Adventures in Grave Hunting by Lisa Burks

Who Needs Proof? We All Do!

"People write negatives things because they feel that's what sells. Good news, to them, doesn't sell." ~ Michael Jackson

Mmm-hmmm.

At a time when MJ fans are coming together in a focused, diligent effort to fight for justice in his name, the UK tabloid Daily Star chose today to publish unkind, unsubstantiated reports that some have paid bribes for the opportunity to visit his final resting place:

£3K Bribes To See Michael Jackson's Burial Site.

Who they're paying is unclear, it just says employees and former employees. What payroll are/were they on? Jackson? Forest Lawn? People have been interpreting it both ways.

This is the first clue that the story has a lot of holes in it, punctuated with a possible agenda. Regardless, this "news" has already begun to go viral on the internet as unquestionable fact.

I have questions. Like, how reliable is the source? They sound out of the loop and behind the times to me.

"They are littering the crypt with memorabilia and even posing for macabre photos by the megastar’s marble tomb."

The hundreds of tributes that adorn the area surrounding his sarcophagus are not left by a handful of fans. They have been delivered to the Holly Terrace patio doors in organized group gatherings and by individual visitors. Items that include flowers and balloons are then placed inside by cemetery personnel alone, no fans go in with. I have witnessed this many times, both large amounts from groups and single offerings.

Additionally, Forest Lawn confirmed to me in February that the Jackson family was made aware of these tributes by a high-ranking Forest Lawn executive and as a result asked that non-perishable items like cards, photos, artwork and letters be collected for them as they amass.

If any photos of fans posing in front of the sarcophagus exist, disrespectfully or otherwise, I haven't seen them published anywhere online. I've Googled my little fingers raw looking.  If you have seen them, please send me the link.

“The family are now taking steps to drastically reduce the number of people able to visit Michael’s burial site and security has been tightened up. As part of the new measures, the list of people actually allowed into the mausoleum will now include family only and no one else.”

Forest Lawn confirmed to me that the Jacksons did edit a previously-robust list of approved visitor names down to just family members. Only family, or individuals personally accompanied by a family member, are allowed to visit MJ. 

This, however, is not a new measure.

According to what Forest Lawn officials told me months ago, this decision was made after private photos which originally appeared on Facebook (I can confirm, I saw them there) ended up as exclusives on TMZ in October. I touched on those controversial images on this blog in November after communicating with primary sources involved in the situation.

I've heard, from multiple sources including insiders at Forest Lawn, about details involving investigations made into who sold what to whom and for how much since Michael died. Bribes have never been a part of those conversations and neither has paperwork that would back up anything I've heard.

Let me clarify one important point -- discussion is one thing, but without documented proof of any such allegations, speculating further on it in writing on the internet as fact puts us all in the irresponsibly slanderous gutter with the tabloids.

Not going there.

And I urge you not to either.

With so many other important issues looming on the Justice For Michael Jackson front today -- Conrad Murray's next court date on April 5 for starters -- why in the world would the family leak this particular story now? To what end?

It just doesn't make sense. Is it just me, or do you hear a big ole ax grinding somewhere in Unidentified Sourceland? Someone wants our collective attention without proving themselves worthy of it. It annoys me to no end.

There is a bigger picture here, too.

The additional danger in accepting this article as fact is that hundreds of innocent fans who have had the opportunity to visit Forest Lawn respectfully, to spend time at the Holly Terrace patio in order to express and process their grief (as people do in a cemetery) are being maligned. Moreover, this healing opportunity could be jeopardized in the future because of it.

And for what?

It very well may be true that at least one individual paid someone to get inside the mausoleum and do whatever. That, if proven, would be the real story. If I can verify it, you'll read about it here.

In the meantime, please keep in mind that this type of storytelling is purposely distortive and intentionally destructive. It lacks value and integrity. It's propaganda.

The tabloids don't care about your or me -- or backing up allegations with proof -- they care about making a profit and a name for themselves by breaking stories that other media will pick up on and give them credit for.

I hesitated to write about this because I didn't want to give this story another bump online, nor take the focus off of the amazing fan justice campaign currently in full swing.  But so many of you have asked me about it that I felt you deserved a response, and that this editorial was the right way to do it.

Thank you for your emails and messages, and for caring enough to seek out the truth in a responsible manner.

Ask questions.

Demand proof.

Make that change.

Conrad Murray at Forest Lawn: The Breakdown

Kudos to Entertainment Tonight and The Insider for broadcasting you-have-to-see-it-to-believe-it footage they obtained of impending manslaughter defendant Dr. Conrad Murray paying a visit Forest Lawn Glendale, the cemetery where his patient, Michael Jackson, was entombed five months earlier, to the day.

