Los Angeles: Michael Jackson's parents wasted little time demanding authority over their son's financially strained empire and guardianship of their fatherless grandchildren. The big question is who, if anyone, will contest them.
Early on Monday - just four days after the death of the King of Pop - lawyers for Katherine and Joe Jackson won temporary custody of Michael Jackson's three children and moved to become administrators of his estate.
Judge Mitchell Beckloff granted 79-year-old Katherine Jackson temporary guardianship of the children, who range in age from seven to 12.
He also gave her control over some of her son's personal property that is now in the hands of an unnamed third party.
But the judge did not immediately rule on her requests to take charge of the children's and Jackson's estates.
The Jackson family is determined to move on in order to protect the singer's legacy and make sure his three children are well, family friend and civil rights activist Al Sharpton said yesterday.
"They've had challenges before," Sharpton said on ABC television. "They always rallied."
The swiftness of the legal motions underscores the fact that Jackson's death leaves a vacuum if he died without a valid will. If no will is filed, the number of potential claimants that could emerge seeking custody of the children or a piece of his empire are many.
The status of a will is unclear. Jackson's parents claimed in documents filed in Superior Court on Monday that there is no will.
A person with knowledge of Jackson's business matters, speaking on condition of anonymity because of the sensitive nature of the material, said in an interview with The Associated Press on Friday that there is a will.
The Wall Street Journal reported on Tuesday that Jackson's last will, drafted in 2002, divides the estate between his three children, his mother and some charities. The newspaper said Jackson's father, Joseph, isn't believed to have been included in the will.
Jackson wrote in his 1988 book, Moonwalk, that his father was incredibly strict with his children and would beat them if they missed a step or note during rehearsals.
"No one that I know of has ever seen the will," Jackson family attorney Brian Oxman said on CBS television yesterday. "We simply don't know."
Early on Monday - just four days after the death of the King of Pop - lawyers for Katherine and Joe Jackson won temporary custody of Michael Jackson's three children and moved to become administrators of his estate.
Judge Mitchell Beckloff granted 79-year-old Katherine Jackson temporary guardianship of the children, who range in age from seven to 12.
He also gave her control over some of her son's personal property that is now in the hands of an unnamed third party.
But the judge did not immediately rule on her requests to take charge of the children's and Jackson's estates.
The Jackson family is determined to move on in order to protect the singer's legacy and make sure his three children are well, family friend and civil rights activist Al Sharpton said yesterday.
"They've had challenges before," Sharpton said on ABC television. "They always rallied."
The swiftness of the legal motions underscores the fact that Jackson's death leaves a vacuum if he died without a valid will. If no will is filed, the number of potential claimants that could emerge seeking custody of the children or a piece of his empire are many.
The status of a will is unclear. Jackson's parents claimed in documents filed in Superior Court on Monday that there is no will.
A person with knowledge of Jackson's business matters, speaking on condition of anonymity because of the sensitive nature of the material, said in an interview with The Associated Press on Friday that there is a will.
The Wall Street Journal reported on Tuesday that Jackson's last will, drafted in 2002, divides the estate between his three children, his mother and some charities. The newspaper said Jackson's father, Joseph, isn't believed to have been included in the will.
Jackson wrote in his 1988 book, Moonwalk, that his father was incredibly strict with his children and would beat them if they missed a step or note during rehearsals.
"No one that I know of has ever seen the will," Jackson family attorney Brian Oxman said on CBS television yesterday. "We simply don't know."
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