Archive for Michael Jackson memorial
Guest: Many wept during Michael Jackson’s funeral
Posted by: | CommentsGLENDALE, California – Paris Jackson wept as she stepped into the mausoleum where her father, Michael, was to be entombed. Katherine Jackson, overcome by sorrow, turned back when she was faced with her son’s final resting place.
On a sultry Thursday evening, amid a sea of white flowers and with a bejeweled crown placed atop his casket by his children, the King of Pop was given an intimate, private version of the lavish public memorial held shortly after his death in June.
The funeral at Glendale Memorial Park was simple but touching, according to one guest. The person, who asked not to be identified because of the sensitivity of the day, said Gladys Knight’s performance of the hymn “Our Father” (The Lord’s Prayer) soared in the vast mausoleum and moved many to tears.
When it was over, many of the 200 mourners hugged each other. Among them were Elizabeth Taylor, Jackson’s ex-wife Lisa Marie Presley, Barry Bonds and Macaulay Culkin.
The Rev. Al Sharpton, who gave a eulogy at the public event and at Thursday’s service, also extolled Knight’s earlier performance of “His Eye is on the Sparrow.”
“Gladys Knight sang her heart out. Now we prepare to lay him to rest,” Sharpton posted on his Twitter account during the service that was held outside and then within the marble mausoleum.
The mourners followed the crowned, lushly flower-draped casket as Jackson’s five brothers each wearing a bright red tie and a single crystal-studded glove carried it into the mausoleum. The 11-year-old Paris cried as the group entered the imposing building and was comforted by her aunt, LaToya.
Paris and brothers Prince Michael, 12, and Prince Michael II, 7, known as Blanket, began the service by placing the crown on their father’s golden casket. They were composed through most of the hour-and-a-half ceremony.
As it ended, Katherine Jackson appeared extremely weary and had to be helped to her car, according to the guest. Earlier, she had a difficult time going into the mausoleum; she was overcome, turned back, and it wasn’t clear if she went in at all, the guest said.
The Jackson family’s tardy arrival delayed the service for nearly two hours; no explanation was given to mourners. The invitation notice indicated the service would begin promptly at 7 p.m.; it began closer to 8:30.
The 77-year-old Taylor and others were left waiting in the late summer heat, with the temperature stuck at 90 degrees just before sunset, and some mourners fanned themselves with programs for the service. As darkness fell, police escorted the family’s motorcade of 31 cars, including Rolls-Royces and Cadillacs, from their compound in Encino to Forest Lawn, about a 20-minute journey, with the hearse bearing Jackson’s body at the end.
About 250 seats were arranged for mourners over artificial turf laid roadside at the mausoleum, and a vivid orange moon, a mark of the devastating wildfire about 10 miles (16 kilometers) distant, hung over the cemetery.
There were two oversized portraits of a youthful, vibrant Jackson mounted next to the casket amid displays of white lilies and roses. At Jackson’s lavish public memorial, red roses covered his casket.
A large, blimp-like inflated light, the type used in film and television production, and a boom camera hovered over the seating area placed in front of the elaborate marble mausoleum. The equipment raised the possibility that the footage would be used for the Jackson concert documentary “This Is It,” or perhaps the Jackson brothers’ upcoming reality show.
More than 400 media credentials were issued to reporters and film crews who remained at a distance from the service and behind barricades. The few clusters of fans who gathered around the secure perimeter that encircled the cemetery entrance struggled to see.
Maria Martinez, 25, a fan from Riverside, California, who was joined by a dozen other Jackson admirers at a gas station near the security perimeter, gave a handful of pink flowers she had picked at a nearby park to a man with an invitation driving into the funeral.
“Can you please put these flowers on his grave?” she told him. “They were small and ugly, but I did that with my heart. I’m not going to be able to get close, so this is as close as I could get to him.”
The man consented, adding, “God bless.”
Glendale police said all went smoothly and there were no arrests.
Jackson will share eternity at Forest Lawn with the likes of Clark Gable, Jean Harlow and W.C. Fields, entombed alongside them in the mausoleum that will be all but off-limits to adoring fans who might otherwise turn the pop star’s grave into a shrine.
The closest the public will be able to get to Jackson’s vault is a portion of the mausoleum that displays “The Last Supper Window,” a life-size stained-glass re-creation of Leonardo da Vinci’s masterpiece. Several 10-minute presentations about the window are held regularly 365 days a year, but most of the building is restricted.
The Jackson family had booked an Italian restaurant in Pasadena for a gathering Thursday night, and family members and guests were seen coming and going late into the night.
“I feel like I watched Michael finally given some peace and I made a commitment to make sure his legacy and what he stood for lives on,” Sharpton said outside the restaurant around midnight. “So at one level we’re relieved; another level we’re obligated.”
