Tears and tributes mark farewell of Michael Jackson

Tears and tributes mark farewell of Michael Jackson

Pop King Michael Jackson took the final curtain call of his glittering career in a star-studded farewell.

Tears and eulogies flowed as mourners including rock stars and athletes gathered on Tuesday at the Staples Center in Los Angeles for a memorial that was watched by a worldwide audience of nearly several hundred million.

Jackson's final journey -- 12 days after his death in Los Angeles at the age of 50 -- began with a private service shortly after 8:15 am (1515 GMT) at the picturesque Forest Lawn mortuary in the Hollywood Hills.

The singer's ornate golden casket that was covered with a mound of red roses, was then loaded into a black hearse under the watchful eye of nearly twenty media helicopters hovering overhead.

A motorcade made a stately procession to the 20,000-capacity arena, where family, friends and celebrities rubbed shoulders with ordinary fans who grabbed tickets through an on-line lottery.

The coffin of Michael Jackson was placed at the front of the stage as the service began with Motown legend Smokey Robinson reading letters of condolence from those unable to attend, including former South African president Nelson Mandela.

"Michael was a giant and a legend in the music industry. And we mourn with the millions of fans worldwide," Mandela's tribute read.

Motown diva Diana Ross who has been named by Jackson in his will as an alternative guardian to his children said that she had chosen to mourn privately.

"Michael was a personal love of mine, a treasured part of my world, part of the fabric of my life," In a statement Ross said so.

Jackson's long-time friend Elizabeth Taylor also opted to stay away.

"I just don't believe that Michael would want me to share my grief with millions of others. How I feel is between us. Not a public event." Taylor said in a message on the Twitter micro-blogging site.

Tributes to Michael Jackson from friends and associates were punctuated by performances from Mariah Carey, Stevie Wonder and Jennifer Hudson among others as Jackson's family looked on approvingly.

The brothers of Michael Jackson all wore matching suits, dark glasses and a replica of their sibling's signature solitary sequined glove.

One of the biggest ovations came after rousing remarks by Reverend Al Sharpton, who told the children of Michael Jackson to disregard the lurid stories that often swirled around the man disparaged by tabloid critics as "Wacko Jacko."

The veteran African-American civil rights activist said, "I want his three children to know -- there weren't nothing strange about your daddy”. "It was strange what your daddy had to deal with but he dealt with it."

The service drew to a close with a performance of Jackson's 1992 clarion call to end global suffering, "Heal the World," before members of the star's family offered individual tributes.

The exact location of Michael Jackson's final resting place still remained shrouded in mystery, with the family declining to comment as media reports said the coffin was being taken to an unknown location.

In the meantime fans were left praising the slick execution of the service. In fact the streets surrounding the Staples Center were sealed off as thousands of police officers were deployed in order to guard against crowds of ticket less fans. However the fans heeded warning to stay away and the event passed without incident.

According to the officials, a live feed of the service was made available free to television networks, while the event was being streamed via popular social networking websites.

The fans gathered to sing the greatest hit songs of Michael Jackson and watch his videos ahead of the event in cities across the globe such as Tokyo, Hong Kong and Berlin.

Jackson sold more than 750 million albums during a four-decade career that was ultimately overshadowed by repeated allegations of child abuse, his startling physical transformation and eccentric behavior.

The local and federal law enforcement agencies have continued to probe the circumstances of his death on 25th June at the age of 50.

The Los Angeles County Coroner's office has said that it would not issue a final cause of death for "several weeks" when the results of exhaustive toxicology tests were known.

In the meantime the lawyers are busy untangling the labyrinth of legal issues that have emerged in the aftermath of Jackson's death.

On Monday, a Los Angeles judge replaced mother of Jackson as temporary administrator of his estate with two of the pop icon's business associates, as instructed by a 2002 will.