Daily News Channel
As the funeral for Michael Jackson got under way in California Tuesday, fans of the King of Pop gathered in locations across the globe to pay homage to their idol. Thousands of fans poured in to Los Angeles en route to the public memorial service at the Staples Center arena, while Jackson’s family and closest friends attended a private gathering at the Hollywood Hills Forest Lawn cemetery before going on to the memorial downtown.
Ticket-holders waiting for Michael Jackson’s memorial service in Los Angeles, California were making their way inside the Staples Center, where personnel handed them glossy programs. The rear of the line was moving so quickly for the service — scheduled to start at 10 a.m. PT (1 p.m
In the same Los Angeles arena where he rehearsed for the ill-fated “This Is It” tour, Michael Jackson will be remembered on Tuesday by a bevy of luminaries paying their final homage to the globally celebrated star. Jennifer Hudson, Mariah Carey, John Mayer, Usher, Lionel Richie, Smokey Robinson and Stevie Wonder have all been announced as performers who will help bid Jackson farewell at L.A.’s Staples Center in a ceremony that will be broadcast live on all major networks and many cable channels as well as streamed live on websites from Myspace to MTV.com. Brooke Shields, Los Angeles Lakers star Kobe Bryant, Martin Luther King III and the Rev.
Melvin Price registered for the Michael Jackson memorial ticket lottery in England on Friday and jumped on a flight to the United States over the weekend.
The cars drove up to the stadium in a steady, orderly stream Monday — some drivers giddy with anticipation as they entered and shaking with excitement as they exited. By 10 a.m. 2,200 fans had come through Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, California, to pick up tickets to the star-studded memorial service for pop icon Michael Jackson
The first official indication that a family service for Michael Jackson will be held at Forest Lawn Cemetery came from a Los Angeles police official Sunday. Forest Lawn officials were working with the Jackson family on their plans, which were part of “a package” of events Tuesday, said Jim McDonnell, assistant chief of staff of the Los Angeles Police Department. His comments, however, did not answer questions about where or when Jackson would be buried.
The role of heavy pain-suppressant drugs in Michael Jackson’s life — and possibly in his death — continues to come into focus ahead of Tuesday’s planned memorial service, with new allegations, Friday, that the powerful anesthetic Diprivan had been found in the pop-star’s home. Citing a single, unnamed law-enforcement source, the Associated Press made the Diprivan claim on Friday. Diprivan, also known as Propofol, is typically used in hospital operating theaters as an intravenous anesthetic.
Michael Jackson and Diana Ross shared a bond that he apparently thought would last long after his death. In his will Jackson wanted Ross — who took him under her wing and who he called one of his dearest friends — to take care of his children if his mother, Katherine Jackson, was not alive or was unable to do so. While the public may have been surprised at Jackson’s decision, the two have a long history together
The rehearsals ended on a high note that night.
The will and the wake. Amid the frenzy of confusing and conflicting information that has followed the death of Michael Jackson, Wednesday began with clarity on two fronts. The day ended, however, with more questions than answers.