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LOS ANGELES: Michael Jackson's ex-wife vowed to fight for custody of the pop icon's children on Thursday as footage of one of the star's final rehearsals surfaced appearing to show the singer in good health just two days before his sudden death.
As funeral plans took shape one week after Jackson's demise, legal battlelines over the King of Pop's legacy were drawn on the fate of his offspring, with ex-wife Debbie Rowe declaring she planned to seek custody of the star's eldest two children.
Rowe, who has remained largely silent since Jackson died from an apparent cardiac arrest on June 25 aged 50, told NBC television in Los Angeles that she would seek custody of Prince Michael, 12, and Paris, 11.
"I want my children," Rowe was quoted as saying in a 90-minute phone interview with the station. "I am stepping up. I have to."
Rowe, who was married to Jackson between 1996 and 1999, was omitted from a 2002 will filed in Los Angeles Superior Court on Wednesday in which Jackson named his 79-year-old mother Katherine Jackson as guardian.
Jackson's mother had already on Monday been appointed temporary guardian of the two children and their seven-year-old sibling, Prince Michael II or "Blanket," who was born to an unidentified surrogate mother.
Rowe filed a petition in 2001 to give up her parental rights but later reversed her decision and secured visitation rights.
Legal experts say that Rowe's chances of winning custody could hinge on her relationship with the children. Several reports say she has not had any contact with the children for years.
"If she has a strong relationship with her children and... she has seen them somewhat regularly then she has a very strong chance of getting custody," said Scott Altman, a law professor at the University of Southern California.
"But if ... she hardly has visited with her children, they have no relationship at all, they don't think of her as a mother it will be very difficult for her to get custody."
Lawyers for Rowe are set to attend a court hearing on Monday where issues surrounding Jackson's children and estate will be discussed.
Rowe's comments came as footage of Jackson taken two days before his death emerged, showing him rehearsing a vigorous routine which appeared to refute suggestions the star was in ill health during his final days.
Concert promoters AEG Live said the footage was recorded on June 23 at the Staples Centre in Los Angeles as Jackson prepared for a 50-date set in London starting in July.
Jackson, while thin, is seen dancing with energy in a tightly choreographed sequence with a group of performers. Jackson sings on a headset and at one point pushes back his jacket to reveal his red shirt underneath.
In less than two minutes of footage, the singer switches sharply in styles in an intricate medley of some of his hits.
Plans for Jackson's funeral remained unclear on Thursday, with the singer's family still yet to make an official announcement on his memorial.
After days of speculation over Jackson's likely final resting place, reports citing unidentified sources said a memorial tribute for Jackson would be held at 10 am (1700 GMT) on Tuesday at Staples Centre.
Jackson would then be buried at the picturesque Forest Lawn cemetery nestled in the Hollywood Hills above Los Angeles, reports said.
A spokesperson for the Jackson family would not comment on the reports. On Wednesday the Jacksons issued a statement ruling out the possibility of a poignant final farewell at the singer's Neverland Ranch.
"Contrary to previous news reports, the Jackson family is officially stating that there will be no public or private viewing at Neverland," it said.
The announcement disappointed fans who had flocked to Neverland after reports indicated the family was planning services at the estate for Jackson.
However Jackson's elder brother Jermaine told NBC television in an interview broadcast on Thursday that he wanted to see the estate become his younger sibling's final resting place.
"This is his home, he created this. Why wouldn't he be here?" Jackson said in an interview recorded at the ranch. "I feel his presence. He built this place with love and you can see it and feel it."
A final cause of death for Jackson has not yet been determined pending the results of toxicology tests.
Police detectives are reportedly seeking to identify and interview "multiple doctors" who treated Jackson in the years before his death.
Late Wednesday, the federal Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) declined to confirm reports it had joined the probe as investigators sought help in pinning down the source of prescription medications. - AFP/de
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