Many dignitaries and celebrities shared songs, memories and praise for Michael Jackson at the singer’s memorial service Tuesday at the Staples Center in Los Angeles.
Broadcast live around the world from the Staples Center, musical titans performed gospel-tinged versions of his songs and their own between testimonials to Mr. Jackson’s talent and achievements on and off the stage. It’s poignant. It’s wrenching. But most of all, it’s so very Michael. 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, Trey Lorenz. Queen Latifah was one of the many celebrities to pay tribute to Michael Jackson. She told the crowd that Jackson had been an inspiration to her and that she loved “Michael from a distance.” In addition to saying that, like so many of his fans, she “loved him all my life,” she also read a poem that Maya Angelou wrote in tribute for the occasion called “We Had Him“. Accompanied by the gospel choir, Lionel Richie, the co-writer with Jackson of the famine-relief hit “We Are the World,” looked grief-stricken at first as he sang the Commodores’ spiritual “Jesus Is Love,” his powerful voice rising to a crescendo at the end. Next, Motown founder Berry Gordy took the stage to honor Jackson, who he said was like a son to him. “He raised the bar and then broke the bar,” Gordy said. Stevie Wonder, obviously choked up as he spoke about Jackson while seated at a black grand piano, performed the beautifully apt “Never Dreamed You’d Leave in Summer,” from his 1971 “Where I’m Coming From” album. He pleaded, “Michael, why didn’t you stay?” midsong before segueing into another ballad, 1974’s “They Won’t Go When I Go.” Oscar winner Jennifer Hudson also brought down the house with a funky, syncopated cover of Jackson’s 1993 single “Will You Be There,” from the “Free Willy” soundtrack and Dangerous album. John Mayer, who played the iconic guitar solo on Fall Out Boy’s 2008 cover of Jackson’s “Beat It,” got the audience clapping in time to an instrumental take on “Human Nature,” teasing out the song’s jazzy tones with an understated performance that featured spare vocals from Jackson’s backup singers. In one of the day’s most moving tributes, longtime friend and former child star Brooke Shields was in tears remembering the many photo captions over the years. According to Brooke Shields, Michael Jackson’s favorite song wasn’t one of his own. It was “Smile,” a tune written by none other than Charlie Chaplin. Brother Jermaine Jackson then sang a tender version of his brother’s favorite song, which was recorded on his 1995 album, “HIStory: Past, Present and Future, Book 1.” Usher approached Jackson’s coffin as he sang a dignified “Gone Too Soon,” which Jackson wrote in the early ’90s for a young AIDS victim, Ryan White. The singer uttered an audible sigh before completing the performance. Shaheen Jafargholi, a 12-year-old singer on the “Britain’s Got Talent” show, belted out “Who’s Loving You,” a Smokey Robinson song that the pre-teen Jackson sang with the Jackson 5.
The musical portion of the two-hour tribute ended with the cast from Jackson’s comeback tour joining the singers and speakers to perform “We are the World,” the 1985 charity single cowritten by Jackson and Richie, and “Heal the World.”
Michael Jackson Memorial Service Full Video:
