Michael Jackson memorial service: the biggest celebrity send

洛杉矶当地时间7月7日上午10时（北京时间7月8日凌晨1时），“流行天王”迈克尔•杰克逊的公众悼念仪式在洛杉矶斯坦普斯中心举行。玛丽亚• 凯莉、奎恩•拉蒂法、莱昂纳尔•里奇、史摩奇•罗宾逊、波姬•小丝等各界明星以及通过网络抽签赢得门票的11000多名歌迷齐聚一堂，为一代“流行音乐之王”送别。在悼念活动开始之前，杰克逊的父母、兄弟姐妹和亲友在森林草坪墓园为流行天王举行了一场安静的私人葬礼。据悉，约有十亿观众通过不同途径观看了此次悼念活动，而其盛大程度也堪称世界之最。

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Michael Jackson memorial service: the biggest celebrity send-off of all time.

Michael Jackson's body, in a golden coffin², took centre stage as an estimated one billion people watched the biggest celebrity send-off of all time last night.

The singer once said his own funeral would be the "greatest show on earth" and he would not have been disappointed as music royalty³ turned out at a memorial service for the "King of Pop".

Many of the 11,000 fans who had won tickets in a global online lottery⁴ were reduced to tears as a stellar line-up, including Stevie Wonder, Lionel Richie, Mariah Carey, Jennifer Hudson, Queen Latifah, and Smokey Robinson appeared in an emotionally charged atmosphere at the Staples⁵ Center sports arena⁶ in Los Angeles. Jackson’s children sat in the front row of the crowd close to his coffin.

Among the singers chosen to perform was Shaheen Jafargholi, a 12-year-old from Swansea, who rose to prominence⁷ after singing the Jackson 5 song "Who's lovin' you" on ITV's Britain's Got Talent.

The ceremony began with a message of condolence from Nelson Mandela calling the singer a "giant and a legend".

Jackson's £15,000 coffin was then wheeled into the arena. It was made of solid bronze, plated with 14-karat gold and had a blue velvet⁸ interior.

It was placed in front of a stage decorated with extravagant⁹ floral tributes and a screen proclaiming: "In Loving memory of Michael Jackson, King of Pop 1958 - 2009".

Mariah Carey performed the Jackson 5 hit "I'll Be There" and was followed by the singer Queen Latifah, who fought back tears as she told the audience: "Michael was the biggest star on earth. In Birmingham, Alabama and in Birmingham, England we are missing Michael Jackson. We are the world."

Jackson's brothers, in the audience, wore single sparkling white gloves, echoing the singer's signature style. Eerie¹⁰ images of Jackson during his life and career were projected above his coffin.

Before performing, Stevie Wonder told the audience: "This is a moment I wished I didn't live to see come. Michael, I love you and I told you that many times."

Notable absentees included Debbie Rowe, the mother of Jackson's two elder children, who was invited but stayed away so as not to cause an "unnecessary distraction¹¹".

Elizabeth Taylor, a long time friend of Jackson, also stayed away, saying: "I cannot be part of the public hoopla. I love him too much."

Outside the arena tickets changed hands for hundreds of dollars but fears that up to 700,000 ticketless fans would besiege¹² the building did not materialise.

Earlier, the singer's family and closest friends had gathered at Forest Lawn memorial park, a cemetery¹³ in the Hollywood Hills The mourners included his three children Prince Michael, 12, Paris, 11, and Prince Michael II, seven, all clad in black.

As the family emerged from the cemetery's Hall of Liberty, Paris clutched the hand of the singer's mother Katherine, 79, a Jehova's Witness, and his brothers helped load the coffin, covered in red flowers, into a plain black hearse..

It was then driven 11 miles to the memorial service escorted by the California Highway Patrol. A helicopter had been on standby in case the roads were blocked by traffic.

It was not clear where the body would be taken after the memorial service, although it was likely to go back to Forest Lawn for burial.

Jackson's grave would remain secret as the cemetery never reveals the resting spot of its famous clients and some areas are closed off to the public.

Other stars known to be buried in the cemetery include Humphrey Bogart, Clark Gable, Liberace, Bette Davis and Marvin Gaye.