Posted by Adam

Tuesday July 7, 2009

Don’t expect to see Elizabeth Taylor at Michael Jackson‘s memorial Tuesday.

The screen legend, a longtime Jackson pal, took to her Twitter account Monday to confirm that she would not go to the Los Angeles event despite being asked to participate.

“I’ve been asked to speak at the Staples Center,” she wrote. “I cannot be part of the public whoopla. And I cannot guarantee that I would be coherent to say a word.”

“I just don’t believe that Michael would want me to share my grief with millions of others. How I feel is between us,” she added. “Not a public event.”

A moment later, Taylor, 77, added, “I said I wouldn’t go to the Staples Center, and I certainly don’t want to become a part of it. I love him too much.”

Jackson, 50, died Thursday (June 25) after suffering an apparent cardiac arrest at his home in Los Angeles.

His memorial will take place on Tuesday, July 7 at 10 a.m. at the Staples Center in Los Angeles. Kobe Bryant, Mariah Carey, Jennifer Hudson, Usher and Lionel Richie are among the celebrities who will participate.

Tags: elizabeth taylor, michael jackson