Michael Jackson memorial service

The Staples Center will host a memorial service on July 7, 2009, for Michael Jackson, who died on June 25.

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.

The memorial service

Sequence of Performances

First, Smokey Robinson read statements by Diana Ross and Nelson Mandela. Then, after around a fifteen minute pause, a gospel choir sang Andrae Crouch's "Soon and Very Soon" as Jackson's casket entered, followed by statements from Pastor Lucious Smith. The funeral then featured performances by Mariah Carey and Trey Lorenz singing "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," performed the song "Jesus is Love" by The Commodores in tribute. This was followed by statements from Berry Gordy, founder of Motown Records where Jackson and his brothers began their career, where he called Jackson "the greatest performer that ever lived." Then, a montage of Michael Jackson performances followed 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. Stevie Wonder then spoke and performed a version of his song "Never Dreamed You'd Leave in Summer."

Guest list

The participants for the memorial have been named as: Ron Boyd (family friend), Kobe Bryant, Mariah Carey, The Kardashians, 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. Others included Queen Latifah.

Casket

The family has purchased a $25,000 gold-plated, solid bronze "Promethean" casket, similar to the one James Brown was 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 red 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, Sky News and Sky Arts. The funeral service is also being broadcast live 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. 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, London, Malmo, Oslo, Paris, Stockholm 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.