Tuesday began with a private gathering of Jackson family members at the cemetery at 8 am. Jackson’s family members were escorted from his parents’ California, home to the Forest Lawn Cemetery. La Toya Jackson, wearing sunglasses and a wide-brimmed hat, was seen leaving the cemetery. A small handful of sedans, all black in color, were seen coming and going from the hall of liberty and the TV footage showed a hearse being carried out of there and then the caravan proceeded to the Staples Center.
The memorial service at Staples Center commenced with a church choir entertaining in a somber manner in the presence of his golden casket and continuing with somber speeches and gospel-themed musical performances. The casket was brought to the stage by pall bearers with military precision.
The Rev. Lucious W. Smith of the Friendship Baptist Church gave the greeting, standing on the same stage where Jackson had been rehearsing for a comeback concert before his death on June 25 at age 50. Then, Mariah Carey sang the opening performance with a sweet rendition of the Jackson 5 song “I’ll Be There.”
Emotions were on the peak when the Rev. Al Sharpton conveyed his feelings to the audience highlighting all the barriers Jackson broke and the troubles he faced. “Every time he got knocked down, he got back up,” Sharpton said, and the applauding crowd again jumped to its feet. “There wasn’t nothing strange about your daddy,” he said later, addressing Jackson’s three children in the front row. “It was strange what your daddy had to deal with!” Brooke Shields also spoke during the memorial service for Michael Jackson at the Staples Center.She tried her best to hold back her tears,but could not, while describing her love and her friendship with Michael Jackson.
The famous celebrities present there included Jennifer Hudson, Stevie Wonder, Usher, Martin Luther King III and his sister Bernice, U.S. Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee and Kobe Bryant.
Michael Jackson’s memorial service can only be compared to Princess Diana’s 1997 funeral, which was watched by about half the people on earth (2.5 billion). Sixteen major television networks covered the memorial function.
Queen Latifah read a special poem.. Lionel Richie sang gospel, “Jesus Is Love.” Berry Gordy remembered the prodigy of young Michael, drawing a standing ovation when he said the title King of Pop would no longer suffice: “He is simply the greatest entertainer who ever lived”
.
The ceremony ended with Jackson’s family on stage, amid a choir, singing “Heal the World.”
Debbie Rowe, Jackson’s former wife and the mother of his two oldest children, did not attend the memorial service.
Ravi Matah