the next few days and few weeks, the sales of his music on -- online through itunes and everything else may help recoup some of that debt. both michael personally, the trust, and may spread over to the family. >> when you would deal with the folks who are reading the magazine and it was such a successful, the last interview that you had with michael jackson, it was incredibly successful and people wanted copies of it, multiple copies of it, do people talk about the michael jackson that they loved? i've had so many people e-mail me and say, well, the michael that i loved was not the michael jackson of the last ten years. it was the michael jackson from the jackson 5 up to somewhere around 1988, 1990, 1992. >> well, there are many michaels for many, many souls. the jackson 5 and the early '70s and early '80s. michael jackson as an individual recording artist. the jacksons when they did the big "victory" tour which was so successful and even the later days of michael, after "off the

wall" which was my favorite album and "thriller" which was the biggest seller on of all-time and "dangerous" and invigesible" and a few new ones. different phases of michael's life. we saw there was universal love and respect for his music, even despite the controversy and despite the many phases he personally went through, and the challenges and the struggles he had battling the demons inside himself. >> joining us in new york is donna brazile as well as roland martin and jeff toobin. donna, you talked about your early remembrances of michael jackson, is there a song, you know, that when you think of michael jackson you think of? >> oh, from the beginning "i want you back" to "got to be there" momma's pearls," abc." i danielsed to all of michael's music. i loved him. as a child growing up, in louisiana, every month my mother would give us a couple of dollars. i would go out and get a "right

on" magazine. i tell you, we had a competition in our household in terms of, you know, michael, jermaine, tito, jackie, it was an era that right after martin luther king was assassinated, bobby kennedy, the following year the jackson 5 came on the scene. they gave so much hope and inspiration. roland martin and i were talking about the concerts. roland went to one in houston, i went to one in new orleans. but that summer my mother tried to convince us to go on vacation. i said i wanted to stay home and go to the concert and, you know, did some baby sitting jobs and some other odd jobs just to have enough money to buy a t-shirt and even more albums and i still have all his albums. >> roland martin, in the last week or so really since michael jackson's death, we have seen the african-american community really embrace michael jackson without any ambivalence. there was an interesting article in "new york times," that marcus may berry wrote about sort of changing attitudes or shifting

attitudes in the african-american community towards michael jackson. what do you make of that? >> first of all, there were no shifting attitude s in the african-american community with michael jackson. you always had that. black people adore sidney poitier and quincy jones. look, both those individuals marry white women, some people criticize michael because he married a white woman. that's absolute nonsense. people, african-americans, adore michael jackson because of one thing, the music. you can go to any club in america. i don't care if you have the biggest gangbangers or you have people upper middle-class who have tons of money. if you put on "want to be startan something" if you put on "can't stop 'til you get enough" they will flood the dance floor. that's the piece there when you think about musicians if you think about why people adore entertainers, it was because of

the work. yes, there's a personal side. when people think about that. that's what it points to. i have people e-mailing me who are trying to do their best to get tickets to go to london for one of those concerts. these folks didn't even have passports, but they said they wanted to be certainly at one of those concerts. so, that's what it was about. it was simply about the music. and he was indeed -- i think more black folks are probably learning now the kind of barriers that michael jackson broke down that they probably didn't know existed when he was alive. >> it's interesting, though, when you talk about african-americans and michael jackson, because i think what roland says about the music is very true. there's no -- he's right. i'm not sure there's a lot of cds that you can put on and everyone would clear the floor and start dancing no matter they are from. there's the skin tone thing. michael jackson never confronted the questions as a black man, his family were very close to him, he's breaking barriers and

it's another one of the contradictions, breaking barriers to african-americans and donating lots of money to the united negro college fund and close with very many african-american stars and people in the black community are saying why are is he getting whiter and whiter, his children are white children. i think why his mukeic has been so incredibly and successful and important, that overwhelms any questions you have. his ability and talent overwhelms any of those questions about his motivation. >> i think, you know, michael's appearance, when i salt down next to him for close to two hours, the appearance is striking, but i don't think it had to do did with a struggle whether he was african-american or not. i think it was more about his insecurities with facial features and some other things. he told me and was very clear that he was a black man. for instance, he had a long-standing relationship with "ebony" and "jet" magazine, the founder of "ebony" was one of his mentors and helped counsel

him on financial issues. he used to come up to the building, he and janet and the family when he was 10, 11 years old and read books and have lunch. >> and he saw himself as part of a global community. >> absolutely. and that's what we saw, we hear, we see the number of people that have come here from brazil and from london didn't even have tickets to this event who just wanted to show up and be here as part of this remembrance. and, you know, you look at the impact he has had in the black community, and that's really a global community. >> there's certainly a lot of people sharing their remembrances of michael jackson. everybody has a, as soledad said, has a particular michael jackson that they remember, that they hold on to and are remembering on this day. tom foreman is monitoring twitter. seeing a lot of people inside the staples center or sending out tweets. what are you hearing? >> absolutely, anderson. when you talk about the community of michael jackson fans, this is where you really see them, all over the world. people have been posting messages relentlessly about their memories of michael jackson, what they are seeing at the service.

many people saying that they skipped work entirely today or skipped school if they were going to summer school. some people taking lunch breaks to watch and keep track. this is one that have sent in to cnn.com. carolyn is talking about the heart-shaped floral arrangement and the big heart-shaped sky writing above. the picture she sends as well. the heart that was sky written up above the staples center there. many, many people commented on in twitter who were in the area. lisa franz said people are playing music and dancing to it and they are passing around photographs and sharing memories outside. people chanting "michael, michael" outside as they wait to get inside. many more memories as people wait to get inside. some confusion over the wrist bands as people tried to get lined up and nobody inside wanted to miss it. and the police fielding the crowd. one more thing worth mentioning as we look at all the comments from many, many fans, from all over the world, many people crying as they write about it and the events over the past

