La Toya Tells Barbara Walters: Michael Laid to Rest in 'Full Makeup,'
With Iconic White Glove in Casket
http://www.abcnews.go.com/2020/Micha...8529898&page=1
In her first in-depth interview since the death of her brother Michael
Jackson, La Toya Jackson opened up exclusively to Barbara Walters about
the family's grief.
"I don't think we'll find a person as talented, a person who thought the
way he thought. A person with the heart that Michael had," La Toya, 53,
told Walters. "People aren't that way anymore. He was special. He
wasn't God, but he was certainly God-like. He was the closest thing to a
god that I knew."
La Toya, one of Michael's closest siblings, was one of the first one to
appear at her brother's bedside the day he died. Since then, the solo
artist and model signed her brother's death certificate, became the
legal guardian of his body and with the entire Jackson family, planned
the funeral and memorial service in Los Angeles.
Michael was laid to rest in a private ceremony last week, nearly two
months after his death, at the iconic Forest Lawn cemetery in Glendale,
Calif. La Toya told Walters that her brother looked "absolutely
fabulous."
"He was dressed in all white pearl beads going across, draped across. A
beautiful big gold belt. Like ... Like a belt that you win being a
boxer," she said. "Full makeup. ... His hair was done beautifully, his
makeup was done beautifully."
According to La Toya, in addition to the stones Paris placed on his
chest, the family put sunglasses, an iconic white glove and a few other
items in the casket with him.
La Toya: Dr. Conrad Murray Summoned Michael's Oldest Son to Death Bed
According to the autopsy, the late King of Pop died of a fatal
combination of drugs, including the powerful anesthetic propofol. Dr.
Conrad Murray, Michael Jackson's personal physician has admitted
administering propofol, but has denied giving Michael anything that
"should have killed him."
Murray told investigators that he had been trying to wean the singer off
propofol by administering a series of other prescription sedatives.
When asked by Walters if Murray murdered her brother, La Toya said,
"Something went wrong. Something went wrong."
La Toya also addressed reports that Michael's oldest son, Prince, was
summoned by Murray the night of his father's death to help resuscitate
his father.
"He called Prince ... Prince ... watched him do this, Barbara. And you
don't do that to a child. You don't do that to a child, especially when
you knew prior to asking that child to come up, that Michael was no
longer alive," she said.
La Toya stressed that she believes Michael was dead long before Murray
even called for Prince -- but called the 13-year-old in, to "show that
[he] had nothing to do with this."
Since Michael's death, the Los Angeles County Coroner's office ruled the
manner of death a homicide. The Los Angeles Police Department is
continuing to investigate the circumstances surrounding his death.
Murray, as well as other doctors known to have prescribed narcotics to
Michael, have been questioned.
"I blame any and everybody who was instrumental in Michael's life
providing him with drugs because it was wrong. It was terribly wrong,"
said La Toya. "They're doctors! This is going against their license,
Barbara. You don't do things like that."
La Toya: Blanket 'Looks Hispanic'
From the day each of Michael Jackson's three children was born, the
identity of their biological father has been questioned.
"It doesn't really matter, those are Michael's kids. He raised those
kids," La Toya said. "They were in his arms when they were born; the
minute that they were they were right there with him. They only know
Michael as their father."
Michael married the mother of his two oldest children, Debbie Rowe, but
she has had almost no contact with the children for nearly a decade.
"They know who Debbie Rowe is. Whether or not they know she's their
mother, I'm not so sure," La Toya said. "They haven't seen her since
he's passed. But they're more than welcome."
Blanket, Michael's youngest child, was born to an unnamed surrogate
after Jackson and Rowe divorced. La Toya said that Michael had told her
that Blanket is Hispanic.
"I said to Michael, I said, 'He looks Hispanic.' And Michael said, 'He
is,'" La Toya told Walters.
Future for the Jackson Children
In his will, Michael named his mother, Katherine Jackson, 79, as their
sole guardian, and in July 2009, she was granted full, permanent custody
of the three children. La Toya said that they will continue to be
home-schooled, "just the way they were with their dad."
La Toya also talked to Walters about how the kids are coping with the
grief.
Silencing rumors that Michael did not want the children around his
father, Joe Jackson, La Toya said Michael had made amends with his
father and that the kids had a good relationship with their grandfather.
"They love their grandfather," she said. "They ... like the fact that
he's very outspoken. And they say that, 'Grandpa, he tells you like it
is.'"
Despite the past, she believes Michael would have wanted Joe to be
involved in their lives.
Will Diana Ross Raise Michael's Children?
Michael never revealed why, but his will states that if his 79-year-old
mother ever becomes unable to care for the children, he wants them to be
raised by Diana Ross, 65.
"I know of course that Diana Ross is second in line for the children of
course, and mother has spoken to her about things of that nature, but I
don't wish to go into detail," La Toya told Walters.
La Toya said that the children don't have a relationship with Ross, or
know that she might possibly be the woman raising them. When asked if
Ross wants to raise Michael's three children, La Toya responded: "I
think my mother knows the answer to that."
Why Michael preferred Diana Ross over his own eight siblings to care for
his children was not explained in the will; sister Reebie, who has
three children of her own, and has been married for 41 years, could be a
candidate to raise the children in the event that their mother is
incapacitated.
"There's a possibility. There's a possibility," La Toya said, "She's
done a wonderful job with her children."
La Toya asked ABC News to make it known that she was not paid for this
interview.
