A funeral procession

A funeral procession, including a hearse carrying the body of Michael Jackson at center, arrives outside Staples Center for a memorial service for the pop star Tuesday, July 7, 2009, in Los Angeles.

Members of the media work in front of the Staples Center during a memorial service for the late pop star Michael Jackson in Los Angeles, Tuesday, July 7, 2009.

Andrae Crouch Singers

Andrae Crouch Singers open the memorial service for Michael Jackson at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, Tuesday, July 7, 2009.

Paris Jackson speaks

Supported by her family, Paris Jackson speaks during the memorial service for Michael Jackson at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, Tuesday, July 7, 2009.

The funeral procession of Michael Jackson

The funeral procession of Michael Jackson arrives at the Staples Center in Los Angeles on Tuesday July 7, 2009.

Mariah Carey and Trey Lorenz

Mariah Carey and Trey Lorenz sing "I'll Be There" at the memorial service for the late pop star Michael Jackson in Los Angeles on Tuesday, July 7, 2009.

Musician Stevie Wonder

Musician Stevie Wonder performs at the memorial service for Michael Jackson in Los Angeles on Tuesday, July 7, 2009.

Singer Lionel Richie performs at Michael Jackson's memorial

Singer Lionel Richie performs at Michael Jackson's memorial service at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, Tuesday, July 7, 2009

The Jackson brothers

The Jackson brothers, from left: Randy, Marlon, Jackie, Jermaine and Tito, accompany the casket into the memorial service for Michael Jackson at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, Tuesday, July 7, 2009.

Michael Jackson's casket

Michael Jackson's casket sits in front of the stage during his memorial service at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, Tuesday, July 7, 2009. (AP Photo)

Brooke Shields, a friend of Mr. Jackson’s who spoke at the memoria

Mr. Jackson's children and family took the stage at the end of the service. Paris Jackson, Michael Jackson's 11-year-old daughter, tearfully told the crowd: "I just wanted to say, ever since I was born Daddy has been the best father you can ever imagine."

Stevie Wonder performed during the memorial service.

Mr. Jackson's coffin was carried into the arena.

The hearse carrying Mr. Jackson's body arrived at the service.

Funeral of a Superstar as a Media Moment

Jermaine Jackson, Michael’s brother, was among the performers who sang at the Staples Center memorial. Mr. Jackson sang “Smile,” for which Charlie Chaplin wrote the music

Private Jackson service precedes memorial

A motorcade that began at the home of Michael Jackson's parents reached a cemetery in the Hollywood Hills for a private service in advance of a star-studded memorial in downtown Los Angeles. Numerous vehicles under California Highway Patrol escort headed out from the parents' home shortly before 8 a.m. Tuesday and reached Forest Lawn Memorial Park Hollywood Hills about 15 minutes later. Authorities shut down sections of freeways during the height of Los Angeles' morning rush hour to allow the motorcade to pass. Jackson's family members and dozens of friends, led by his parents, Joe and Katherine, were seen walking into a hall at the cemetery where a small viewing was apparently held the night before. After the private ceremony, Jackson's body will be taken to the singer's public memorial. Among the celebrities expected to attend the memorial are Stevie Wonder, Mariah Carey, Usher, Lionel Richie, Kobe Bryant, Jennifer Hudson, John Mayer and Martin Luther King III. Police have blocked off roads and warned those without tickets to stay away because they would not be able to get near to the downtown venue. Some fans were allowed past street barriers into the immediate area around the Staples Center. Dozens of street vendors lined up selling T-shirts, photos, buttons and other Jackson memorabilia. More than 1.6 million people registered for free tickets to Jackson's memorial, but only 8,750 people 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 were to broadcast the memorial live later Tuesday 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., to Washington, D.C., were planning to broadcast the memorial live, for free. Jackson died at age 50 on June 25, 2009. "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."