couple of weeks. what a surprise it was. the city los angeles, of course, is dealing with it in a different way, they are putting up on their website a plea to help people raise money to cover all the security that seems to be working quite well. some of the fans not terribly happy about this, but nonetheless, the city of los angeles asking people to help give to pay for this effort. and the city of los angeles having monetary problems. >> thanks very much. it was on this stage at the staples center two nights before michael jackson died that we have the video where we saw him, the final dress rehearsal performing. also the night before he died, he was on again this very stage on wednesday night, practicing until about 12:30 a.m. i talked to randy phillips, who hugged him good-bye. and said that the michael jackson he saw at 12:30 on really thursday morning, the morning the day he would die, was an optimistic michael jackson. a happy michael jackson. >> healthy in some ways, he was

described by some also. it's interesting as we talk here outside the staples center, i've sort of gotten used to the drone of the choppers above our heads. and i can count one, two, three, four, five, six, that's just what i can see. it is incredible to know that the presence, the global interest, in this story. but, you know, i think you're -- you're exactly right about that. you know, it's -- it is quite a remarkable thing. >> obviously, now, michael jackson's children are inside the building as well. so is katherine jackson, joe jackson, the father. again, bryan, this is a family which is -- has had many problems. a family that has separated in many ways, joe jackson and katherine jackson, live apart. he lives in vegas. she lives in california. they have, i think, for ten years or so. and yet they are united in this terrible tragedy. >> well, it is sad that it took this tragedy to bring them back together. but they were actually together a few months ago for a celebration of joe and

katherine's marriage. >> in las vegas. >> in las vegas. in fact, they said it was the first big party, anniversary party, that they'd ever done. this is a long-standing family that came out of gary, indiana. joe was a steelworker and katherine a devout jehovah's witness, who was very devout and very spiritual and, in fact, raised the children to really honor their families. and even threw the strough the you've heard about how difficult joe was through the rehearsals. michael said that joseph would never beat him during the rehearsals, but afterwards and then he went on to laugh and giggle. and then he went on to tell me how important joseph was in terms of discipline or performances. and he taught me never let the audience see you cry. and the emotional connection was there. and joseph had his own group, the falcons, when he was growing up, so he learned about staging and perfectly performance from that. >> and we heard "larry king

live" that we heard about the moment that they heard about michael jackson. >> marlin jackson, he said that his daughter was watching television and he was jum stairs. he now lives in georgia and his daughter said, dad, they said uncle mike is dead. marlon said, that surely can't be true. he said he then called frank dileo, michael jackson's manager, and he confirmed it. and he said, that's when he found out. so, when i talked to him, he said he was walking around in a daze. he was simply stunned to think that he was dead. and, in fact, marlon said the last time most of the family members saw michael was on may 14th at that family gathering. and he said he was absolutely wonderful. he was sweet. he was there with his children. reports about him being in a wheelchair he said wasn't true. he said he was looking great. they enjoyed it. >> let me just interrupt and let's go to the stage inside the staples center. smokey robinson. >> i want you to know even

though i am not there at the staples center, i am there in my heart. i've decided to pause and be silent. this feels right for me. michael was a personal love of mine, a treasured part of my world, part of the fabric of my life, and the way that i can't seem to find words to express. michael wanted me to be there for his children, and i will be there if they ever need me. i hope today brings closure for all those who loved him. thank you, katherine and joe, for sharing your son with the world and with me. i send my love and condolences to the jackson family. diana ross. dear jackson family, it is with great sadness that we learned of the untimely death of michael jackson. michael became close to us after he started visiting and

performing in south africa regularly. we grew fond of him, and he became close -- a close member of our family. we had great admiration for his talent and that he was able to triumph over tragedy on so many occasions in his life. michael was a giant and a legend in the music industry. and we mourn with the millions of fans worldwide. we also mourn with his family and his friends over the loss of our dear friend. he will be missed, and memories about him cherished for a very long time. my wife and i, our family, our friends, send you our condole e condolences during this time of mourning. be strong. nelson mandela.

>> just heard from smokey robinson, while we're waiting for the ceremony to formally

start. 20,000 people inside the staples center and 5,000 or 6,000 watching on the jumbotron in the nokia center right next door. around the world tens of millions of watching, london, berlin, new delhi, around the united states as well, las vegas, neverland, harlem, times square. >> los angeles where those pictures are coming from. people holding watch parties literally around the global. this is harlem, new york. it is likely to be one of the most watched events in recent history. >> the letters he was reading from nelson mandela, when michael would enjoy going over to africa. he told me about taking the kids to africa and spending time in johannesburg and pretoria and cape town. he loved cape town. >> we'll be bringing you the entire ceremony live without our

comments, as little as possible. we will be talking. there just seems to be a break right now in the actual service. 1.5 million of people tried to get tickets online. there were only some 11,000 actual seats inside the auditorium, inside the staples center, for the public. additional 5,000 to 6,000 seats in the nokia center. >> it really has gone very smoothly thus far, from the private ceremony that many people were concerned about the logistics of how that would actually happen. the many questions over the last couple of days, would the body be coming here. could it logistically be pulled off, with the throngs of people expected to come out. but the police here made it very clear they did not want people who did not have tickets to come by. you're watching times square, of course, where people are going to watch it on the jumbotron, and even people here milling around get to watch it on many of, you know, the big screens here and in los angeles. but it has gone off so far

without a hitch. it has been, at least from our vantage point -- pictures from raleigh, north carolina -- really well done as far as security goes and logistically, it's gone very smoothly. they've moved back on to schedule. they're really just a couple minutes behind. >> we're told that this will be a combination of speakers -- you just saw smokey robinson speaking there -- and performances like mariah carey and usher and lionel richie, to perform "we are the world" which he and michael jackson co-wrote together to raise famine relief for africa. >> and smokey robinson read a letter from diana ross, the very first note that was a tribute to michael jackson. has played a critical role for the jackson 5 and michael jackson specifically. >> in fact, the first album was called "diana ross presents the jackson 5." >> he starred in "the wiz"

