Michael Jackson Estate, Fans Ask Discovery Not to Air Autopsy Special

Michael Jackson's estate, as well as his fans, have expressed outrage over a planned Discovery TV special that re-enacts the late pop star's autopsy, according to TMZ.

Get more of today's news

John BrancaandJohn McClain — co-executors of the estate — sent an angry letter to Discovery Communications president and CEO David Zaslav on Wednesday calling it an "offensive, exploitative program."

"Your decision to even schedule this program is in shockingly bad taste, insensitive to Michael's family and appears motivated solely by your blind desire to exploit Michael's death, while cynically attempting to dupe the public into believing this show will have serious medical value," they said in a letter obtained  by TMZ.

"We were especially outraged when a sickening print advertisement for the program appeared making light of Michael's death by depicting a corpse sprawled on a steel gurney covered by a sheet with a hand sticking out wearing Michael's signature glove," they added.

More than 9,000 fans signed an online petition asking the network not to air the special, which is set to air Jan. 13 in the United Kingdom.

What do you think? Is the idea in poor taste?