Nearly two weeks after Michael Jackson died, thousands of lucky fans got to pay their final tribute to their icon. It was not that his fans across the world didn’t get that chance, for the Michael Jackson public memorial service was televised live on almost all major networks worldwide. The public event on Tuesday, July 7, 2009 followed a private family service at Forest Lawn cemetery in Hollywood Hills.

Some 17,000 fans who won a ticket lottery entered by almost 1.6 million people for the privilege of being there, gathered at the cavernous Staples Center in Los Angeles to bid farewell to the King of Pop. This marked the final curtain call of the legend’s glittering career. It was a somber event, attended by Jackson family, stars from the music world and incredible numbers of fans.

Before a gold-plated casket holding the remains of Michael Jackson took center stage at the memorial service, people listened to Michael Jackson songs. The service began with Smokey Robinson reading the letter from Diana Ross-

“Michael was my great love, a very important part of my world, part of the fabric of my life in a way that I can not explain. No words to express this feeling.”

It was a star-studded memorial with some of the biggest names in pop music taking part in the memorial service, including Stevie Wonder, Mariah Carey, Lionel Richie, Usher, Jennifer Hudson and John Mayer. Other prominent figures who spoke at the memorial service included civil rights leader Al Sharpton and Martin Luther King III, basketball stars Magic Johnson and Kobe Bryant, congresswoman Sheila Jackson, Hollywood actor Brook Shield and Bernice A. King.

The rose covered coffin bearing Michael Jackson rests in the front of stage while the celebrities gave their speech and performed and Jackson family mourned. Usher, Stevie Wonder and Mariah Carey led an emotional public memorial and sang for the music legend during the ceremony.

The memorial service for one of the greatest entertainers ever was filled with celebs, but those who could not make it to the event sent statements that were read on stage to family of Michael Jackson and millions of fans. Robinson read the letter from Nelson Mandela,

"A big honor for his great talent and was able to triumph over all the tragedies come upon his life. Michael was a giant and a legend in the music industry. We have troubles with millions of fans around the world.”

The farewell to the pop legend could not get bigger! It was beautiful, but heartbreaking! Michael Jackson died on June 25, 2009 after suffering cardiac arrest at his home in Los Angeles. He was 50 years old when he died.

By Gerry Grant

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This entry was posted on Wednesday, July 8th, 2009 at 5:20 am and is filed under Celebrity News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.