with -- >> with quincy jones. >> they actually had a hit song, "ease on down the road" from e the "the wiz." he would like her to care for his children if katherine jackson could not. if the kids need her, she would be there for them. >> diana ross has a fantastic family, extended family, and that showed how important family was to michael, that he named one of his dearest friends, diana ross, to step in if something were to happen. >> you are looking on the left side of the screen. a videophone from inside the hall. on the right is the feed from inside the hall. that's a feed we don't have control over. so, it's right now while there's a break in -- before this service gets under way, that the feed is just showing the "in loving memory of michael jackson king of pop" banner up inside of

staples center. this is a videophone image that we are sending to you, just showing people sitting waiting. and, again, there are many people gathered -- gathered outside as well and all over the united states. the first ame church in los angeles. both throughout the united states and around the world. >> it is incredible when i look at the young children. michael jackson was about that age. he was 11 years old when he was first on television and even much younger than that when he first became renowned, leading the family, literally as the lead singer of the jackson 5. and you see small children like that and older folks here in harlem, new york, watching the jumbotron. >> 5 years old. 5 years old. >> when you think about that, starting your career at 5, what pressure, what incredible success, and what brilliance, really, to the work that he did as an entertainer. >> we were talking about this earlier, my son was with me as i was preparing for the interview. and played some of the old stuff in the car as we're driving down the road. he didn't know michael jackson from anyone.

he was, like, daddy's, who's that? i like that song. play it again. i like that. and he started listening to it and when we got home he fired up the computer and looked on youtube to learn for every michael jackson video to learn the dancing and the moves. he didn't know any of the controversy. he just knew the music. >> it's so interesting when you listen to people who are musicians talk about the way the songs were put together. the history of the songs. and the care that went into it. i mean, in your interview, you even talk about literally the breaking down of some of the most famous songs we know. >> "billie jean," he actually laid down four different basses in that doing the bass line. he talked about the bass line being the protagonist to the song, the give tash adding character. he studied tchaikovsky and mozart and went to school about the music and the art and what it took to build a song. >> also, in terms of dancing. he was a student of dance. you look at his moves and you see grace kelly and fred

astaire. >> marcel marceau. >> exactly. >> and fred astaire called him after the motown 25 performance and said, michael, i watched it last night. i taped it. i watched it again this morning, and, michael, you really -- you really knocked them on their behinds as we should say. >> but he didn't use the word "behind." >> he was very much a big fan. if you look at michael's physical shape, when i saw him and hugged him, he very much had the dancer's body. >> was he physically prepared to do this massive tour? i mean, obviously the pressure for the financial interests, the pressure for just getting it right, i mean, having a gigantic fan base that was expecting to once again knock the ball out of the ballpark, do it better than you did it the last time? >> people have to remember, he was 50 years old, but he brought on lou ferrigno to help train him and get him physically ready. >> i interviewed lou ferrigno and they met once in may. a lot of people quoted lou ferrigno as being an expert on

michael jackson's physical health. i'm not sure how accurate that is. i talked to kenny ortega the director of the event you are about toens -- just as reminder we are watching the scene inside the staples center, 20,000 people have gathered to celebrate the life and say good-bye to michael jackson. we are waiting them bringing in michael jackson. we believe his -- his casket will be placed at the front of the stage as the performers sing above him a whole spectrum of performers, also a number of people. we anticipate will be speaking as well. but i talked to kenny ortega, who is the director of this celebration -- >> he did all "the high school musical." >> he was a co-director and cocreator of the o2 shows. i asked him what kind of shape was michael jackson in as a performer. he said building. he was building. he was 50 years old. he wouldn't go as far as to say he was at the top of his form. that would be a hyperbole. but he did say his voice was

opening up, he was getting better and better and he was certainly ready and optimistic about the shows. and he said one of the last thing's michael jackson said to him, asked him, are you excited? and he said, i'm excited. and he then, kenny ortega asked him if he was excited and he said he was excited and they hugged good-bye. that was the last they saw of each other. >> the pressure had to be incredible, though, especially when you see today michael jackson created the tone of the shows, the performances that are incredible, that are over the top with pyrotechnics and great dancing. and some people even said that he was thinking about creating a new move, you know, again, another way to top yourself from what you've done before. so, one has to imagine that the pressure going in to something like this would have to be just tremendous. >> and michael was a perfectionist. that's the other part people don't realize. it's not like he showed up and danced. he knew every component of the show that they used. the dance moves, the lighting cues, what shots would come on,

the camera shots there would be. during the motown 25 he had a similar involvement to every minute detail and that kind of pressure, along with that kind of perfectionism, it's a tough burden to shoulder. >> people have described him as actually being involved in the costumes, you know, every single micromanaging, you would think that once you get to the level of michael jackson, you can kind of assign the costumes to somebody else, but actually, he was so involved in every minute detail of this concert. again, because the stakes were so high. is that fair to say, the stakes were incredibly high? >> the stakes were enormous, financially, a lot of the money that was going to be raised out of these shows would go towards the other debts and ventures. they were enormous emotionally because of the connection he had to his fans and he really want told put on a show for his fans and also he wanted to put on a show for his kids that really hadn't seen him perform the way many of us had seen him perform. >> that does raise the stakes to perform for the first time for your children who are 11 and 12 and i think the youngest 7 years old. >> 7 years old.

>> really, you know, what pressure all around. >> and he was going to bring his family to england. they had already had a house rented by aeg live, the company that was putting on, promoting the shows. he was going to get one day off in between each show. that was something which he had worked out with them, as part of the agreement, to get him to actually do 50 performances. >> he really struggled the last time he did a show. i mean, it was -- they now talked to some of the medical professionals who have been with him about how difficult it was for him to do the grueling -- the shows are absolutely grueling. >> it's a lot of energy and just being on stage and dancing. some people are saying at 50 he was out-dancing the 25-year-olds. >> you are looking at the staples center where we are awaiting the memorial service to get under way. a few minutes ago, about ten minutes ago, smokey robinson came out and read a short note from diana ross apologizing missing what is surely such a sad event for her, someone who

has a personal connection and relationship with not only michael jackson but the entire jackson family and a relationship that spans, you know, 40-some years, actually. we heard from nelson mandela and when you look at it that way, an indication -- first, really, diana ross, someone he met as a child, and next nelson mandela, someone he was connected to with his humanitarian effort. >> and globally, quincy jones would tell me, quincy is not here today, he's in europe. but he would talk about going to places like dar es salaam and going into a club in tanzania and hearing them putting on "want to be starting something" and they would start dancing. >> they sang it so well, the person did not speak a word of english, but they had memorized

