AEG, owned by Denver businessman Philip Anschutz, was set to produce Michael Jackson’s London concerts in July.
The sold-out “This Is It!” concerts were described in March by Jackson as his “final curtain call.”
AEG, a wholly owned subsidiary of the Anschutz Corp., owns the O2 arena where Jackson was scheduled to perform. AEG had proposed an extensive worldwide tour for Jackson.
Shortly after Jackson’s death was confirmed Thursday, Anschutz spokesman Jim Monaghan said there were no plans to immediately comment.
“We found out about this about an hour ago. His family and people close to him haven’t been notified,” Monaghan said. “We’ll run comments through AEG.”
AEG officials said they expected to release a statement but had not yet done so as of midnight Thursday. Early this morning, the company updated its website with a statement confirming Jackson’s death. It also said, “A further announcement for ticket holders will be made in due course.”
The Los Angeles Times reported in late May that California financier Tom Barrack contacted Anschutz in March 2008 to help revive Jackson’s career. Barrack wrote a check to save Jackson’s Neverland Ranch, the Times said, and called Anschutz.
The Times article stated that “the prospect of helping Jackson, given his recent criminal case, gave Anschutz, a devout Christian, pause.”
Eventually, Anschutz agreed to put Jackson in touch with AEG Live, the concert division of AEG, the Times said.
Anschutz declined to comment to the Times for its story. On Thursday, Monaghan said there would be no comment about the Times article.
Ann Schrader: 303-954-1967 or aschrader@denverpost.com