Video content provided for information/educational purposes only and remain the copyrighted material of CBS Studios, Inc. and CBS Interactive, Inc.

But that's only half of the unbelievable story.

The shows were broadcast on February 4. The Insider segment states that the Murray footage was shot the day prior, February 3 - the same day that members of the fiercely devoted Michael Jackson Fans of Southern California Facebook fan club made their monthly pilgrimage to the Great Mausoleum Holly Terrace.

Here's my exclusive breakdown on why we don't see him at Holly Terrace:

Viewer comments on websites for both shows are of the overwhelming opinion that Murray's visit was an outrageously inappropriate publicity stunt. Who shot the footage is unknown, but whoever it was did not go unnoticed by Murray, seen looking directly at the camera.

It's widely speculated that the material was orchestrated and leaked by a British reality show crew revealed to be following Murray around as of late December, as reported by the Associated Press based on an original report by TMZ.

The odds that the visit's documentation was pre-arranged to happen in the presence of at least one professional photographer skyrocket considering the quality and camera angle of this still photo copyrighted by the National Photo Group and published by the UK's Daily Mail. (Thank you reader Marissa Kay for pointing out that the NPG is the same agency responsible for paps Ben Evenstad/Chris Weiss' last photo of MJ, in the ambulance, and the first to get images of Murray when he came out of hiding.)

ET and The Insider both reported that MJ's erstwhile personal physician was seen alone outside the Great Mausoleum and that he left after only staying for a few moments and after never going in. E! Online further reported that he tried to gain access but was turned away because he was not on the approved Jackson family guest list.

Here's where the debunking begins.

This screen capture from the video showing Murray exiting a vehicle parked in front of the Memorial Terrace clearly shows he was not alone. Notice the person on the driver side seemingly getting something out of the minivan's back seat. A camera perhaps?

Next, Murray went to the clearly-marked Memorial Terrace, not the Holly Terrace which has been reported ad nauseum to be the portion of the Great Mausoleum where MJ was entombed.

Further, notice that the Memorial Terrace entrance doors are closed.  This indicates that Murray was either there before 9 a.m. or after 4:30 p.m., the hours of operation for that building. He didn't go in because he couldn't go in and it had nothing to do with a Jackson family approved guest list.

By the way, I was there with the MJFSC at Forest Lawn on February 3. While there, coincidentally, I was told by a cemetery source that the multi-paged family approved guest list was nixed once photos of MJ's crypt, taken by an approved visitor, were published as an exclusive by TMZ in November. For the past three months, the new official ground rules at the park have been that visitors are only allowed in to see MJ if they are accompanied by a Jackson family member.

Photo courtesy of Jim Lacy

Regarding the closed doors, as a comparison, I'm including a shot of my friend Laurie and I, taken in front of the same Memorial Terrace doors after exiting that terrace in 2006. It illustrates the position of the doors during business hours - propped open. You can see the security kiosk through the left door. The position of the car in the background of the photo is roughly where Murray's minivan was parked.

Just to be clear, here's another shot of Murray on the Memorial Terrace steps showing the closed doors, as well as documentation from Forest Lawn-issued literature verifying the mausoleum visiting hours.

Next, let's take into consideration the position of the sun to timeline Murray's visit.

The warm light and shadows in the image of Murray seated on the westward-facing cement bench outside the Memorial Terrace indicate the sun is setting on the western horizon (see map below which includes official coordinates.)  According to data from the National Weather Service, sunset occurred at 5:26 p.m. on February 3.

This narrows down the time of his visit on February 3 to within the scope of less than one hour, between 4:30-5:26 p.m.

After spending a few seconds on the bench, Murray is shown walking northward, past the recognizable Builder's Creed, toward Holly Terrace.  He is on the road that leads toward the archway as seen in the footage from MJ's funeral.

He's headed right toward a large gathering of Michael Jackson fans assembled on the Holly Terrace patio,  who appear to have unknowingly created a barrier between their beloved King of Pop and Murray & crew.

How far he made it down that road is questionable, but it's a no-brainer guess that he need not have walked much further before seeing many cars parked on the roadway past the overpass.  Equally a no-brainer call is the fact that he would not have wanted to run into a group of MJ Fans who were there from 1:30 p.m. until the park closed at 6 p.m., after dark.

  

Astoundingly, at the same time that Murray was being documented at Memorial Terrace, around the corner devoted Jackson fans were delivering over 200 Valentine's gifts to their fallen idol from grieving fans in 21 different countries, and conducting a prayer circle summoning swift justice for MJ from the suspected culprit responsible for his death, who just happened to be a few yards away.

