A PUBLIC memorial will be held to mourn pop star Michael Jackson at the venue of his final rehearsals.

A PUBLIC memorial will be held to mourn pop star Michael Jackson at the venue of his final rehearsals.

AEG Live, the promoter of his planned series of London concerts, said fans could gather at the Staples Centre, Los Angeles, on Tuesday. The memorial will start at 3pm British time.

Randy Phillips, chief executive of AEG Live, said tickets would be free, but he was not sure how they would be distributed.

However, Los Angeles City officials are worried about crowd control at the event.

Councilman Dennis Zine said plans for the memorial are clearly moving forward, but he wished there had been more time to work out the logistics for such a huge event.

"If you can imagine 100,000 people show up and you have 20,000 capacity (at the Staples Centre), there is not sufficient room. Now you have a crowd control problem," he said.

With the July Fourth holiday weekend "it's the worst time ... to work something out," he added.

Mr Zine also said he was concerned about the cost of police overtime for the hard-up city.

Jackson's brother Jermaine said there would be a private ceremony for family and some special guests before the public memorial.

He added the family wants to have other memorials around America.

Jackson rehearsed at the Staples Centre on June 23 - two days before he died from a suspected cardiac arrest.

And footage of him performing some of his most famous hits for the final time has been released.

The star appeared in full flow as he danced around the stage in typical fashion during the rehearsals.

He was preparing for his 50-night residency at London's O2 arena, which had been due to begin later this month.

Uri Geller, a friend of the singer, said the footage raised a "big question" about what prompted the star's dramatic demise.

"The question is: What happened from that point to the day that he died?" said Geller. "In the photographs I've seen, he looked in great shape, he was smiling, he was happy. What happened? That's the big question."

Kevin Mazur, 48, the photographer who captured some of Jackson's final moments on camera at the rehearsals, said the star appeared to be back to his best and had a "incredible energy".

Mr Mazur said: "When he hit that stage, everyone was just mesmerised."

The photographer said Jackson was happy and joking with the dancers as he rehearsed.

He said Jackson performed his set for 90 minutes until nearly midnight on June 23.

"He was totally there - 100% there in fact," said Mr Mazur. "You would never suspect this would have ever happened - especially after his performance on stage."

America's anti-drugs agency has now been called in to investigate Jackson's death.

The Drug Enforcement Administration was asked by Los Angeles police to assist as they probe allegations the star was on powerful painkillers, sedatives and antidepressants.

The DEA has vast experience in dealing with drug abuse and could evaluate the potential role of illegal drug manufacturers, known as pill mills.

Jermaine Jackson said he would be "hurt" if toxicology reports showed his brother had abused prescription drugs. He said he did not know of any drug abuse by the 50-year-old.

But he added: "In this business, the pressure and things that you go through, you never know what one turns to."

Plans for Jackson's funeral are still being worked on, but Jermaine said he believed Neverland - the singer's vast estate in Santa Barbara, California - should be Jackson's final resting place.

In his will drawn up in 2002, the pop star's estate was estimated to be worth $306million (£187m), but tougher economic times for the singer since means his fortune is likely to have been considerably less when he died.

Joe Jackson, Michael's father, was not named in the will and nor was debbie Rowe, who is the biological mother of Michael's two eldest children.

Court may decide on Jacko kids

Debbie Rowe with Miachel Jackson DEBBIE ROWE, the mother of Jackson's two eldest children, could fight for custody of them. She gave up custody of Prince Michael, now 12, and Paris Michael, 11, to the pop star following their divorce in 1999. But there remains debate as to whether she legally signed away full parental rights in doing so. The star's mother Katherine has been granted temporary custody of the youngsters, along with his other child, Prince Michael II, 7, at least until a court hearing in early August. Now a custody battle could pit the grandmother's bond against the mother's biological link. A lawyer for Ms Rowe - commenting on a decision to delay a guardianship hearing - further complicated matters by saying his client had not decided whether to seek custody. If Ms Rowe does contest the petition filed at Los Angeles Superior Court, it is unlikely to be a straightforward decision for the courts. Lawyer Gloria Allred, who has dealt with cases involving the offspring of celebrities, said that if Ms Rowe does seek custody then the law will have to weigh a parent's rights against what is best for the children. Ms Rowe would have an advantage because she is the biological parent, she said. But Ms Allred added: "On the other hand, the court will always act in the child's best interest. It is probably beyond dispute the grandmother has been with the children far more than the mother."