Michael Jackson funeral

A hearse containing Michael Jackson's golden casket began theshort drive to Staples Center on Tuesday following a private service at a Hollywood Hills cemetery.

Jackson's family members and dozens of friends, led by his parents, Joe and Katherine, were seen entering a building at the cemetery. News reports estimated as many as 20 helicopters circled overhead.

Police said that after the private ceremony, Jackson's body would be taken to the singer's public memorial at the Staples Center, which was to be televised live around the world. Among the celebrities expected to attend the memorial were Stevie Wonder, Mariah Carey, Usher, Lionel Richie, Kobe Bryant, Jennifer Hudson, John Mayer and Martin Luther King III.

Outside the Staples Center, Claudia Hernandez, 29, said she loved Jackson's music as a girl growing up in Mexico. Now a day-care teaching assistant in Los Angeles, Hernandez said she cried watching TV coverage of his death.

"I'm trying to hold in my emotions," said Hernandez, wearing a wristband to allow her admittance to the service and holding a framed photograph of Jackson. "I know right now he's teaching the angels to dance."

Police blocked off roads and warned those without tickets to stay away because they would not be able to get near the downtown venue.

Inside the Staples Center, a stage was bathed in blue light and a spray of yellow and orange flowers was placed in front of a podium. The backdrop featured a photo of a smiling Jackson looking up toward the sky and the words: "In loving memory of Michael Jackson King of Pop. 1958-2009."

Outside the arena, video billboards showed a montage of pictures from Jackson's life, including those of the singer as a child, with celebrities such as Luciano Pavarotti and Marcel Marceau, and with members of his family.

Some fans were allowed past street barriers into the immediate area around the Staples Center early Tuesday. Dozens of street vendors sold T-shirts, photos, buttons and other Jackson memorabilia.

More than 1.6 million people registered for the lottery for free tickets to Jackson's memorial. A total of 8,750 were chosen to receive two tickets each.

Los Angeles was the epicenter of Jackson-mania, but the outpouring of emotion was worldwide. Belgium's two national public broadcasters planned to broadcast the memorial live, and several hundred Jackson fans gathered at a Hong Kong mall late Tuesday.

Holding white candles, Hong Kong singer William Chan and Taiwanese pop star Judy Chou led the audience in observing a 30-second silence. Many of the fans clutched red roses and wore black; some donned Jackson's trademark fedora hats.

In America, about 50 movie theaters across the country, from Los Angeles to Topeka, Kan., and Washington, D.C., planned to show the memorial live, for free. Jackson died at age 50 on June 25.

"There are certain people in our popular culture that just capture people's imaginations. And in death, they become even larger," President Barack Obama told CBS while in Moscow. "Now, I have to admit that it's also fed by a 24/7 media that is insatiable."
The city of Los Angeles set up a Web site Tuesday to allow fans to help the city pay for his Staples Center memorial service. Mayor's office spokesman Matt Szabo estimates the service will cost $1.5 million to $4 million.

The Web page reads: "Help the City of Angels provide the extraordinary public safety resources required to give Michael the safe, orderly and respectful memorial he deserves."

It was not known what will happen to Jackson's body. The Forest Lawn Memorial Park Hollywood Hills cemetery is the final resting place for such stars as Bette Davis, Andy Gibb, Freddie Prinze, Liberace and recently deceased David Carradine and Ed McMahon.

(© 2009 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)

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• funeral

[peeweejean]

SAD SAD SAD GOD BLESS THE JACKSON FAMILY now please leave this family alone let them have some peace right now thier hurting and stop saying bad things because you dont no them and am 61 and l no thier a good family and work all thier lifes to get want thay want not like some of you,s on well fare so stop and get a life. GOD BLESS THE JACKSON,S CANADA ONT

[elsaskattungar]

He wanted to live forever... :'( <3

Like Peter Pan, never growing up!

[Chaanee]

@111FAS Yep I really despise media's psycho ways hiding interesting facts while turning this into "Breaking news", Michael Jackson should have showed some respect, btw.

[111FAS]

@Chaanee WOW - you're one angry person, why? show some respect will ya and get over yourself. Life is to short to be "like that" MJJ~forever

[Chaanee]

Breaking news, gimme a break. He was already fucking dead.

[milesofroad77]

acctually they put him in a cyrogenic room like he wished to be before he died but the casket photos were fake they had his body in the casket for the funeral (layout) then they took him out and into the cryogenic freezer he went.....but he was dead and shown at his layout........so janeaustinadmirer his wishes were honored and most people do know...

[MF033D]

Oi cockface, turn that shit off now or do i have to ram that quote up your ass. People are trying to watch this video, they cant see the video because you're to dumb about some hacking shit. Anyway, my main fucking question is why have you made a quote about some hacking on a video explaining the updates news about Michael Jackson's funeral? Do you know how sad that the world's king of pop just died before your eyes. A lot of people are upset and you're a total dickhead.

[Blackjesus3]

poor mike :(

[juzzcallmecel]

just turn off annotations!!

[luchorivolta]

petero no tapes el video