Jackson's family wanted him interred at the Santa Barbara County estate, the site of some of the happiest and saddest times in his life, and Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger had agreed to help clear any state bureaucratic hurdles, a source close to the situation told The Times.
But in the end, the source said, county officials could not find a way to quickly circumvent legal restrictions governing burial at a private residence.
"It's nobody's fault. Everybody in Santa Barbara feels bad about it," the source said.
"He'll probably have better scores in death than he did as a living individual," Schafer said. "That's most likely what's going to happen because of the sympathetic reaction. So then it becomes a question of the attributes associated with Michael Jackson, how marketable are they and to what extent can his name be associated with different types of products and services."
Schafer said Jackson will be added to a study on the appeal of deceased celebrities scheduled for the fall, which will measure him against other deceased advertising icons, especially those with similar troubled stories like Elvis Presley.
The comparisons between "The King" and "The King of Pop" are apt considering the similar circumstances of their final years.
Elvis' estate is staying out of such speculation, CNN reports:
Kevin Kern, director of public relations for Elvis Presley Enterprises, Inc. said in an email to CNN that, "We are politely declining all media requests of this nature. We don't wish to get involved in the Michael Jackson media frenzy."
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