Michael Jackson memorial service

The Staples Center

The funeral of Michael Jackson on July 7, 2009, is expected to be the biggest in entertainment history, eclipsing that of Elvis Presley in 1977, which attracted 77,000 people, and rival that of Diana, Princess of Wales in 1997, which saw 250,000 people gather in Hyde Park alone. The global audience is expected to exceed 1 billion.

There was a private family service on the morning of Tuesday, July 7, at Forest Lawn Memorial Park's Hall of Liberty in Hollywood Hills, followed by a public memorial at the Staples Center, where he rehearsed and prepared for the "This Is It" concerts on June 23, two days before he died. L.A. Police Chief William J. Bratton reported that Jackson's body will be brought to the Staples Center but declined to say how the body will be transported. The hearse was taken to the Downtown center by a motorcade via the Hollywood and Harbor Freeways, arriving just before 10:00 a.m. local time and causing a delay in the start of the memorial service. The memorial began few minutes after 10:30 a.m. with music and by Pastor Lucious Smith. The stage was decorated by a large colorful floral arrangement. Various photographs were projected in the back of the stage, started with a black and white picture of the Jackson 5.

Staples released 17,500 free tickets, the recipients chosen by an online lottery that attracted 1.2 million applicants in the first 24 hours. Los Angeles is reported to be in lockdown after police requests that non-ticket holders stay away were ignored. Streets around the Center have been sealed off, and an additional 1,400 officers are on duty, at a cost of $4 million to the city.

Memorial service

Smokey Robinson reads statements by Diana Ross and Nelson Mandela followed by around a fifteen minute pause.

A gospel choir sings Andrae Crouch's "Soon and Very Soon" as Jackson's casket entered, followed by statements from Pastor Lucious Smith.

Mariah Carey and Trey Lorenz sing "I'll Be There," a number one single of The Jackson 5, followed by statements from Queen Latifah.

Lionel Richie, Jackson's friend and his co-writer on "We Are the World," performs the song "Jesus is Love" by The Commodores in tribute. This is followed by statements from Berry Gordy, founder of Motown Records where Jackson and his brothers began their career, calling Jackson "the greatest performer that ever lived."

A video montage of Michael Jackson performances follows, including Neverland Ranch, when he met Ronald Reagan, "Billie Jean," "Smooth Criminal," "Thriller," "Bad," "Beat It," his performance at Motown 25: Yesterday, Today, Forever with the Moonwalk, "They Don't Care About Us," "Scream," "You Are Not Alone," "We Are the World," and his appearance at the Super Bowl XXVII.

Stevie Wonder speaks and performs a version of his song "Never Dreamed You'd Leave in Summer" and "They Won't Go When I Go". Kobe Bryant then speaks about Jackson's humanitarian work and Magic Johnson, who appeared in "Remember the Time," speaks of knowing Jackson.

Jennifer Hudson, of American Idol fame, sings "Will You Be There". Al Sharpton then comments, saying that "Michael never stopped" and saying that "Nothing was strange about Michael."

John Mayer plays guitar as "Human Nature" from Jackson's Thriller is performed. Brooke Shields then speaks about the personal time she spent with Jackson, reads excerpts from The Little Prince, and says that his favourite song was "Smile," which was subsequently performed by Jermaine Jackson, Michael's older brother.

Martin Luther King III then spoke.

Guest list

The participants for the memorial have been named as: Ron Boyd (family friend), Kobe Bryant, Mariah Carey, Andrae Crouch (choir), Berry Gordy, Jennifer Hudson, Shaheen Jafargholi (a child finalist on Britain's Got Talent who sang a Jackson song), Magic Johnson, Martin Luther King III, Bernice A. King, John Mayer, Lionel Richie, Smokey Robinson, Rev. Al Sharpton, Brooke Shields, Pastor Lucious Smith (family friend), Usher, and Stevie Wonder.

In addition to the above persons, ABC News reported that Justin Timberlake, Lionel Richie's daughter Nicole, who was Michael's goddaughter, singer Akon, Queen Latifah, Sean Combs, and Beyoncé Knowles will attend the services.

Debbie Rowe, Jackson's ex-wife and mother of two of his three children, hoping not to be a distraction, is not attending the funeral; nor is his first wife, Lisa Marie Presley. Also not attending are actress Elizabeth Taylor, one of Jackson's closest friends, and another friend, Macaulay Culkin. As seen on the coverage by CNN, Larry King attended.

Casket

The family has purchased a $25,000 gold-plated, 48 ounce, solid bronze "Promethean" casket, similar to the ones James Brown and John Gotti were buried in. Dennis Tompkins and Michael Bush, Jackson's costume designers are believed to have made his final suit. Jackson's body includes his single white glove on his right hand. The casket at the Staples Center was decorated on top by a large crimson flower arrangement.

Live broadcast

The funeral is being broadcast live by several American television networks including CBS, NBC, ABC, MSNBC, VH1, TV One, BET, FOX, and MTV. It is also being broadcast on several channels around the world, including BBC Two, CNN, RTÉ Two TV3, TVN 24, Sky News and Sky Arts. The funeral service is also being broadcast live on the two major networks of the Philippines, GMA Network and ABS-CBN, as well as on several German televison networks: ARD, ZDF, N24, N-TV, and Phoenix while the music channels MTV and VIVA show documentaries and music clips of Jackson.

The event will be televised on several websites such as TVGuide.com.

Michael Jackson fans descend on Los Angeles for memorial service. Apple will stream the event live. Fans in countries such as Australia, Japan, and Thailand are staying up into the small hours to watch live broadcasts of the service. Before the event, the audience was anticipated to be over 1 billion, according to the previous citation.

Public events and screenings are planned in Berlin, Brussels, Goteborg, Lisbon, London, Malmo, Oslo, Paris, Stockholm, Tallinn and several Australian television channels will broadcast it live, with a giant screen being erected in Melbourne at three in the morning.

Final resting place

The Daily Telegraph writes that the family would like to have Jackson's casket entombed in concrete because of fears it may be interfered with, or cremated and later moved to the Neverland Ranch, next to the train station, which Jackson used every day to reach his private zoo. As burial outside a cemetery is illegal in the state of California, the family will have to petition for a change in the law.