[Japo]

Eager fans spent more than $90 million on tickets despite widespread doubts about the pop icon's stamina.

Now the star is dead — and one of the city's biggest arenas has 50 open nights. London, the city that was to be Jackson's launch pad back to glory, has become a symbol of the wreckage of his life.

The calamity has left Los Angeles-based tour promoters AEG Live, which operates the 02 Arena where Jackson was to have performed, with a colossal problem. In addition to the money taken in by ticket sales, which must be refunded, the company had already paid Jackson millions and spent millions more getting ready for the planned July 13 premiere.

There is no question it's a disaster, said Chris Cooke, editor of the British music business bulletin CMU Daily. But no one knows the magnitude of the catastrophe.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090626/...son_this_is_it