Jackson Memorial: British Fans Invited

Tickets to Michael Jackson's memorial will be available to British fans after all - as touts were warned not to hijack the event.

The website for fans to register for one of the 17,500 tickets for Tuesday's service crashed during the first few hours.

Click here to apply.

Organisers say security measures mean only genuine fans should be able to secure a ticket but they warned touts, or "scalpers", that they risk ruining the event.

They have also confirmed that tickets will not be restricted to US residents, as some had believed.

A spokesman for the memorial's organiser said: "British fans can register for the memorial."

The event at the Staples Center in LA will be broadcast live on television around the world.

LA's Assistant Police Chief Earl Paysinger says anywhere from a quarter-million to 700,000 people may try to reach the arena.

 Tim Leiweke, president of AEG which was promoting Jackson's London dates and owns the Staples Centre, said: "It is the family's wish to create a service and a celebration that all of Michael's fans around the world can be part of."

There are still no details of the memorial service or funeral arrangements.

Police sources have revealed that the powerful sedative Diprivan was found in Jackson's home.

Diprivan is an anaesthetic widely used in operating theatres to induce unconsciousness.

The federal Drug Enforcement Administration has been called in by the LAPD to help as probe allegations that the star was on powerful painkillers, sedatives and anti-depressants.

Jackson died on June 25 after suffering a suspected cardiac arrest.

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