Melvin Price registered for the Michael Jackson memorial ticket lottery in England on Friday and jumped on a flight to the United States over the weekend.
But Price, who did not beat the long odds to win tickets, will still get into the Staples Center event Tuesday because of a stranger he met on a Los Angeles street. Barbara Ramirez did win tickets, but her husband, Ralph, has to work and can’t go to the memorial with her. “I own my company, and times are tight right now,” Ralph Ramirez said. After the couple picked up their tickets at Dodger Stadium Monday morning, they drove to the Staples Center to find “a deserving fan, someone who wouldn’t be able to go otherwise.” Details: See who will be there, map of area » That’s where they found Price, wearing a bright red Michael Jackson “Thriller” jacket. Price, from Northhampton, England, was flabbergasted when Ramirez offered him the ticket. “I don’t know what to say,” Price said. “Home is where the heart is, and right now, my heart is in America.” iReport.com: “Surreal journey” to get Jackson tickets Since Melvin would be sitting with Barbara Ramirez, Ralph asked him for one favor:
“Don’t hit on my wife.” Price promised he wouldn’t.
