Friends and Family, Fans and Stars Said Goodbye To The King of Pop in a Public Memorial Ceremonial.
Yesterday, July 7, the whole world said goodbye to the greatest pop star we have ever seen. Earlier in the day, Jackson’s family held a private ceremony at the Forest Lawn Cemetery. The cemetery is the resting place of such famous names as Bette Davis, Humphrey Bogart, Sammy Davis Jr, Nat King Cole, Sam Cooke and Marvin Gaye. As the ceremony ended, pallbearers carrying Jackson’s golden casket swathed with red flowers emerged and loaded it into a black hearse, under the watchful eye of mourners and around 20 media helicopters hovering overhead. A motorcade of luxury vehicles then made a stately procession to the Staples Centre, where family, friends and celebrities rubbed shoulders with ordinary fans who had won tickets via an online lottery.
A bazaar of T-shirts, buttons, photos and other memorabilia sprouted in the blocks around the memorial. Movie theatres played the service live and people paused around the world to watch.
Inside, however, the atmosphere was somber, church-like, assisted by the enormous video image of a stained glass window, with red-gold clouds blowing past, which was projected behind the stage.
It was not spectacular, extravagant or bizarre but it reached back for the essence of the man. There were songs and tears but little dancing. Singer and performer, an amazing dancer, superstar, loving friend, brother and father, humanitarian: that was how more than 18,000 people gathered inside Los Angeles Staples Center arena and untold billions watching around the world, remembered Jackson.
Fans and hundreds of international news outlets tweeted and live-blogged the proceedings in real time, bringing the world together in a way that would likely have brought joy to Jackson, whose many charitable efforts were aimed at bridging racial, ethnic and spiritual divides with songs such as “Earth Song.”
The event opened with Motown legend Smokey Robinson reading a tribute to Jackson from the singer’s longtime friend and mentor, Diana Ross, and a note from former South African President Nelson Mandela as the words “In Loving Memory of Michael Jackson King of Pop 1958-2009″ were beamed onto the screen behind him.
Wearing a flowing black gown, Mariah Carey reprised her famous cover of the Jackson 5’s “I’ll Be There,” joined by her longtime friend and protégé, Trey Lorenz.
Among those on hand to remember Jackson was Queen Latifah, who spoke of Jackson’s power to bring people together and make them believe in themselves. She recalled buying the Jackson 5’s “Dancing Machine” as a child and trying, in vain, to copy his dance moves.
“Michael was the biggest star on earth. He let me know that as an African-American you could travel the world … there was a world outside America. Other people, all you people who came here to pay respect to someone you felt was one of you, a human being first,” she said. Latifah then read a new verse called “We Had Him” from the great American poet Maya Angelou.
Accompanied by the gospel choir, Lionel Richie sang the Commodores’ spiritual “Jesus Is Love”. Next, Motown founder Berry Gordy took the stage to honor Jackson, who he said was like a son to him. Another fellow Motown peer and onetime child star Stevie Wonder said, “This is a moment that I wished that I didn’t live to see come.” Sitting at a piano and singing his mournfully appropriate 1971 ballad “Never Dreamed You’d Leave in Summer,” he pleaded, “Michael, why didn’t you stay?”
Los Angeles Laker All-Star Kobe Bryant honored Jackson’s charitable acts. Fellow Lakers legend Magic Johnson said he became a greater basketball player by watching the singer’s moves onstage and fondly remembered being asked to appear in Jackson’s 1992 video for “Remember the Time.”
Then, another tearful moment impressed the crowd. Wearing dark sunglasses and a yellow rose pinned to his lapel, Usher provided an emotional take on “Gone Too Soon,” passionately singing the single of Michael Jackson’s 1991 album, Dangerous ( Jackson wrote the song in memory of Ryan White, who died of AIDS after contracting the disease via a blood transfusion during surgery). After beginning the song while sitting in a chair, Usher rose and strode across the stage. He then walked down the stage steps and onto the floor in front of the Jackson family, where he began to approach Michael’s gold-plated coffin. Continuing to sing, Usher came to a stop in front of the red rose-covered coffin and rested his left hand on it. As the song ended, he was surrounded by Jackson’s family. After hugging them all, he went and knelt in front of Michael’s mother, Katherine, and placed his head in her lap as tears streamed down his face.
Furthermore, longtime friend Brooke Shields was in tears remembering the many photo captions over the years that referred to their friendship as “odd.” For the two of them, she said, “It was the most natural and easiest of friendships. … We had a bond and maybe it was because we both understood what it was like to be in the spotlight from a very, very young age. I used to tease him and say, ‘You know I started when I was 11 months old, you’re a slacker … you were, what, 5?’”
However, Jackson’s longtime and best friend Elizabeth Taylor did not attend the ceremony. She said on Twitter: “I just don’t believe Michael would want me to share my grief with millions of others. How I feel is between us. Not a public event.” She had been asked to speak at the service, she said, but “I cannot be part of the public whoopla”.
The King’s brother, Jermaine Jackson, sang his brother’s favorite song, the Charlie Chaplin-penned “Smile,” from the classic film “Modern Times.” Then everybody sang “We Are the World” while the lyrics to the song were projected onto the screen behind them. Finally, all the day’s performers, Jackson’s family, including the singer’s children, and a choir of teens sang along to the peace anthem “Heal the World.”
But, the day ended with the most heart-wrenching moment and shocking tribute of all — Michael Jackson’s daughter Paris, 11, delivered a tearful goodbye to her father: “Ever since I was born, Daddy has been the best father you could ever imagine. And I just wanted to say I love him so much,” collapsing into aunt Janet Jackson’s arms.
The public memorial ceremony ended yesterday evening but the tributes to the man who once conquered the entire world through his music and dancing and humanitarian acts didn’t ceased. Black or white, yellow or brown, Christian or Hindu, Muslim or atheist, we will always remember Michael Jackson. We will always listen to his music, we will always honor and cherish him and thus he will continue living in our hearts.