it so well that they could perform that song and make it sound like they spoke english. >> why globally did he have such an impact? there are many performers who are so famous in the united states who are very talented and very good but somehow don't manage to make the impact that michael jackson did globally. of course, it's dropping "thriller" simultaneously around the world, but even before that. >> it was before the jackson 5, it came down to the music. we will try to make a whole bunch out of it, but at the end of the day music moves people, it's the kind of thing that moves you at your soul, at the core of your emotion. it can be in english, it concern in spanish, if you're moved, you're moved, whether it was hanoi or moscow or sydney, australia, it was about the music. >> one of the things that -- there are many great musicians, but people felt connected to michael jackson because of his vulnerability and you saw a man on stage who appeared free and happy and optimistic, and yet you knew once, you know, you started to know even in the "off

the wall" days that there was a lot going on in his own life that belied some of that, and yet it drew many people to him and wanted to protect him, some of the people around him. >> there was a shyness and naivete that people could connect to. i know one of the things i found from talking to the people that had met him and the dozens of people around him, universally they would say he was a kind person, he was very polite and well mannered. when we did the shoot at the brooklyn museum, he would talk to the security guys and the assistants and the photographers' assistants and everyone working on set, he would talk to them. not standoffish at all. >> a contradiction, so universal, everyone everywhere identified to him, and at the same time you felt he was otherworldly. toward the end, his look became very androgynous. he just seemed very disconnected

to some degree. >> and there are certainly a lot of questions about what happened to michael jackson and there are investigations, the dea we know is involved with the los angeles police department. but all of that, all those questions, all the questions about custody, certainly for the people inside the staples center right now, that is the image you're looking at on the right-hand side of your screen, for those 20,000 people assembled and for many of the people watching around the world, those questions are put away for right now. and right now is the time to remember the man that they loved and the artist that they so enjoyed, so many of us so enjoyed over the years. i want to show you the first time that we saw the casket of michael jackson being taken out of the forest lawn cemetery a short time ago. this is the first glimpse we had of the casket bearing the body of michael jackson. several of the brothers of michael jackson acting as pallbearers there as they move the body carefully into the hearse. really sort of a shot -- i mean, all of this, as we were sitting here, kind of took an intake of

breath. it really brins it home. >> i would absolutely agree, especially where we are at the staples center, at that moment they took the shot and you thought, oh, gosh, that's the casket. that's michael jackson. and the mood here has been so upbeat. not disrespectfully so, but just people signing and remembering his life and the minute the photo book went up, don referenced the number of e-mails requesting, seeing if you can get a photo book from michael jackson memorial and you see this somber, somber scene of some of his brothers as pallbearers putting the casket in the back of that hearse and watching as the hearse made its way down the highway right here to the staples center. it is really a final moment. the family i know wanted to focus on michael jackson's legacy, which is tremendous. >> we'll see likely if they bring the casket in and put it front and center on the stage. >> the staples center holds roughly 20,000 people. it is incredible to think that

over 1.5 million people immediately went online to see if they could be one of the chosen to be inside -- inside that center. what a remarkable story to share. >> we heard from the airlines that the number of people flying to the los angeles area actually has increased over the last week, week and a half. they can't say for sure whether or not it had anything to do with michael jackson. >> definitely the journalists. >> 2,200 credentialed journalists today all wanting to tell parts of this story, both in the united states and globally. >> i want to play that rehearsal, which is the video that we got several days ago. this is the final dress rehearsal from michael jackson's concerts. this is it. let's watch. ♪

>> oh! >> will go down in history as the greatest demonstration of freedom in the history of our nation. ♪ ♪ history ♪ ♪ some think that life it is this sort of thing but as martin luther will deliver ♪ ♪ they don't really care about us all i want to say is they don't really care about us ♪ ♪ all i want to say is they don't really care about us ♪ ♪ all i want to say is they don't really care ♪ ♪ all i want to say is they don't really care about us ♪ >> all right.

that the last rehearsal from michael jackson on this stage. people now gathering to the stage. we've heard some applause. let's go back and watch, the celebration of the life of michael jackson. ♪ ♪ ooh ooh ooh ♪ ooh ooh ooh ♪ we are going to see the king

soon we are going to see the king ♪ ♪ soon we are going to see the king hallelujah hallelujah we are going to see the king ♪ ♪ no more crying we are going to see the king no more crying oqoqp♪ ♪ no more crying we are going to see the king hallelujah hallelujah ♪ ♪ we are going to see the king no more crying

we are going to see the king ♪ ♪ no more crying we are going to see the king no more crying we are going to see the king ♪ ♪ hallelujah hallelujah we are going to see the king hallelujah ooh ♪ ♪ hallelujah ooh hallelujah ♪

>> good morning, and welcome. my name is pastor lucius smith, and i am proud to call the jackson family my friends. to millions around the world, michael jackson was an idol, a hero, even a king. but first and foremost, this man before us today was our brother, our son, our father, and our friend. michael jackson was and always shall be a beloved part of the jackson family and the family of man. and so today we gather those who know and love michael best and those who came to know and love him through his good works. we come together in this space where only days ago michael sang

and danced and brought his joy as only he could. we come together and we remember the time. we remember this man by se celebrating his life and all of the love that he brought to our own lives for half a century. our hearts are heavy today because this man, this brother, this son, this father, and this friend, is gone far too soon, but as long as we remember our time with him, the truth is, he is never really gone at all. as long as we remember him, he will be there forever to comfort us. in his very beautiful and very human heart, michael jackson wanted nothing more than to give love to the world, to share of his singular talent and his soul

and perhaps be loved back in return. through his words, his music, and his countless good deeds, michael did so much to try and heal our world. and so for the jackson family and for all who grieve his loss everywhere in our world, may this moment of remembrance, a moment of healing, a moment of music and a moment of love, bring comfort to those who loved our friend. god bless you.