Watch Barbara Walters's exclusive interview with La Toya on "20/20"
Friday at 10 p.m. ET
With Iconic White Glove in Casket
http://www.abcnews.go.com/2020/Micha...8529898&page=1
In her first in-depth interview since the death of her brother Michael
Jackson, La Toya Jackson opened up exclusively to Barbara Walters about
the family's grief.
"I don't think we'll find a person as talented, a person who thought the
way he thought. A person with the heart that Michael had," La Toya, 53,
told Walters. "People aren't that way anymore. He was special. He
wasn't God, but he was certainly God-like. He was the closest thing to a
god that I knew."
La Toya, one of Michael's closest siblings, was one of the first one to
appear at her brother's bedside the day he died. Since then, the solo
artist and model signed her brother's death certificate, became the
legal guardian of his body and with the entire Jackson family, planned
the funeral and memorial service in Los Angeles.
Michael was laid to rest in a private ceremony last week, nearly two
months after his death, at the iconic Forest Lawn cemetery in Glendale,
Calif. La Toya told Walters that her brother looked "absolutely
fabulous."
"He was dressed in all white pearl beads going across, draped across. A
beautiful big gold belt. Like ... Like a belt that you win being a
boxer," she said. "Full makeup. ... His hair was done beautifully, his
makeup was done beautifully."
According to La Toya, in addition to the stones Paris placed on his
chest, the family put sunglasses, an iconic white glove and a few other
items in the casket with him.
La Toya: Dr. Conrad Murray Summoned Michael's Oldest Son to Death Bed
According to the autopsy, the late King of Pop died of a fatal
combination of drugs, including the powerful anesthetic propofol. Dr.
Conrad Murray, Michael Jackson's personal physician has admitted
administering propofol, but has denied giving Michael anything that
"should have killed him."
Murray told investigators that he had been trying to wean the singer off
propofol by administering a series of other prescription sedatives.
When asked by Walters if Murray murdered her brother, La Toya said,
"Something went wrong. Something went wrong."
La Toya also addressed reports that Michael's oldest son, Prince, was
summoned by Murray the night of his father's death to help resuscitate
his father.
"He called Prince ... Prince ... watched him do this, Barbara. And you
don't do that to a child. You don't do that to a child, especially when
you knew prior to asking that child to come up, that Michael was no
longer alive," she said.
La Toya stressed that she believes Michael was dead long before Murray
even called for Prince -- but called the 13-year-old in, to "show that
[he] had nothing to do with this."
Since Michael's death, the Los Angeles County Coroner's office ruled the
manner of death a homicide. The Los Angeles Police Department is
continuing to investigate the circumstances surrounding his death.
Murray, as well as other doctors known to have prescribed narcotics to
Michael, have been questioned.
"I blame any and everybody who was instrumental in Michael's life
providing him with drugs because it was wrong. It was terribly wrong,"
said La Toya. "They're doctors! This is going against their license,
Barbara. You don't do things like that."
La Toya: Blanket 'Looks Hispanic'
From the day each of Michael Jackson's three children was born, the
identity of their biological father has been questioned.
"It doesn't really matter, those are Michael's kids. He raised those
kids," La Toya said. "They were in his arms when they were born; the
minute that they were they were right there with him. They only know
Michael as their father."
Michael married the mother of his two oldest children, Debbie Rowe, but
she has had almost no contact with the children for nearly a decade.
"They know who Debbie Rowe is. Whether or not they know she's their
mother, I'm not so sure," La Toya said. "They haven't seen her since
he's passed. But they're more than welcome."
Blanket, Michael's youngest child, was born to an unnamed surrogate
after Jackson and Rowe divorced. La Toya said that Michael had told her
that Blanket is Hispanic.
"I said to Michael, I said, 'He looks Hispanic.' And Michael said, 'He
is,'" La Toya told Walters.
Future for the Jackson Children
In his will, Michael named his mother, Katherine Jackson, 79, as their
sole guardian, and in July 2009, she was granted full, permanent custody
of the three children. La Toya said that they will continue to be
home-schooled, "just the way they were with their dad."
La Toya also talked to Walters about how the kids are coping with the
grief.
Silencing rumors that Michael did not want the children around his
father, Joe Jackson, La Toya said Michael had made amends with his
father and that the kids had a good relationship with their grandfather.
"They love their grandfather," she said. "They ... like the fact that
he's very outspoken. And they say that, 'Grandpa, he tells you like it
is.'"
Despite the past, she believes Michael would have wanted Joe to be
involved in their lives.
Will Diana Ross Raise Michael's Children?
Michael never revealed why, but his will states that if his 79-year-old
mother ever becomes unable to care for the children, he wants them to be
raised by Diana Ross, 65.
"I know of course that Diana Ross is second in line for the children of
course, and mother has spoken to her about things of that nature, but I
don't wish to go into detail," La Toya told Walters.
La Toya said that the children don't have a relationship with Ross, or
know that she might possibly be the woman raising them. When asked if
Ross wants to raise Michael's three children, La Toya responded: "I
think my mother knows the answer to that."
Why Michael preferred Diana Ross over his own eight siblings to care for
his children was not explained in the will; sister Reebie, who has
three children of her own, and has been married for 41 years, could be a
candidate to raise the children in the event that their mother is
incapacitated.
"There's a possibility. There's a possibility," La Toya said, "She's
done a wonderful job with her children."
La Toya asked ABC News to make it known that she was not paid for this
interview.
Watch Barbara Walters's exclusive interview with La Toya on "20/20"
Friday at 10 p.m. ET