Michael Jackson performs on stage during is "HIStory" world tour concert in Auckland, New Zealand.
BY Joe Kemp In Los Angeles and Rich Schapiro In New York
DAILY NEWS WRITERS
A public memorial service for Michael Jackson will be held Tuesday in what could easily be the greatest farewell ever to an American entertainer.
Fans who want to attend the memorial in the 20,000-seat Staples Center in Los Angeles must register for free tickets, said the Jackson family's spokesman, Ken Sunshine. Details on how to do that will be announced today.
Although only 11,000 tickets will be available - and there will be a huge rush on them - it's expected many thousands of fans will gather outside the center and on the streets leading to the arena in a massive outpouring of sorrow.
The venue is fitting: Jackson rehearsed at the arena two days before he died.
As plans for the event were being finalized, Jackson's brother Jermaine, his eyes welling with tears, revealed the heartbreak of the final moments he spent with the body of his legendary kid brother at the UCLA Medical Center.
"I kissed him on his forehead, and I hugged him, and I touched him, and I said, 'Michael, I'll never leave you. You'll never leave me,'" Jermaine Jackson told NBC's "Today" show.
"To see him there, lifeless and breathless, was very emotional for me. ... He went too soon. I don't know how people are going to take this, but I wish it was me."
Details of the superstar's funeral were still being worked out but it's expected to be in private after Tuesday's ceremony at the Staples Center.
Several reports said he will be buried at the celebrity-filled Forest Lawn Mortuary in Hollywood Hills - even though Jermaine said he wished his brother could be buried at his Neverland Ranch, and state officials said that wasn't out of the question.
The King of Pop died last Thursday after being found unresponsive at his rented mansion.
The LAPD, along with agents from the federal Drug Enforcement Administration, are probing Jackson's doctors amid allegations he was done in by prescription drugs.
In the day's other developments:
# A video of Jackson's final rehearsal emerged, showing Jackson preparing for his upcoming London concerts at the Staples Center two days before he died.
In the clip, obtained by CNN, Jackson appears relatively fit as he dances to his hit track, "They Don't Care About Us."
# President Obama spoke out about Jackson for the first time, saying he "will go down in history as one of our greatest entertainers."
# Jackson will be laid to rest in the same kind of $25,000 solid bronze casket used for James Brown, TMZ.com reported. Called a Promethean, the 14-karat gold-plated casket has a blue velvet interior.
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