♪ ♪ you and i must make a pact we must bring salvation back ooh ooh where there is love i'll be there ♪ ♪ i'll be there ♪ i'll extend my hand to you to you i have made it in all you do just call my name and i'll be there ♪ ♪ i'll be there >> sing it.

♪ i'll be there ♪ my world with dreams around you i'm so glad that i found you i'll be there to be strong ♪ ♪ be your strength i'll keep holding on yes i will ♪ ♪ let me fill your life with joy and laughter togetherness well it's all i'm after whenever you call me i'll be there ♪ ♪ i'll be there ♪ i'll be there to protect you oh oh oh

i'll respect you ♪ ♪ just call my name uand i'll b there oh oh oh i'll be there to comfort ♪ ♪ bring my world around you so close around you i'll be there when the love grows strong ♪ ♪ i'll be your friend you know i keep holding on ♪ ♪ if you should ever find someone new i'll always be there to good to you oh oh because i'll be there ♪ ♪ i'll be there

♪ don't you know baby yeah i'll be there ♪ ♪ i'll be there ♪ yeah yeah yeah just call my name and i'll be there ♪ ♪ yeah yeah yeah i'll be there baby i'll be there ♪ ♪ you know you know you know just call my name and i'll be there ♪ ♪ and i'll be there just look over your shoulder ♪ ♪ just call my name my name

oh oh oh ♪ ♪ we never will go good-bye no no no no no no no ♪ ♪ even though there's pain and heartache we will be right there ♪ ♪ yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah ♪ gonna be right there gonna be right there gonna be right there yeah ♪ ♪ thank you jesus >> we miss you.

>> i'm here representing millions of fans around the world who grew up listening to michael, being inspired and loving michael from a distance. all of you. somehow when michael jackson sang, when he danced, we never felt distant. we felt like he was right there, right for us. you believed in michael, and he believed in you. he made you believe in yourself. i loved him all my life. one of the first records my brother and i ever bought was

"dancing machine." and i'll never forget the of two us trying to, like, get the robot going. trying to be like the jackson 5. thank you. thank you. michael was the biggest star on earth. he let me know that as an african-american, you could travel the world. there was a world outside of america. other people, all you people who came here to pay respects to someone who you felt was one of you, a human being, first. this morning i spoke with perhaps one of our greatest poets, maya angelou, and i'm so

honored that she asked me to share some words that she wrote for michael. we had him, by dr. maya angelou. beloved, now we know that we know nothing. now that our bright and shining star can slip away from our fingertips like a puff of summer wind, without notice our dear love can escape our doting embrace. sing our songs among the stars and walk our dances across the face of the moon. in the instant we learned that michael is gone, we know noth g nothing, no clocks can tell our time and no oceans can rush our tide s. with the abrupt absence of our treasure, though we are many, each of us is achingly alone,

piercingly alone. only when we confess our confusion can we remember that he was a gift to us, and we did have him. he came to us from the creator, trailing creativity in abunda e abundance. despite the anguish of life, he was sheathed in mother love and family love and survived, and did not more than that, he thrived with passion and compassion, humor and style. we had him. whether we knew who he was or did not know, he was ours, and we were his. we had him, beautiful, delighting our eyes. he raked his hat, slanted over his brow, and took a pose on his

toes for all of us, and we laughed and stomped our feet for him. we were enchanted with his passion, because he held noth g nothing. he gave us all he had been gi n given. today, in tokyo, beneath the eiffel tower, in ghana's black star square, in johannesburg and pittsburgh, in birmingham, alabama, and birmingham, engl d england, we are missing michael jackson. but we do know we had him, and "we are the world." thank you.

♪ >> father, help your children ♪ and don't let them fall by the side of the road ♪ teach them to love one another ♪ that heaven might find a place

in their heart ♪ jesus is love ♪ he won't let you don't ♪ ♪ i know he is mine forever ♪ in he heart we' ♪ we've got to walk on through temptation ♪ with his love and his wisdom ♪ will be our helping hand ♪ ♪ i know the truth and wards

will are our salvation ♪ ♪ lift up our hearts to be thankful ♪ ♪ because jesus is love ♪ he won't let you down ♪ i know he is mine, he is mine, mine, all mine, forever, in high heart ♪ help me now. ♪ deep in my heart, yeah, i know, i know, i know ♪

♪ i am going to follow that star wherever it leads me, lord ♪ ♪ i hope you don't mind, i will walk with you and talk with you and do all the things you want me to do ♪ ♪ he will pick you up when you fall ♪ ♪ jesus is love, jesus is love ♪ yeah, yeah, jesus is love ú@@@

he was driven by his00 der to learn to constantly top himself. to be the best. he is wa the consummate student. he studied the greats and became greater. he raised the bar and then broke the bar. his talent and creativity thrust him and entertainment into

another stratosphere. the mow town family mourns the death of our friend and brother, michael jackson, who was like a son to me. our deep condolences go out to all his family. his parents, joe and katherine, his beautiful children, his sisters and brothers, and his nieces and nephews. mib michael jackson was ten years old when he and his brothers, jackie, jermaine, tito and marlon auditioned for me in motown that july day in 1968 and

blew us all away. the jackson 5 were mazing. little michael's performance was way beyond his years. this little kid had an incredible knowingness about him. he sang with such feeling, inspiration. michael had a quality that i couldn't completely understand but we all knew he was special. aside from singing and dancing like james brown and jackie wilson, he sung a smokey robinson called "who's loving you." he sang it with the sadness and the passion of a man who had been living the blues and heartbreak his whole life. as great as smokey sang it, i

thought michael was better. i went to smokey and i said, hey, man, i think he got you on that one. smokey said, me too. that was motown. motown was built on love and competition and sometimes the competition got in the way the love but the love always won out. we competed on everything. in california, we had a baseball game every week, the jacksons versus the gordys. unfortunately for us, tito and jackie were big home-run hitters. they would knock the ball out of the park. but, then, so was my son, barry. and i'm not going to tell you

who won most of the games but ile tell you that the g rochlt d gordys cried a lot. little michael missed a lot of balls but we still clied a lot. when michael performed his songs, you could feel the happiness in his soul, because that's what he loved to do. michael inspired me so much that for days, i walked around humming a bright little happy tune with him in mind ♪ oh, baby, da, da, da then, i put a group together and we came up with four hits records "i want you back," "abc," "the love you save," and

