Los Angeles, July 1 (DPA) Michael Jackson’s 2002 will was filed in court Wednesday, appointing his mother Katherine, 79, as the guardian of his three children.
The will stated that in the event that his mother was unable to take care of the children, Jackson wanted Diana Ross to look after them.

According to the will, all of Jackson’s assets have been left to the Michael Jackson Family Trust. It was filed with a separate petition that estimates the value of his estate at more than $500 million, primarily comprised of his half share of a music publishing catalog that holds the rights to more than 250 Beatles’ songs, as well as other music.

The will was filed in Los Angeles Superior Court as feverish preparations were underway at Jackson’s Neverland home some 200 km away for a public viewing Friday and a private memorial Sunday.

Media crews and hundreds of fans were already lining the narrow road leading to the remote, but extravagant, hideaway, as dozens of service trucks kept rolling through the estate’s gates to prepare for the events. Officials have yet to confirm the memorial plans, but the influx is feared to overwhelm the usually quiet farming area where Jackson lived until 2005.

Jackson died Thursday, aged 50, of cardiac arrest.

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