The coffin is gold-plated with a blue velvet interior

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MICHAEL JACKSON will be buried in a solid bronze, gold-plated coffin worth $25,000 (£15,000), it emerged today.

The casket, the Promethean, has a blue velvet interior and a hand-polished mirror finish, and is said to have been the model that soul singer James Brown was buried in. Jackson would have seen the casket at first hand when he paid tribute to the singer as he lay in state in New York City’s Apollo Theater in 2006.

More news on the death of Michael Jackson

Up to a million Jackson fans are expected to head to the memorial service in Los Angeles on Tuesday. The singer will begin his final journey that morning, when a motorcade will take his body from the mortuary to the Staples Center, where he rehearsed for his 50-date sell-out comeback shows at London’s O2 Arena.

AEG Live, Jackson’s promoter and owner of the Staples Center, is to announce how it will distribute 11,000 free tickets for the service to fans – and is expected to set up giant screens outside for those unable to get a ticket.

It denied reports it will charge £15 to attend the service, but may sell tour T-shirts that were printed for the O2 dates.

The performer’s family have said performances from global superstars will form part of the service, and that they were committed to holding a public memorial for the fans, as it is “what Michael would have wanted”. Red tape blocked plans to hold the service at Jacko’s Neverland ranch.

The news comes as a fierce legal battle looks set to be fought over the future of Jackson’s three children: Prince Michael, 12, Paris, 11, and seven-year-old Prince Michael II.

More news on the death of Michael Jackson

Jackson’s ex-wife Debbie Rowe has indicated she will fight for custody and said in a TV interview she would take a DNA test to prove she was the biological mother of the eldest two.

Prince Michael II was born to a surrogate mother, but Rowe has said she does not want to separate him from his siblings.

Jackson’s mother, Katherine, 79, has been granted temporary guardianship, in accordance with the singer’s will. Jackson has left 40 per cent of his estate to his mother, 40 per cent to his children and 20 per cent to children’s charities, according to reports.