"i'll be there." [ applause ] >> the jackson 5 was the only group in history to have their first four records go to number one. in 1983, the brothers reunited and returned to do motown's 25th anniversary show. after a high-powered dazzling medley of their songs, michael took the stage alone and made pop history. from the first beat of "billie jean" and the toss of that hat, i was mez merized. when he did his iconic moonwalk, i was shock. it was magic.

michael jackson went into orbit and never came down. though it ended way too soon, michael's life was beautiful. sure, there was some sad times and maybe some questionable decisions on his part, but michael jackson accomplished everything he dreamed of. at ten years old, he had passion. he had passion to be the greatest entertainer in the world. he was willing to work as hard to do whatever it took to become what he, indeed, became, the undisputed king of pop, the

world over. what kid wouldn't give his right arm to fulfill his wildest childhood dreams. michael loved it all, every moment on stage, every moment in rehearsal. michael loved creating what had never been done before. he loved everything and everybody, especially his fans. i must say, though, that he did have two personalities. off stage, he was shy, soft-spoken and childlike. when he took the stage in front of his screaming fans, he turned into another person. a master, a take-no-prisoners showman. it was like, kill or be killed.

i mean, michael was awesome! totally in charge. in fact, the more i think and talk about michael jackson, i feel the king of pop is not big enough for him. i think he is simply -- i think he is simply the greatest entertainer that ever lived. [ applause ]

>> michael, thank you, thank you for the joy. thank you for the love. you will live in my heart forever. i love you. [ applause ]

♪ "man in the mirror," michael jackson. >> again, i say thank you. thanks to god. in the past, i've gone from, where is he, to here he is again! >> i love you, michael. >> but i must say it feels good to be thought of as a person and not as a personality. >> fame, fortune, they are all illusions.

♪ who's bad, who's bad ♪ i'm bad, i'm bad, you know it ♪ you know, i'm bad, i'm bad, you know it ♪ you know it ♪ ♪ you are not alone ♪ i am here with you

♪ i am here with you ♪ though you are far away, i am here to stay ♪ ♪ you are alone, i am here with you ♪ ♪ though we're far apart, you're always in my heart ♪ ♪ you are not alone ♪ you're with me. you're not alone, together, together ♪

this is a moment that i wished that i didn't live to see come but as much as i can say that and neemean it, i do know t god is good!

i do know that as much as we may feel, and we do, that we need michael here with us, god must have needed him far more. michael, i love you and i've told you that many times, so i'm at peace, peace with that. i as well told you that i never, ever imagined that i would write a song that would be sent to quincy jones and you would hear it and my sister, renee, would get me the cassette and i would hear it back and be amazed that you did this song.

♪ . >> we can't help but love you forever, michael. ♪ i never dreamed you would

leave ♪ ♪ i thought you would go and come back home ♪ ♪ i thought the cold would leave by summer ♪ ♪ but my quiet nights will be spent alone ♪ ♪ you said you would be the light in autumn ♪ ♪ you said you would be the one to leave ♪ ♪ no, i never dreamed you would leave in summer ♪

♪ but now my love has gone away ♪ ♪ michael, why didn't you stay? ♪ ♪ ♪ more more lying, wanting back again ♪ ♪ though they pretend, they won't go when i go ♪

♪ all those bleeding hearts and sorrow to impart, right here from the start and they won't go when i go ♪ ♪ i'll go alone to go so long ♪ the innocent believe the cure ♪ ♪ then, there is a risen place ♪ they will never see the sun but they can never show their

faces ♪ ♪ there ain't no room for the hopeless sinner that will take more than he will give ♪ ♪ he will give, he will give, he will give ♪ ♪ oh, yeah, yeah ♪ the creed of man will be far away from me ♪ ♪ and my soul will be free and they won't go when i go ♪ ♪ if my soul could see all that,

the king of mine will see ♪ ♪ and i'll go where i know no one can keep me from ♪ ♪ my destiny ♪ michael, they won't go, they won't go, they won't go where you've gone ♪ i love you, michael.

[ applause ] y'all know that nobody ever gave on stage like michael jackson. michael was also a true humanitarian who gave just as much off stage as he did on

stage. michael and his family came from humble roots and michael always cared very deeply for those in need and beyond all of his records that he broke as a recording artist, michael even made the guinness book of world records for most charities supported by a pop star. [ applause ] >> because he gave so much to do so many of us for so long, michael jackson will be with us forever. >> i met jackie jackson about 30 years ago and he was a season ticket holder for the lakers, as well as his brother, marlon. jackie and i became friends and he began to invite me out to

their home. then, i got to know the brothers and the sisters and his incredible mother and father. we loved to play with fire crackers and just have fun. berry, just like you lost to the jacksons in softball, so did i. we had some incredible times together. then, jackie invited me to go on tour with the brothers and then i got to see the genius of michael jackson. he was so incredible, he always had command of not only the band, his brothers, but also the audience. i truly believe that michael made me a better point guard and basketball player as i watched him be so great and be the greatest entertainer ever. from there, michael call immediate one day and said, i want to talk to you about being

in a video "remember the time." [ applause ] but i had to double check with jackie to make sure it was really michael, because i was scared to death to go over to his house, because this was my idol. he was everything to me. so i went over to his house to have dinner. the chef came out and is he, what would you like? i said, some grilled chicken. as we began to talk about the video and what he wanted me to do, the chef brought me out the grilled chicken but he brought michael out a bucket of kentucky friday chicken. and i went crazy like, wait a minute, michael, you eat kentucky friday chicken. that made my day. that was the greatest moment of my life.

