Fitting Tribute To The King Of Pop

Contact Staff

On Tuesday July 7, as thousand gathered at the Staples Centre in Los Angeles, and an estimated billion watched on television and on the internet, it seemed as if the world stood still for a moment to remember Michael Jackson, who died of cardiac arrest on June 25 at the age of 50.
The memorial service for the acclaimed world’s greatest entertainer was a fitting mix of eulogies and celebration.
Against a backdrop of heightened anticipation, more than a million people applied on-line for tickets to attend the memorial, but just 11,000 were accommodated in the place where a over a week before Michael was rehearsing for 50-concert stints in the UK.
The memorial service also drew an impressive lineup of sports and entertainment celebrities, all eager to pay tribute to the man who, through his music, inspired generations of people around the world.
It was a telling moment in time.
Family members, including his three children, his mother, father, five brothers and three sisters, all wearing evidence of their devastation over the loss of their loved one, were the focal point of the ceremony.
And from the time Jackson’s gold-coated casket, covered with red roses, was wheeled into the Staples Centre, there was a release of free-flowing emotions.
Each tribute spoke of Michael’s impact on those he met and touched.
Letters were read from Nelson Mandela and Dianna Ross.
Songs and other musical tributes were delivered by Mariah Carey, Lionel Ritchie, Jennifer Hudson and John Mayer. Stevie Wonder highlighted a special pause saying: “this is a moment I never wished was coming” and provoked a lot of tears with his rendition of I Never Dreamed You'd Leave in Summer and They Won't Go When I Go.
There were also very moving tributes from his brother Marlon, Kobe Bryant, Magic Johnson, Queen Latifah and Brooke Shields. And some especially powerful words from Reverend Al Sharpton.
But it was Michael’s daughter, Paris-Catherine Jackson that moved the world by remembering: "Ever since I was born, Daddy has been the best father you could ever imagine," Paris said, sobbing as she was surrounded by family.
"And I just want to say I love him so much," before burying her head into the arms of her aunty Janet Jackson.
By the end of this memorable memorial a lot of people around the world had done a lot of crying.
It ended with members of Michael’s This Is It band and backup singers, joined by Robinson and the Jacksons on stage, singing We are the World.