The ceremony ends months of speculation that the singer’s body would be buried at Neverland Ranch, in part to make the property a Graceland-style attraction. An amended copy of Jackson’s death certificate was filed Thursday in Los Angeles County to reflect Forest Lawn as his final resting place.
In court on Wednesday, it was disclosed that 12 burial spaces were being purchased by Jackson’s estate at Forest Lawn Glendale, about eight miles (13 kilometers) north of downtown Los Angeles, but no details were offered on how they would be used.
The King of Pop died a drug-induced death June 25 at age 50 as he was about to embark on a comeback attempt. The coroner’s office has labeled the death a homicide, and Jackson’s death certificate lists “injection by another” as the cause.
Dr. Conrad Murray, Jackson’s personal physician, told detectives he gave the singer a series of sedatives and the powerful anesthetic propofol to help him sleep. But prosecutors are still investigating, and no charges have been filed.
Dead stars and classic art will surround Michael Jackson
Posted by: | CommentsLOS ANGELES, California — Seventy days after his sudden death, Michael Jackson will be interred in what may or may not be his final resting place Thursday evening.
Only his family and closest friends will attend the private funeral inside the ornate Great Mausoleum on the grounds of Forest Lawn cemetery in Glendale, California.
The news media, which has closely covered every aspect of Jackson’s death, will be kept at a distance, with cameras no closer than the cemetery’s main gate.
Little is known about the planned ceremony, though CNN has confirmed that singer Gladys Knight, a longtime friend to Jackson, will perform. Her song has not been disclosed.
The massive mausoleum, which is normally open to tourists, was closed Wednesday as preparations were completed for the funeral. A security guard blocking its entrance said it would reopen to the public on Friday.
Fans of Clark Gable, Carole Lombard and dozens of other celebrities buried on the grounds have flocked to Forest Lawn-Glendale for decades, but Jackson may outdraw them all.
It is unclear how close tourists will be allowed to Jackson’s resting place. Security guards — aided by cameras — keep a constant vigil over the graves and crypts, which are surrounded by a world-class collection of art and architecture.
The Forest Lawn Web site boasts that the mausoleum, which draws its architectural inspiration from the Campo Santo in Italy, “has been called the “New World’s Westminster Abbey” by Time Magazine.
Visitors will see “exact replicas of Michelangelo’s greatest works such as David, Moses, and La Pieta” and “Leonardo da Vinci’s immortal Last Supper re-created in brilliant stained glass; two of the world’s largest paintings,” the Web site says.
Jackson’s burial has been delayed by division among Jackson family members, though it was matriarch Katherine Jackson who would make the final decision, brother Jermaine Jackson recently told CNN.
He preferred to see his youngest brother laid to rest at his former Neverland Ranch home, north of Los Angeles in Santa Barbara County, California.
That idea was complicated by neighbors who vowed to oppose allowing a grave in the rural area — and by Jackson family members who said the singer would not want to return to the home where he faced child molestation charges, of which he was ultimately acquitted.
The mystery of where Michael Jackson would be buried became a media obsession in the weeks after his death.
After his body was loaded onto a helicopter at UCLA’s Ronald Reagan Medical Center hours following his June 25 death, it stayed in the custody of the Los Angeles County coroner for an autopsy.
It was only later disclosed that Jackson’s corpse was kept in a refrigerated room at the Hollywood Hills Forest Lawn cemetery until his casket was carried by motorcade to downtown Los Angeles for a public memorial service in the Staples Center arena.
Again, speculation about Jackson’s whereabouts grew when the media lost track of his casket after his brothers carried it out of sight inside the arena. Though the family has not publicly confirmed where the body was taken, most reports placed it back at the Hollywood Hills Forest Lawn while awaiting his family’s decision.
Though Thursday’s interment may settle one Michael Jackson mystery, a more serious one remains. The coroner announced last week that he had ruled Jackson’s death a homicide. A summary of the coroner’s report said the anesthetic propofol and the sedative lorazepam were the primary drugs responsible for the singer’s death.
Los Angeles police detectives have not concluded their criminal investigation and no one has been charged.
Star-filled mausoleum awaits Michael Jackson
Posted by: | CommentsGLENDALE, Calif. – One month after a lavish public memorial for Michael Jackson, the pop singer’s family prepared to inter him privately Thursday in a mausoleum filled with legendary entertainers.
On Wednesday, a judge said Jackson’s estate will bear the funeral costs, which were characterized by an attorney as “extraordinary.” It was disclosed in court that 12 burial spaces were being purchased at Forest Lawn Glendale, about eight miles north of downtown Los Angeles, but no details were offered on how they would be used.