we had such a good time sitting on the floor eating that bucket of kentucky friday chicken. and i want to say this. this is a celebration of his life, of his legacy. [ applause ] >> i want to thank michael for opening up so many doors for african-americans to be on daytime shows, latenight shows, he allowed kobe and i have to our jerseys in people's homes across the world, because he was already there. he opened all those doors for us. his three children will have the most incredible grandmother that god has put on this earth to take care of them.

michael's three children will have incredible uncles and aunts to take care of them as well. and they will have plenty of cousins to play with. so may god continue to bless this incredible family. we say that we are praying for you to remain strong. we want to thank the city of los angeles for putting this on, aeg for putting it on as well. may god continue to bless you, michael. [ applause ]

♪ hold me, like the river of jordan ♪ you were my prayer ♪ ♪ carry me like you were my brother ♪ ♪ will you be there

♪ oh, lord ♪ everyone is taking control of me ♪ ♪ seems like the world has control of me ♪ ♪ i'm so confused you'll be there for knee ♪ ♪ hold me, carry me there ♪ lead me, love me and squeeze me ♪ keep me and squeeze me ♪ ♪ carry me, carry me

♪ ca ♪ carry me there ♪ save me ♪ lift me up slowly ♪ lift me up high ♪ tell me you care ♪ hold me, lay your hands on me ♪ ♪ hold me, carry me there ♪ lead me, comfort and keep me >> in our harkest odarkest hour

deepest despair, will you still care, you'll be there, in my trials and my tribulations, through our doubts and frustrations, in my violence, in my turbulence, through my fear and my confessions, in my anguish and my pains and my joy and my sorrow, in the promise of another tomorrow, i'll never let you part, for you are always in my heart.

>> we love you, michael. all over the world today people are gathered in love vigils to celebrate the life of a man that taught the world how to love. people may be wondering why there is such an emotional

outburst but you would have to understand the journey of michael to understand what he meant to all of us. for these that sit here as the jackson family, a mother and father with nine children that rose from a working class family in gary, indiana. they had nothing but a dream. no one believed in those days that these kind of dreams could come true. but they kept on believing and michael never let the world turn him around from his dreams. i first met michael around 1970, black expo, chicago, illinois, reverend jesse jackson stood by this family 'til now. from that day, as a cute kid, to this moment, he never gave up dreaming. it was that dream that changed

culture all over the world. when michael started, it was a different world but because michael kept going, because he didn't except limitations, because he refused to let people decide his boundaries, he opened up the whole world in the music world. he put on one glove, pulled his pants up and broke down the color curtain where now our videos are shown and magazines put us on the cover. it was michael jackson that brought blacks and whites and asians and latinos together. it was michael jackson that made us sing, "we are the world" and feed the hungry.

because michael jackson kept going. he created a comfort level where people that felt they were separate became interconnected with his music. it was that comfort level that kids from japan and ghana and france and iowa and pennsylvania that kids got comfortable enough with each other to later it wasn't strange to us to watch oprah on television. it wasn't strange to watch tiger woods golf. those young kids grew up from being teenage fans of michaels to being 40 years old and being comfortable to vote for a president of color to be the president of the united states of america. michael did that.

michael made us love each other. michael taught us to stand with each other. there are those that like to dig around but millions around the world, we are going to uphold his message. it is not about mess. it is about his love message. as you climb up steep mountains, sometimes you scar your knee. sometimes you break your skin. don't focus on the scar. focus on the journey. michael rose to the top. he outsang and outdanced and outperformed the pessimists. every time he got knocked down, he got back up. every time you counted him out, he came back in. michael never stopped. michael never stopped, michael never stopped. [ applause ]

>> i want to say to mrs. jackson and joe jackson, his sisters and brothers, we thank you for giving us someone that taught us love, someone that taught us hope. we want to thank you because we know it was your dream too. we know that your heart is broken. i know you have some comfort from the letter from the president of the united states and nelson mandela but this was your child. this was your brother. this was your cousin. nothing will fill your heart's loss but i hope the love that people are showing will make you know he didn't live in vain. i want his three children to know. there wasn't nothing strange about your daddy. it was strange what your daddy had to deal with but he dealt

with it. [ applause ] he dealt with it anyway. he dealt with it nor us. some came today, mrs. jackson, to say good-bye to michael. i came to say thank you. thank you, because you never stopped. thank you because you never gave up. thank you because you never gave out. thank you because you tore down our divisions. thank you because you eradicated barriers. thank you because you gave us hope. thank you, michael, thank you, michael, thank you, michael.

[ applause ]

♪

♪ ♪ ♪ why, why, tell me that it's human nature ♪ ♪ why, why, why does she do me

that way ♪ ♪ ♪ why, why, tell her that's just human nature ♪ ♪ why, why, does she do me that way ♪ ♪ why, why, tell her that's just human nature ♪ ♪ does she do me that way

♪ ♪ [ applause ]

michael was one of a kind. thinking back to when we met and the many times that we spent together and whenever we were out together and there would be a picture taken, there would be a caption of some kind. the caption usually said something like, an odd couple or an unlikely pair but, to us, it was the most natural and easiest of friendships. i was 13 when we met. from that day on, our friendship

grew. michael always knew that he could count on me to support him or be his date and that we would have fun no matter where we were. we had a bond and maybe it was because we both understood what it was like to be in the spotlight from a very, very young age. i used to tease him and i would say, you know, i started when i was 11 months old. you are a slacker. you were what, five? both of us needed to be adults very early but when we were together, we were two little

kids having fun. we never collaborated together. we never performed together. or danced on the same stage. although, he did try in vain one night to unsuccessfully teach me the moonwalk. he basically just shook his head and crossed his arms at my attempt. we never filmed a video or recorded a song but what we did do was laugh. it was a competition to see who could make the other one laugh more or be sillier. michael loved to laugh and his heart would just burst out of him when he was laughing. he adored it when i did silly

imitations or told him stories about my life. m.j.'s laugh was the sweetest and purest laugh of anyone's i had ever known. his sense of humor was delightful and he was very mischievous. i remember the night before elizabeth taylor's wedding and he had called me prior and asked if i would join him. he didn't want to be alone for all the festivities. it was the night before the big day. michael and i tried to sneak in to get the first peek of the dress. we were just giggling like crazy and we almost passed out in his stairics when we realized that elizabeth was actually asleep in the bed. we thought she was in an entirely different room.

