Mohammed Al Fayed, the owner of top London department store Harrods, said Friday 26 June he would erect a statue in honour of Michael Jackson, as he did for the late princess Diana and his son Dodi.Fayed said Jackson had once asked him if he could have his own statue in Harrods, adding the singing superstar described the upmarket shop as "one of his favourite places."

Photo : Ted Aljibe/AFP

"I'm distraught, can't believe that this could happen, it's a total shock. He was such a great character -- a legend," Fayed said, adding that he had once shown Jackson around the store.

"When I showed him around the store, he liked my statue," Fayed said.

"He said: 'Can I have one alongside you?' I said: 'I don't mind' so now I'm going to have a Michael Jackson memorial here."

Fayed said he had already spoken to an artist about the memorial, which would be erected in a couple of months.

Jackson, known as the "King of Pop," died suddenly in Los Angeles Thursday 25 June after suffering a cardiac arrest.

Harrods already features a bronze statue of princess Diana and Fayed's son holding hands and releasing a dove, which bears the inscription "innocent victims."

The couple died in a Paris car crash in 1997 which Fayed has said was linked to an establishment plot, although an inquest last year blamed their chauffeur and pursuing photographers.LONDON, June 26, 2009 (AFP)