold coffin in concrete.
Michael was wearing his full stage costume when placed in his coffin and he was accompanied by a number of items relating to his musical life and history, including the famous white gloves.
The Daily Mirror quotes his brother, Marlon, 52, talking about Michael’s coffin. The golden coffin reportedly cost some £18,000.
Jackson reportedly wore a special wig in the coffin to give him his signature shoulder-length hair and he was buried in full stage make-up. The Sun notes that during Michael’s autopsy, he was found to be completely bald with terrible scars on his skull. That report quotes Los Angeles Police Department Detective Scott Smith as saying he found it odd that Jackson was bald and that he had apparently always been wearing a wig out in public.
The scarring was caused by an accidental fire in 1984, while Jackson was filming an advert for Pepsi. His hair caught fire, leading to the terrible scarring, and the accident was the cause of his addiction to painkillers while undergoing reconstructive surgery.
However, that advert contract paid Michael and his brothers a record-breaking £4million.
The coffin reportedly also contained notes written by the King of Pop’s children, where they wrote they loved him and missed him. At the time, Prince Michael was 12, Paris was 11 and Blanket was seven years of age.
Jackson buried in Holly Terrace Grand Mausoleum
When Jackson was buried, Marlon said they installed CCTV cameras which would activate an alarm should any trespassers get close to his grave. Marlon also said at the time that his burial was his brother’s “final curtain call,” adding that while his shell was gone, his spirit will live on.
Michael’s grave is located in Holly Terrace Grand Mausoleum, in the Glendale Forest Lawn Memorial Park.
The cemetery is a five-mile drive from Hollywood and it seems Jackson is in fine company, as Film stars such as Clark Gable and Humphrey Bogart are also interred there. Anyone wishing to visit the cemetery has to show ID, as it is closed to the general public and surrounded by high walls.