To say that there would have been no room for negotiations to surrender had a meeting occurred would be an understatement. Most members were among the fans, outraged by the recent politicking surrounding Murray's arraignment, who flooded the Los Angeles District Attorney and LAPD phone lines today, demanding Murray be brought in immediately and in handcuffs.

Update 2/5/2010: In going over the events of February 3 with members of the MJFSC today, I was reminded that two young white guys arrived to the Terrace just after everything had been taken inside and the prayer circle had concluded. Some remember them to have been there prior, without cameras, arriving in a black Bronco.

The pair returned carrying professional cameras with large lenses, which is not unusual because people who frequent cemeteries today have nice cameras. When asked if they were there to visit Michael, they responded that no, they were visiting someone else, and had went back to get their cameras to photograph the display of gifts.

In hindsight they were most likely lying. I'd bet the farm that they were the NPG pap arranged to cover Murray. I regret that they were not photographed by myself or anyone else with a camera there that I'm aware of at this time.

I'm pretty sure one of the guys was Ben Evenstad. Here's a video of him being interviewed about photographing Michael on June 25. (Thanks, reader L and Karlene Taylor for the assist.)

Gift delivery inside Holly Terrace and prayer circle ~ 4:30-4:45 p.m.

Photo and candles left burning in honor of MJ outside the Holly Terrace at 6pm.

Karl Malden Marked at Westwood

Back on July 19, I reported that Tom Gregory of OVGuide.com speculated on YouTube that Michael Jackson may have been buried in a pricey garden plot at Westwood Memorial Park.

In turn, I did some speculating of my own -- that the grave Tom filmed was actually that of Oscar-winning legend, Karl Malden, who passed away on July 1.

See my original story, including Tom's YouTube report, here.

As it turns out, I was right.  Love when that happens. Two months later, on Sept. 19, my graving friend, The Queen of the O.C., who was with me on the initial investigation run to Westwood, re-visited the site and alerted me that the grave in question was now marked, with Mr. Malden's name and epitaph.

It took me a while to get over to Westwood and shoot my own photos but finally had the opportunity to go this week. Here you go:

Snapped at Westwood Memorial Park on 11/10/2009

Some YouTube commenters seem a bit confused by the video, as it's still titled "Michael Jackson's Grave" with no futher updates.  As we now know, Michael is at Forest Lawn Glendale, on the Holly Terrace of the Great Mausoleum. Specifically, in the Ascension Windows sarcophagus.

Hope this helps to clear things up.

Rest in peace, Mr. Malden.

A Picture Is Worth A Thousand Rumors

Update 5/30/2010: This sarcophagus has been confirmed as the final resting place of heavy metal legend, the great Ronnie James Dio.

Hollywood gossip shows Entertainment Tonight and The Insider each regurgitated earlier unsubstantiated news reports yesterday that Michael Jackson has finally been officially buried at Forest Lawn Hollywood Hills.  They further partnered with Hollywood.TV in speculating that his body was laid to rest in this particular sarcophagus:

This would account for the UK's Daily Star report that the location is "only recognisable by a mosaic picture of three hugging children on the outside," with The Insider guessing that "the image could represent the singer's three children."

This spot is located in the back area of The Courts of Remembrance, on the outside wall of The Sanctuary of Enduring Protection which houses the Berry Gordy family crypt room, another rumored Jackson burial location.

"Three Hugging Children" location, snapped by me on July 9, 2009.

Of course, as is tradition with this story, it's all rumor and speculation and guessing on the media's part. Until a reliable named source comes forward, or a name is engraved on a crypt, I'm not buying any of it.

What I can tell you is that the sarcophagus in question was neither built nor designed specifically for Michael after his death.  It was installed as part of an expansion of the courts back in 2004.  The mosaic depicting the three children has been there for about four or five years.

Area under construction snapped by me April 11, 2004

Thank you, reader Hippo, for flagging me on the Entertainment Tonight piece! :)

UPDATE: "The Three Children" mosaic is a replica of the original painted by American artist Rembrandt Peale in 1808:

Image courtesy of Encore Editions

To Grandmother's Cemetery We Go?

Michael Jackson Burial Watch '09 continues. Day 46. Still no end in sight. Sad.

Michael Jackson (snagged from MediaBistro)

I almost hesitate to post on this subject because it's become tedious, and that's saying a lot coming from an avid grave hunter. But I will, because I can't stop myself from commenting on the ridiculous.

Currently, all media outlets are zeroing in on Forest Lawn Hollywood Hills, the alleged lot of choice made by his mother Katherine. Brother Tito confirmed he's there (somewhere) while other brother Jermaine remains vocal on singing the praises of Neverland, citing it to be a more secure location.

Depending on which media outlet and their respective "exclusive sources" you read, MJ will be and/or has already been buried in Berry Gordy's family crypt or near his grandmother.