Jackson will rest in the cemetery’s Great Mausoleum with Hollywood stars including Clark Gable, Jean Harlow and W.C. Fields.
Jackson’s funeral won’t end the legal drama over his drug-induced death at age 50, which authorities have labeled a homicide. No criminal charges have been filed over his June 25 death, which came on the cusp of London concerts meant to restore Jackson to his once-incandescent stardom.
Last week, coroner’s officials said they believed Jackson’s death was homicide, and his death certificate has been amended to reflect that. It cites “injection by another” as the fatal injury.
Investigators have said a mix of the powerful anesthetic propofol and another sedative killed the pop singer. The new record lists “acute propofol intoxication” as the main cause of death and “benzodiazepine effect” as another significant contributor.
The certificate does not mention Dr. Conrad Murray, who was Jackson’s personal physician. He told detectives that he gave the singer a series of sedatives and propofol to try to help him sleep.
The coroner’s determination of homicide makes it easier for prosecutors to seek criminal charges, but does not necessarily mean a crime was committed.
Michael Jackson
Posted by: | Comments
Dear Lord…please forgive us for now fully recognizing who you sent to us. From this day on may we be able to see the divinity in all of us. What a great time to live in. To walk and talk with great beings. To live in the presence of love.
Messages to Michael Jackson
Posted by: | Comments- Micheal Jackson was indeed a gift from god. He has made the the whole world a place to live in peacefully, blacks, whites, latinos and the list goes on. The world will miss him. Rest in Piece my brother, my friend. You where really an inspration to all. thanks alot for everything.
- Michael Jackson in his death has achieved complete redemption…he deserves to be remembered for the good times he brought to us all through his music…he did all this while at times suffering inside…as I celebrate his life by watching his memorial service I can’t help but feel some sadness, that with all the love being shown now no one was there to help him when he needed it…love you Mike RIP.
- I am amazed at how Michael has touched the world, I have watched is videos and istened to his music for as far as I remember. I wish I could’ve gone to one of his concerts. The world is not going to be the same without him. God Bless you Michael and thank you for blessing us with your God given talent. Now you can rest in peace, and I’m sure your even performing in heaven as well. I love you and Thank You.
- Michael we never can say goodbye. You are loved here in the Caribbean & worldwide. You will be remembered as a great man & live on in our hearts forever! Thank you for all that you have given to us. We rally with the Jackson family. Peter King is a perfect example of what is wrong with our world, Michael has brought the world together even in his transition.
- I never thought that i would be this sad over the death of a person who i have never known/met, but then again i have known music all my life, and Michael Jackson was Music. Music is my passion and a huge part of it died with him. RIP MJ.
- Moonwalk your way through the pearly gates MJ – RIP and thanks for everything!
Michael Jackson memorial
Posted by: | CommentsLOS ANGELES, California (CNN) — They poured in to Los Angeles from places far-flung, an army of Michael Jackson fans hoping to collectively mourn their idol in a massive ceremony at the Staples Center downtown Tuesday.
Police put up concrete barriers around the center, allowing only fans with tickets to the star-studded event to enter — beginning at 6 a.m. (9 a.m. ET).
Parking lots in the area raised their prices, some as high as $30. Airports in Southern California saw a spike in bookings. And several movie theaters in the area announced special screenings of the event, which will also be carried live by some television networks and Web sites.
“I guess the crowd estimate is the $64,000 question that everybody is wondering about, and we are as well,” Jim McDonnell, assistant police chief for Los Angeles, said Monday.
“I anticipate the crowd here will be well-behaved. It will be a crowd that gathers for the right reasons and keeps the reason they’re there in mind.”
Police would not say what kind of security measures they have put in place. The cash-strapped city has said it will foot the bill for law enforcement.
Until the last minute, the Jackson family remained tight-lipped about where the singer will be buried, but signs pointed to Hollywood Hills Forest Lawn cemetery.
Several carloads of people, Michael Jackson’s sister La Toya among them, came and went from the heavily secured cemetery after sunset Monday. But it was not immediately clear whether they were there for a private viewing.
Shortly before the cars began arriving, a hearse drove up, with at least five police cars in tow.
The hearse backed partly in through the door of the Hall of Liberty — a 1,200-seat auditorium on the grounds — so that any casket unloaded and loaded would not be visible to the media helicopters overhead.
The Jackson family would not comment on the after-hours gathering. Neither would cemetery officials.
La Toya Jackson seen visiting cemetery
Posted by: | CommentsSeveral carloads of people, Michael Jackson’s sister La Toya among them, came and went from a heavily secured Los Angeles cemetery after sunset Monday, but it was not immediately clear whether they were there for a private viewing.
