Jermaine Jackson drives away from the family's home. (AP)

NEW YORK (AP) — Jermaine Jackson says he would like to see Neverland Ranch as his brother Michael’s final resting place.

In an interview broadcast Friday on NBC’s “Today” show, Jermaine Jackson also says he wishes he had died instead of his younger brother, and that Michael was “a gift from Allah.”

Says Jermaine: “He went too soon. I don’t know how people are going to take this, but I wish it was me.”

On Wednesday, Jackson family spokesman Ken Sunshine said a public memorial was in the works but it wouldn’t be held at Neverland.

A person familiar with the situation told the AP that permits for a burial at the sprawling Santa Barbara, Calif., estate could not be arranged in time.