Jackson death starts 'long legal battle'

Michael Jackson's death will be the start of a long series of legal battles, his lawyer said today.

The Jacksons' family lawyer Brian Oxman said any remains of the king of pop's fortune, his property and his children could all be fought over in the courtroom.

He predicted that the singer's death "will be probably the start of a long battle".

Mr Oxman told CBS's Early Show: "We will have to see how that plays out in a court of law. I suspect that the death of Michael Jackson is only the beginning of the legal battles over not only his property, but also his children."

He also told US Weekly that the star's three children - Prince Michael Jackson II (sometimes known as Blanket), seven, Paris, 11, and Prince Michael, 12 - "are doing fine".

"They are in the care of a nanny," he said.

"Ms Jackson (the singer's mother, Katherine) will care for them and I'm sure there will be all kinds of discussions that will take place about the kids."

The 50-year-old singer's body was flown in a police helicopter from the UCLA medical centre to a waiting ambulance which took it to the Los Angeles county coroner's office last night.

A post mortem examination will take place later but the results are not likely to be final until toxicology tests are completed, a process that could take several days and maybe weeks, LA county coroner investigator Jerry McKibben said.

The coroner will need to officially release the body before any funeral can be held.

Officers from the LA robbery and homicide squad are also investigating the death, a standard procedure in high profile cases.

No details have been released by the family regarding any future arrangements but speculation surrounds what will happen next.

According to some reports, Jackson converted to Islam last November in a ceremony with an imam in Los Angeles, which would mean he would need to be buried as soon as possible.

But there have been doubts over the conversion and Jackson, who was raised as a Jehovah's Witness, never spoke publicly about it.

The demand for a mass public service is likely to be high. Tributes to the superstar flooded in within seconds of the news breaking last night and hordes of fans flocked to the medical centre to pay their respects.

Any funeral or memorial service is likely to be compared with that of Elvis Presley and James Brown as millions mourn his death in their own way around the world.

In London, Harrods owner Mohamed al Fayed has already promised to erect a Michael Jackson memorial at the store and various memorial events are being planned by fans, many using the internet to spread the message.