UK outlets seem to be the most factually challenged.

The Daily Star reports that MJ was entombed in Crypt Gordy on Thursday and described the property as being an unmarked mausoleum with room for 17 bodies and "only recognisable by a mosaic picture of three hugging children on the outside." (That's not what I saw, just saying.)

The Telegraph reported back in July that MJ was photographed visiting his grandmother's grave shortly before his own death, but I've not seen it.  If you know where I can find a copy, please let me know. (Update: Thank you, Liz for this link to the photos!)

Not that I put stock in this outlet's particular reporting either because it also insists fellow famous permanent residents at FLHH include actors Clark Gable and Jean Harlow (they're at Forest Lawn Glendale's Great Mausoleum) and singer Marvin Gaye (his cremated remains were scattered in the Pacific Ocean.)

But the most blatantly incorrect report I saw this weekend was on US-based RadarOnline, stating that he "will be laid to rest near his Grandmother (Martha Bridges) in Forest Lawn Cemetery's Court Of Liberty Garden...."

Apparently, a cemetery maintenance worker there "pointed out the family plots and said 'this one is for Michael.'"

This one I can personally attest to being wrong because I've been to her grave. But *high five* to the FLHH grounds crew. Good one, guys. Way to play bait and switch on reporters who don't do their homework. Grandma Martha (Katherine Jackson's mother) is located in the Sheltering Hills section, nowhere near the Court of Liberty.

Update 8/12/2009 ~ E! News obtained video of Mrs. Bridges grave and confirmed there was no signs of a fresh burial near her. Thanks goes to Liz for the media watch link:

I really don't know how to be helpful here, other than to suggest to the media that if you insist on placing MJ in the Court of Liberty, represent the celebrities who actually are right there -- Steve Allen,  John Ritter, Bert Convy, Paul Winfield and "Batman" creator Bob Kane, just to name a few.

And speaking of the Court of Liberty, David Carradine is allegedly there, too. Will let you know for sure once the plot is marked.

The Grave Next Door

Why do the media keep wanting to plant celebrities at Forest Lawn whether they're really there or not?

Michael Jackson may or may not be. Lucille Ball definitely isn't.  But now Hugh Hefner (well, at least his future resting place) and Marilyn Monroe?

The National Enquirer (I know, I know) is currently reporting that Hef has "confessed" that he spent $1 million for the space next to Marilyn, Playboy magazine's first cover girl, "in famed Forest Lawn cemetery."

Snapped at Westwood on 7/16/2009

The problem with this story is that Marilyn has been at Westwood Memorial Park for nearly half a century, right where Joe DiMaggio put her. And famously so. Unless I missed something.  Is the world now flat again, too?

Documentary footage of MM's funeral procession at Westwood courtesy of Sublime1Marilyn:

August 5, just a few days from now, marks the 47th anniversary of Marilyn's world-famous death. The date will be commemorated there with an annual public memorial service beginning at 11:00 a.m.

Hef's future crypt (left) next to Marilyn Monroe at Westwood ~ 7/16/2009

Besides, this isn't exactly news. I've been graving in Los Angeles for 20+ years and it's always been a long standing rumor (or fact, depending on who you talk to) that Hef purchased the stage-right crypt next to MM.

His ex, Holly Madison, even refused to go to Westwood in an episode of The Girls Next Door (featuring my pal, Scott Michaels, who tipped me off to the Enquirer piece ~ thanks, Scott!) because the reality of Hef's future crypt there was too depressing for her to deal with.

Try as I might to locate errant sources about MM's grave site, I couldn't find one. Wikipedia, notoriously inaccurate at times, lists her at Westwood. Even if you Google "Marilyn Monroe, Forest Lawn" it still takes you to pages that tell you exactly where she's located.

Bettie's new marker ~ snapped 7/26/2009

Additionally relevant trivia to punctuate the story....

Not far from MM is the newish grave site of Playboy's first centerfold, the lovely Bettie Page, who passed away last year.  Hef attended her funeral there. And several feet away from Bettie lies Dorothy Stratten, Playboy's 25th Anniversary Playmate who was murdered by her husband in 1980.

Westwood is most definitely a Playboy cemetery. Just sayin'.

Finally, Hugh told writer Harry Mount in 2005 that he will end up at Westwood: "My dear friends are buried there - Mel Tormé, Buddy Rich, Dorothy Stratton. When I found that the vault next door to Marilyn Monroe was available, it seemed natural."

Case closed.  Not that there really ever was one.  I just like debunking slipshod reporting. ;-)

The Enquirer also reported that Hef recently ordered a marker with the epitaph "He lived a good life" written in  large letters.  Time will tell if that is correct.  I love Hef, so here's hoping that we won't find that out for a good long while.