Michael Jackson's ex-wife vowed to fight for custody of the pop icon's children as footage of one of his final rehearsals was released.
The video, shot at the Staple's Centre in Los Angeles two days before the 50-year-old died, appears to support accounts Jackson had been well before he collapsed after an apparent heart attack last Friday.
(Watch more: Jackson's final rehearsal)
Although thin, Jackson is seen vigorously practicing a song-and-dance routine. He dances with energy in a tightly choreographed sequence with a group of performers.
He sings on a headset and at one point pushes back his jacket to reveal his red shirt underneath.
In the footage, Jackson switches sharply in styles in a medley of some of his hits.
The video starts with Jackson dancing wildly in front of a rock 'n' roll guitarist before a pause for dramatic effect.
Jackson then shifts to a snippet of "Billie Jean," one of his greatest hits, before singing, "They Don't Care About Us," one of his most controversial tracks in which he brought in a hip-hop influence.
PHOTOS: Jackson's greatest hits
PHOTOS: Death of a superstar
Meanwhile, as funeral plans took shape, legal battlelines over the King of Pop's legacy were drawn on the fate of his offspring, with ex-wife Debbie Rowe declaring she planned to seek custody of the star's eldest two children.
"I want my children," Ms Rowe said in a 90-minute interview with NBC television's local network in Los Angeles.
"I am stepping up ... I have to."
NBC reported on its website that Rowe had said she was willing to submit to any testing, including DNA, to prove she was the biological mother of Prince Michael, 12 and Paris, 11.
Rowe, who was married to Jackson between 1996 and 1999, was omitted from a 2002 will filed in Los Angeles Superior Court on Wednesday in which Jackson named his 79-year-old mother Katherine Jackson as his children's guardian, with soul legend Diana Ross named as a back-up.
Jackson's mother had already on Monday been appointed temporary guardian of the two children and their seven-year-old sibling, Prince Michael II or "Blanket," who was born to an unidentified surrogate mother.
A source close to Rowe was quoted by ABC News as saying she was concerned about the guardians Jackson left for the children.
"[Rowe] is looking at a situation where the primary guardian is now 80 years old, the back up is Diana Ross who the children do not know," the source said.
"If she does request custody and that request is granted, she would obviously get all the money for their care, and it would require that she receive money from the estate because she would take over as guardian."
Rowe has been largely silent since Jackson’s sudden death.
She filed a petition in 2001 to give up her parental rights but later reversed her decision and secured visitation rights.
Legal experts said Rowe's chances of winning custody could hinge on her relationship with the children. Several reports say she has not had any contact with the children for years.
"If she has a strong relationship with her children and ... she has seen them somewhat regularly then she has a very strong chance of getting custody," said Scott Altman, a law professor at the University of Southern California.
"But if ... she hardly has visited with her children, they have no relationship at all, they don't think of her as a mother it will be very difficult for her to get custody."
Lawyers for Rowe are set to attend a court hearing on Monday where issues surrounding Jackson's children and estate will be discussed.
Rowe also said she was willing to undergo psychological testing in any custody claim.
She would also seek a restraining order to keep Jackson's father, Joe Jackson, away from the children, NBC reported.
Jackson accused his father of abuse which, according to sources, is what has Debbie worried.
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