Michael Jackson’s mother was stripped of control of his estate last night as she prepared to lay her son to rest at Hollywood’s “cemetery of the stars”.

The ruling by a Los Angeles judge to remove Katherine Jackson, 79, as temporary administrator of her son’s estate came as a blow to the family matriarch on the eve of a planned private funeral. Control was awarded to two business associates named as co-administrators in his 2002 will .

Jackson will be laid to rest today at Hollywood’s Forest Lawn Memorial Home, near Sammy Davis Jr., Humphrey Bogart, Clark Gable and Jean Harlow.

The funeral will be followed by a public memorial service expected to include performances by Stevie Wonder, Justin Timberlake and Jennifer Hudson. Jackson’s mentor Diana Ross and friend Elizabeth Taylor are expected to speak at the memorial, with other celebrity friends such as Whitney Houston, Beyoncé,and Lionel Richie also in attendance.

Debbie Rowe, the mother of Michael Jackson’s two eldest children, has cancelled plans to attend the memorial, however, after saying she might contest Katherine Jackson’s custody of the children. Ms Rowe’s lawyer said her attendance would be “an unnecessary distraction”.

Mrs Jackson’s lawyers had opposed the legal effort to appoint lawyer John Branca and music executive John McClain as co-executors of her son’s estate in line with his 2002 will. “Mrs Jackson has concerns about handing over the keys of the kingdom just yet. She feels it is too soon,” John Schreiber, her lawyer, said.

Judge Mitchell Beckloff, of the Los Angeles Superior Court, ruled that Mr Branca and Mr McClain should be put in charge of Jackson’s assets until a hearing on August 3.

The 2002 will puts all Jackson’s assets into a trust that is, according to a report in The Los Angeles Times, allocated 40 per cent to Jackson’s mother, 40 per cent to his children and 20 per cent to children’s charities.

A court filing says the star’s estate — including his Neverland Ranch and Beatles song catalogue — could be worth more than $500 million.

People with knowledge of his finances told The Los Angeles Times yesterday that Jackson’s assets outweigh his $400 million debt by at least $200 million — not counting his posthumous earning power from music and memorabilia.

As they prepared for the funeral, the Jackson family had to confront an unwelcome reminder of Michael Jackson’s controversial history when Peter King, a Republican Congressman, denounced him as a paedophile.

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