we had to laugh and sneak out. then, at the point of the wedding when there was the first dance, basically, we had to joke that we were the mother and father of the bride. yes, it may have seemed very odd to be outside but we made it fun and we made it real. when he started wearing the glove, i was like, what's up with the glove? i'm like, look, if you are going to hold my hand, it better be the nongloved one because see gwens really hurt me. he used to shake his head and he would just smile. he loved to be teased. seeing him smile made you feel like everything was going to be all right. to the outside world, michael was a genius with unchallenged ability.

to the people who were lucky enough to know him personally, he was caring and funny, honest, pure, nonjaded and he was a lover of life. he cared so deeply for his family. and his friends. and his fans. he was often referred to as the king but the michael that i knew always reminded me more of the little prince, thinking of him now, i would like to share a passage from the book. what moves me so deeply about this sleeping prince is his loyalty to a flower. the image of a rose shining

within him like the flame within a lamp, even when he is asleep. and i realized he was even more fragile than i had thought. lamps must be protected. a gust of wind can blow them out. michael's sensitivity was even more extraordinary than his talent and his true truth resided in his heart. as the little prince also said, eyes are blind. you have to look with the heart. what's most important is invisible. michael saw everything with his heart. to his family, his brothers and sisters, katherine, joe, and to his children, prince, paris, blanket, my prayers are with

you. michael's favorite song was not one of the countless masterpieces that he gave us but it was a song that charlie chaplain wrote for the movie "modern times." it's called "smile." there is a line in the song called, smile, though your heart is aching. today, though our hearts are breaking, we need to look up where he is undoubtedly perched in a crescent moon and we need to smile.

♪

♪ smile tho' your heart is aching ♪ ♪ smik even tho' it's breaking ♪ when there are clouds in the sky you'll get by ♪ ♪ if you smile with your fear and sorrow ♪ ♪ smile and maybe tomorrow, you'll find that life is filled with lots if you'll just ♪

♪ light up your face with gladness ♪ ♪ hide every trace of sadness ♪ all through the years to be ever so another ♪ ♪ that's the time you must keep on trying ♪ ♪ smile, what's the use in crying ♪ ♪ you'll find that life is still worthwhile ♪ ♪ if you just smile, tho' your heart is aching ♪ ♪ smile even tho' it's breaking ♪ ♪ when they're are clouds in the

sky, you'll get by ♪ ♪ if you'll smile through your fear and sorrow ♪ ♪ smile and maybe tomorrow ♪ you'll find that life is still worthwhile if you'll just smile, la, da, da ♪ ♪ ♪ that's the time you must keep

on trying ♪ ♪ smile, what's the use of crying ♪ ♪ you'll find that life is worthwhile if you'll just smile ♪ >> i love you, michael.

first, i must say to mrs. katherine jackson, mr. joseph jackson, the children of michael jackson, to michael jackson's brothers and sisters and the entire jackson family, our prayers and condolences are constantly with you. my father once said that in life, one must discover what their calling is.

and when they do, they must do their jobs so well that the living or the dead or the unborn could do them no better. he constantly challenged us to become our best by stating that if you cannot be a pine on the top of the hill, just be the best little shrub on the side of the road. if you cannot be the highway, be a trail. if you cannot be the sun, be a star. for it isn't by size that you win or you fail. you have to be the best of what you are. michael jackson was truly the best of what he was. [ applause ] >> finally, martin luther king jr. said that in life, if it falls ever your lot to be a

street sweeper, you must sweep streets so well. in fact, you must sweep streets like beethoven composed music. sweep streets, he says, like shakespeare wrote portraits. sweep streets like raphael painted pictures. sweep streets so well that all the host of heaven and would have to say, here lived the great street sweeper that did his job well. on john 25th, because he was the best, i believe heaven and earth did pause, indeed, to say of michael joseph jackson, here lived a great entertainer who did his job well. [ applause ] >> to the jackson family, being a part of a world renown family

who has also experienced a sudden death on who are than one occasion, my prayer is that no one and nothing, public or private, fact or fiction, true or rumored, will separate you from the love of god, which is in christ jesus! ult ultimately, at the end of td day, it is only god's love that will anchor you, sustain you and move you to a higher ground far above the noise of life. there, you will find the peace, comfort, and joy to move forward to advance michael's legacy. for all of us, it is apparent that like our father and mother, martin and coretta king, michael's life and work was inspired by the love of god.

throughout the ages, few are chosen from amongst us to use their gifts and talents to demonstrate god's love in an effort to bring the world together in true sister and brotherhood. michael's was such a one. he ep pit tomized the words of our father that an individual hasn't started living until he can rise above the narrow confines of his individual is stick concerns to the broader concerns of humanity. michael was always concerned about others with humanity. i want the world to know that despite being embroiled in accusations and persecutions, as a humanitarian, he thought it not robbery to concern himself with one of this world's other

greatest humanitarians, our mother during her illness, just three months before her death. in october, 2005, i was with mom when michael called her all the way from the middle east. although she couldn't speak because of a debilitating stroke, she listened as he said to her that he had been praying on his knees every day for her. that to him she was america's true royalty and he wanted her to know that if music was being played in her room, because of its healing effect. my only wish is that he could have seen the glow on her face. if faces could smile, as we know they do, that day, michael jackson, made our mother's face smile in spite of her condition. what an unforgettable moment.

[ applause ] he was such a thoughtful and self-less man, full of the unconditional love of god and good works that touched and changed lives. he was, indeed, a shining light. like our father, martin, and in remembrance of michael, may we all be inspired to go and let our lights shine! rest in peace, our brother, michael.

i'm congresswoman sheila jackson lee and i hail from houston, texas but i come to you on behalf of the many members of the united states house of representatives. i come to you on behalf of the congressional black caucus, chair woman, barbara lee, a californiaian. come to you as every man and every woman. for i cannot write music or dance or sing but i do know an american story. to mr. and mrs. jackson and this wonderful family of brothers and sisters and cousins,