Michael Jackson’s Death Certificate

The reason this is an initial and incomplete death certificate is that no place of final disposition is listed.

You will see the reference to Forest Lawn and that this is ‘temp’ or temporary.

Per California law, however, this is not a valid death certificate to permit burial or other disposition!

California Health and Safety Code Section 102875(a)(6) states that a death certificate must contain:

“Disposition of body information including signature and license number of embalmer if body embalmed or name of embalmer if affixed by attorney-in-fact; name of funeral director, or person acting as such; and date and place of interment or removal.”

Michael Jackson was embalmed even though this was also a coroner’s case. Some of the embalming information has been blacked out, but the embalmer’s license number has not been blacked out – # 8473.

According to the Cemetery and Funeral Bureau in Sacramento, embalming license number 8473 belongs to Jesus Miguel Ruiz.

No place of interment is listed. A ‘temp’ place could be a church. A ‘temporary’ location is not a proper location on a California death certificate.

California Health and Safety Code Section 7009 defines “Interment”:

“‘Interment’ means the disposition of human remains by entombment or burial in a cemetery or, in the case of cremated remains, by inurnment, placement or burial in a cemetery, or burial at sea [].”

“Temp” is not a valid disposition.