Pop star Michael Jackson rehearses at the Staples Center in Los Angeles on Tuesday, June 23, 2009.
(5 of 5)
And with the estate's current net worth north of $200 million and likely to spew cash forever, the vultures will circle ever lower; expect the convergence of cash and carrion. The will is sure to be contested. However sad the child-molestation cases were, the battles over the Jackson fortune, and the allegations that are sure to surface, will be uglier still.
All sorts of pepper is flying out of the postmortem-Michael rumor mill: that Jackson dermatologist Arnold Klein is the father of two of the children, that Rowe was only the surrogate mother of those kids. Even if any of this is true, says Scott Altman, a law professor at USC, "that's probably going to be irrelevant. In California, a child born during a marriage is strongly presumed to be the child of the husband and the wife. And if Rowe has been visiting pretty regularly--if they think of her as a mother and have an ongoing personal, intimate relationship with her--then she could probably succeed in getting custody."
Twenty years ago, Jackson was concluding one of the hottest decades enjoyed by any star in any medium. Twenty years before that, he was a magic child, the Prince of Pop. It would be a blessing if he could be remembered for the joy he engendered and the musical kingdom he created and--if we see that last rehearsal tape--the artist he was about to prove he still could be.
Remembering Michael For more coverage of the life and death of Michael Jackson go to time.com/michaeljackson or pick up our Commemorative Edition at newsstands now
Plus For breaking news on the Jackson story, visit people.com And check out PEOPLE's special tribute issue, on newsstands now, or order the PEOPLE tribute book, Thriller: Remembering Michael Jackson, at people.com/michaeljacksonbook