Los Angeles braces for Michael Jackson's final act

The curtain is slowly rising on Michael Jackson's last show. As in Jackson's life, Tuesday's public memorial at the downtown Staples Center includes the spectacle surrounding the show -- legal drama, screaming fans, star power, live worldwide broadcast, unsavory accusations, even a parade of elephants -- all adding up to what could be the biggest celebrity send-off of all time. On the eve of the memorial, activity was spotted late Monday at the Forest Lawn Cemetery involving the Jackson family. The cemetery is the location where relatives were expected to hold a private funeral. La Toya Jackson, wearing sunglasses and a wide-brimmed hat, was seen being driven away from the cemetery. KCAL-TV showed helicopter footage of a hearse backing up to the Hall of Liberty -- a circular building at the cemetery that contains a 1,200-seat auditorium -- to deliver a casket. A few hours later, the casket was reloaded into the hearse and delivered to another nearby building, this time covered in a blue cloth. It wasn't immediately known if the casket would be at the memorial service. Jackson family spokesman Ken Sunshine said on Tuesday on NBC's "Today" show that the family would not comment on it. More than 1.6 million people registered for free tickets to Jackson's downtown memorial. A total of 8,750 people were chosen to receive two tickets each. "I got the golden ticket!" one fan screamed out of his car window in a Willy Wonka moment as he drove out of the parking lot. The family announced that participants will include Stevie Wonder, Mariah Carey, Usher, Lionel Richie, Kobe Bryant, Jennifer Hudson, John Mayer and Martin Luther King III. Sunshine told ABC that Queen Latifah also will be performing. Los Angeles Police Chief William Bratton said on Tuesday on CBS' "The Early Show" the department would have more officers on the streets of downtown for the memorial service than it had for last month's Lakers victory parade. Bratton said officers "really just do not know how many people will actually show up" and that officers "are prepared for anything." "Crowds have not materialized so far, and that was the one unknown," Bratton told KTLA-TV early Tuesday morning. "We ramped up very significantly in anticipation of very large crowds, but cost-saving wise we'll try to ramp down very quickly if those crowds don't materialize." The legal maneuvering that marked Jackson's extraordinary and troubled life also continued on Monday, with his mother losing a bid to control his enormous but tangled estate. And in one of the few reminders of Jackson's darkest hours, a New York Congressman branded Jackson a "pervert" undeserving of so much attention. British Airways reported a surge of bookings as soon as the memorial arrangements were announced. Virgin's trans-Atlantic flights to San Francisco, Las Vegas and Los Angeles were all packed with fans and VIPs, spokesman Paul Charles said. About 50 theaters across the country, from Los Angeles to Topeka, Kan., to Washington, DC, were planning to broadcast the memorial live, for free. In Los Angeles Superior Court, a judge appointed Jackson's longtime attorney and a family friend as administrators of his estate over the objections of his mother, Katherine. Attorney John Branca and music executive John McClain had been designated in Jackson's 2002 will as the people he wanted to oversee his empire. Katherine Jackson's attorneys expressed concerns about McClain and Branca's financial leadership. "Frankly, Mrs. Jackson has concerns about handing over the keys to the kingdom," said one of her attorneys, John E. Schreiber. Branca and McClain will have to post a $1 million bond on the estate, and their authority will expire on August 3, when another hearing will be held. "Mr Branca and Mr. McClain for the next month are at the helm of the ship," the judge said. Jackson died at age of 50 with hundreds of millions in debts. But a court filing estimates his estate is worth more than $500 million. His assets are destined for a trust, with his three children, his mother and charities as beneficiaries. Debbie Rowe, Jackson's ex-wife and the mother of Jackson's two oldest children, had planned to attend the memorial but backed out on Monday. "The onslaught of media attention has made it clear her attendance would be an unnecessary distraction," her attorney Marta Almli said in a statement. ABC News on Tuesday aired portions of a 2003 interview with Rowe, in which she called Jackson's children "the ultimate love children." "If it hadn't been for how much I love him, I would have never had children," she said. "People make remarks, 'I can't believe she left her children.' Left them? I left my children? I did not leave my children. My children are with their father, where they're supposed to be." She said Jackson was upset when his marriage to Lisa Marie Presley broke up because he wanted to be a father, so she told him "let me do this." Rowe said Jackson was not a pedophile. "He would not do anything inappropriate with a child, ever," she said. "It's not in him. I believe there are people who should be parents, and he's one of them. Always. From the day I met him. I could do something for him, and this is what I wanted to do." Downtown hotels were quickly filling. Police, trying to avoid a mob scene, warned those without tickets to stay away because they would not be able to get close to the Staples Center.

Michael Jackson's ex-wife Debbie Rowe has decided not to attend the pop icon's memorial service in Los Angeles, a move that comes a day after Rowe had a tiff with the paparazzi in Lancaster. Rowe, the mother of Jackson's two oldest children, 12-year-old Michael Joseph Jr, known as Prince Michael and 11-year-old daughter Paris Michael Katherine, had initially planned to attend the memorial at Staples Center but has now pulled out as she feels her presence would be a "distraction". "Although Debbie had originally planned to attend tomorrow's Staples Center memorial service, we have concluded with Debbie that she will not be attending. 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," a statement from the law firm representing her Browne, Woods & George said. It added Debbie "will continue to celebrate Michael's memory privately". The decision to stay away from her former husband's memorial service comes after Rowe had a tiff with media people and photographers on Sunday as she emerged from a Chinese restaurant near her house in Lancaster. Rowe was caught on video lashing out at a photographer who questioned her about the custody of her two children with the late pop star. "Don't touch me," she yelled as a swarm of paparazzi who followed her. As she got into her car she lashed out at a mediaperson whom she accused of touching her. When asked whether she was ready to seek custody of the kids, she responded, "are you ready to get your butt kicked?" She ignored another question about whether she was seeking money to give up her claim on the children. Rowe married Jackson in 1996 and filed for divorce three years later.

MJ's casket taken from private service

Michael Jackson's golden casket has been carried from a private service in the Hollywood Hills and placed in a hearse in advance of a public memorial in downtown Los Angeles. Family and friends spent about a half hour in the service on Tuesday morning after a motorcade of Rolls-Royces, Cadillacs and Range Rovers from Jackson's parents' house in the San Fernando Valley. Police say Jackson's body will be brought to the downtown Staples Center for a star-studded public memorial service. Jackson's family members and dozens of friends, led by his parents, Joe and Katherine, were seen walking into a hall at the cemetery, where a small viewing was apparently held the night before. News reports estimated as many as 20 helicopters circled overhead. The 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. 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. 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 Jackson and the words: "In Loving Memory." 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, DC, 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."