Jackson to Be Buried Without His Brain

(MYFOX NATIONAL) - As Michael Jackson's family continues to decide on his burial plans, one tough decision has apparently already been made -- he will be buried without his brain.

The London Daily Mail and several other outlets are reporting that the family had to make the grim choice of waiting up to three weeks for Jackson's brain to be returned to them or go ahead and bury him without it.

After performing an autopsy on the legendary singer, the Los Angeles Coroner's Office has kept the brain for additional neurological tests including ones to see what drugs he may have taken. But the examination reportedly cannot begin until at least two weeks after the death when the brain has hardened sufficiently to slice it open.

According to the Sunday Mirror , a source from the coroner's office said that removing the brain was "the only way to carry out the tests."

"The tissue has to be examined. I can't tell you how long that is going to take," he said.

A public memorial for Jackson will be held on Tuesday at the Staples Center in downtown Los Angeles, and the family is planning a private event at Forest Lawn cemetery in the Hollywood Hills at a later date.