Attorney says Debbie Rowe won’t be at memorial

LOS ANGELES — An attorney for Debbie Rowe, Michael Jackson’s ex-wife, says Ms. Rowe is backing out of plans to attend the pop superstar’s memorial service.

Ms. Rowe, the mother of Mr. Jackson’s two oldest children, originally had planned to attend Tuesday’s memorial service at the Staples Center.

But Rowe attorney Marta Almli said Monday that Ms. Rowe’s attendance would be “an unnecessary distraction” and that Ms. Rowe will “celebrate Michael’s memory privately.”