Exclusive
Michael Jackson's Escape Route Found!
Harrison Funk/MJ Memorial/Getty Images
Michael Jackson's departure from the Staples Center Tuesday didn't require the involved level of hocus-pocus that's been speculated.
E! News has learned exclusively how the star's body disappeared from the giant venue undetected by the media…and all it took was an underground tunnel!
A source tells E! News that after the service, security moved the golden casket through an underground tunnel that connects the Staples Center to the Nokia Theatre. The tunnel—typically used by maintenance and food service workers and occasionally talent—runs beneath Chick Hearn Court, where hundreds of media were encamped following the ceremony.
La Toya, Rebbie and Janet Jackson used the secret passageway when they went across the street to thank the fans at the Nokia Theatre.
M.J.'s body was loaded into a van at an L.A. Live loading dock and was transported to refrigerated mortuary storage at an undisclosed location.
Neither Jackson's rep nor AEG's has commented.
The tunnel itself earned a mention in Variety just before the venue opened in 2007.
"There is a tunnel between Staples Center and the Nokia that creates the opportunity for an artist to sing the national anthem before a sporting event and then walk across the way backstage. Plans also call for a tunnel from the hotels to the backstage area, allowing a performer to commute to a show on foot."
Unfortunately, the bigger mystery of where the King of Pop's remains currently reside is still just that—a mystery.
(Originally published on July 9, 2009, at 9:35 a.m. PT)
The Big Picture
If You Could See Her Now... Fun activities aboard the Oasis of the Seas cruise ship include macramé and a Rihanna concert!
More PhotosMost Commented
- Twilight Rewind: Hot Dish From the Cast Last Year! (798)
- Costars and Suits Give Robsten Their Blessings! (648)
- Blab Blab Blab: Is Twilight Sexist? (551)
- Bitch-Back! What's Eating Angie? (546)
- Truth, Lies & Ted: Twilight Special (477)
- Why Won't Sarah Palin Go Away? (428)
- Bitch-Back! What's Brad Got to Do With It? (425)
- Is Ugly Betty Ending? And Who Gets the Girl? (379)
- Is New Moon Even Good? (378)
- Ridiculous Twilight Hookups in an "All Taken" Cast (348)
Top 10 Stories
- Dr. Phil, Rachael Ray & More Continue Singing Oprah's Praises
- Michael Jackson's Doc Shipped Propofol From Vegas to L.A., Records Show
- Unleashed Fangirls Derail Justin Bieber Appearance
- Miley Cyrus' Tour Bus in Deadly Crash
- Good News for Miley: She's Officially Not a Racist
- New Moon's "Absolutely Freakish" Debut
- Snipes Appeals Overly Taxing Prison Sentence
- Carrie Prejean's Biblical Boobs Are A-OK!
- Project Runway: Everybody Cries, One Designer Wins
- Ellen: Oprah Will Always Be the Queen of Daytime TV
Fashion Police
Green With Envy?Not quite, but we do give Kristen props for this shot of color during her New Moon press tour
More Photos
Latest Movie Reviews
Get Your E! News Now
67 Comments
-
Show the next 1 - 0 of 67 comments
Now loading...