Shortly before the cars began arriving, a hearse drove up to the Hollywood Hills Forest Lawn cemetery with at least five police cars.
The hearse pulled partly in through the door of the Hall of Liberty — a 1,200-seat auditorium on the grounds — so that any casket unloaded and loaded would not be visible to the media helicopters overhead.
The main Michael Jackson memorial service at the Staples Center in downtown Los Angeles on Tuesday will be a star-studded affair, with singers Mariah Carey, Usher and Stevie Wonder among the participants, according to an announcement released Monday on behalf of the Jackson family.
Also participating in the event will be basketball stars Kobe Bryant and Magic Johnson, and singers Jennifer Hudson, John Mayer and Smokey Robinson, the family said.
The Rev. Al Sharpton and Martin Luther King III will be among others taking part.
Meanwhile, the Jackson family would not comment on the after-hours gathering that took place Monday evening. Cemetery officials, likewise, have been tight-lipped about plans to bury the singer.
CNN learned that relatives will hold a private gathering at the cemetery at 8 a.m. Tuesday (11 a.m. ET) — two hours before the massive memorial service at the Staples Center.
The California Highway Patrol will escort members of the family from the Encino, California, home of Jackson’s parents to the cemetery.
Afterward, police will escort the family to the Staples Center, sources close to the planning said.
Jackson lawyer Burt Levitch said Monday that the singer’s funeral will be Tuesday, but did not say what time or place.
On Sunday, Los Angeles Assistant Police Chief Jim McDonnell told reporters that Forest Lawn officials were working with the Jackson family on their plans, which were part of “a package” of events Tuesday.
“It’s a package, basically,” McDonnell said. “Forest Lawn has their staff that are also working on their needs relative to the cemetery with them.”
Though there are five Forest Lawn cemeteries in the Los Angeles area, a long line of media trucks and crews have been parked at the gate of the Hollywood Hills facility for several days in anticipation of Jackson’s possible interment there.
Ken Ehrlich, known for producing the Grammy Awards, is producing the public memorial show, his company said. Kenny Ortega, who was to have co-directed Jackson’s series of concerts in London, England, this summer, will direct it.
Mayer posted on Twitter on Monday afternoon saying “I’m going not to ‘perform’ but to contribute.”
“I’m honored to have been asked to play at MJ’s memorial service. I will be representing all of us who can’t be there,” Mayer tweeted. “Going to say goodbye from all us kids.”
One notable who won’t be attending: longtime Jackson friend Elizabeth Taylor, who put out a message on Twitter that she “cannot be part of the public whoopla.”
“I just don’t believe that Michael would want me to share my grief with millions of others,” Taylor tweeted. “How I feel is between us. Not a public event.”
“I love him too much,” she added, “and I cannot guarantee that I would be coherent to say a word.”
Debbie Rowe, Jackson’s former wife and the mother of his two oldest children, will not attend the memorial service, her lawyer Marta Almli said Monday.
“Although Debbie had originally planned to attend [Tuesday's] Staples Center memorial service, we have concluded with Debbie that she will not be attending,” a statement from Almli said. “The onslaught of media attention has made it clear her attendance would be an unnecessary distraction to an event that should focus exclusively on Michael’s legacy. Debbie will continue to celebrate Michael’s memory privately.”
Fans claim tickets
Fans without tickets to the memorial are being asked to stay away from downtown Los Angeles and watch the service on television.
The family decided to provide a free live video feed to networks so it would be televised everywhere.
“Everything about the memorial has to do with accommodating as many fans as possible,” Ken Sunshine, the Jackson family spokesman, said.
On Monday, fans chosen by random lottery for Jackson’s memorial began arriving at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles to pick up their tickets. Full story
Los Angeles Police Capt. Bill Murphy said the distribution process was going smoothly.
Each winner gets two tickets, bringing the number awarded in the lottery to 17,500.
Just 11,000 of those are for seats inside the Staples Center. The other 6,500 would be for viewing the memorial telecast at the adjacent Nokia Theater. AEG Live, the promoter of Michael Jackson’s London shows, owns and operates both venues.
Executors control Jackson’s assets
A Los Angeles Superior Court judge granted control of Jackson’s assets to the executors of his will Monday.
The executors — John Branca, Jackson’s longtime personal attorney, and John McClain, a music industry executive and longtime friend — had sought immediate control of the entertainer’s assets at a hearing before Judge Mitchell Beckloff.
The judge appointed the men as special administrators until another hearing August 3. He said they will be responsible for protecting the state from immediate losses.
The men can enter into new ventures only with court approval, Beckloff said.
Jackson died June 25. Since the next day, his mother, Katherine, has been administering the assets.
(CNN)