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Janet Jackson won't attend tribute

Los Angeles - Janet Jackson said on Monday that she won't attend a planned tribute concert for her older brother Michael in Wales because the show coincides with the trial of a doctor charged in the King of Pop's death.

The singer's one-sentence statement did not criticise the show, as her brothers Jermaine and Randy had done, but cited the court case as her reason for not attending.
"Because of the trial, the timing of this tribute to our brother would be too difficult for me," her statement reads.

Her statement was released on what would have been her brother's 53rd birthday.

Organisers of "Michael Forever - The Tribute Concert" have struggled to line up top-name acts and have been criticised by fans and the late singer's estate for multiple reasons, including its costly tickets, timing and remote location.

The show is scheduled for October 8 in Cardiff and the singer's mother, Katherine, and some of her children are scheduled to attend.

Christina Aguilera, Smokey Robinson and Cee Lo Green are the top-names listed as performers so far.

Organisers had to rescind an offer to the band Kiss after fans and Michael Jackson's estate noted that singer-bassist Gene Simmons had harshly criticised the pop singer over the years.

Opening statements in the involuntary manslaughter trial of Dr Conrad Murray are scheduled to begin on September 27.

Murray, who has pleaded not guilty, could face up to four years in prison if convicted.

Authorities allege he gave Michael Jackson a lethal dose of the anaesthetic propofol and other sedatives in the bedroom of his rented mansion on June 25 2009.

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