LOS ANGELES (AP):

Michael Jackson's ex-wife Debbie Rowe will attend the pop superstar's memorial service today.

Former Jackson business associate Marc Schaffel said on ABC's Good Morning America that Rowe was confirmed for VIP seats. Rowe is the mother of Jackson's two oldest children.

Meanwhile, Los Angeles City Councilwoman Jan Perry said she'd "love it" if the Jacksons helped defray some of the city's expected costs associated with today's memorial, but that officials hadn't heard from the family.

Perry said the city didn't immediately have an estimate of those costs. More than 1.6 million fans registered online for a chance to attend the Staples Center ceremony, and only 8,750 names were chosen. Los Angeles officials are concerned about other fans clogging city streets.

"We're encouraging people to stay away," Perry said on CBS' The Early Show yesterday.

The Reverend Al Sharpton, in an appearance yesterday on ABC's Good Morning America, made no mention of whether the Jacksons would help the city with some of the expected costs.

Incurring expense

"The city is trying to do what it should do to secure people," said Sharpton, a family friend. "That's what cities do. Clearly, no one in the family is happy that the city is incurring any expense at all. You're talking about an historic figure that will have an historic celebration, probably one that we would not see similar in this generation."

Meanwhile, lucky fans celebrated when they got an e-mail saying they had scored the hottest ticket in town. "Congratulations, your application was successful," said the message sent to Deka Motanya, 27, of San Francisco.

She immediately Twittered: "OMG OMG OMG OMG I got tickets to the Michael Jackson memorial service!!!"

It was a real-life version of Willy Wonka's golden tickets. Each selected person gets a pair of free tickets, with the odds of being chosen about 1 in 183.

Dozens of police officers and a fire truck were parked outside Dodger Stadium yesterday, where ticket winners could start picking up their coveted passes.

Joyful anticipation

Nancy Kothari, 31, drove all night from Yuma, Arizona, to be at the stadium before the gates opened.

"I grew up with Michael Jackson, with his music," Kothari said. "Thriller was the first album I ever had."

The joyful anticipation among the chosen fans comes as the courts continue to untangle the future of Jackson's estate and police probe the circumstances of his death.

Jackson died at age 50 on June 25 after going into cardiac arrest in the bedroom of his rented mansion. The cause of Jackson's death has not been determined. Autopsy results are not expected for several weeks.

Jackson's family was planning a private ceremony at the Forest Lawn cemetery in the Hollywood Hills, assistant police chief Jim McDonnell said. He did not provide further details.