Los Angeles: Organisers Friday released the first details of Michael Jackson's public memorial service, confirming that it will take place at the Staples Centre in downtown Los Angeles Tuesday.

A total of 17,500 tickets will be available via lottery for fans who register online at Staplescenter.com. But police will not allow any mass gathering around the venue for fans without tickets, and announced plans to close off a wide area of downtown Los Angeles on the day of the event.

The event is expected to be one of the most viewed in history, and organisers are making available free live video feeds to broadcasters and websites around the world.

Jackson family spokesman Ken Sunshine said there would be no memorial procession and that no details of the memorial service itself would be released prior to the event.