Several people gave eulogies and tributes at Michael Jackson's public memorial service in 2009, including Reverend Al Sharpton, Motown founder Berry Gordy, actress Brooke Shields, Motown legend Smokey Robinson, and Jackson's brothers, while his daughter Paris Jackson gave a poignant final tribute, with songs performed by Mariah Carey, Stevie Wonder, Lionel Richie, Jennifer Hudson, Usher, and Jermaine Jackson.
Berry Gordy, Brooke Shields, and Smokey Robinson gave eulogies, while Queen Latifah read "We Had Him", a poem written for the occasion by Maya Angelou. The Reverend Al Sharpton received a standing ovation when he told Jackson's children, "Wasn't nothing strange about your daddy.
Dame Elizabeth Taylor announced via her Twitter page Monday that though she's mourning Jackson's passing, she had no desire to participate in or attend his memorial. "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," she said.
Shields gave a tearful speech, referring to the many memories she and Jackson shared and briefly joked about his famous sequin glove. She also mentioned Jackson's favorite song "Smile" by Charlie Chaplin, which was later sung in the memorial service by Jermaine Jackson.
Tom Cruise apologized to Brooke Shields for disparaging 'rant,' memoir says. Remember that Tom Cruise "Today" show rant about Brooke Shields' use of antidepressants for postpartum depression? It turns out he did eventually apologize to her, Shields writes in her new memoir “Brooke Shields is Not Allowed to Get Old.”
Artists of that stature—they can do whatever they want.” He couldn't bear to attend Jackson's funeral, and has lately stopped going to funerals altogether. “Who needs them?” he says. Acutely aware of his own mortality, Jones thinks often of the advice Frank Sinatra gave him long ago.
After several hours and several drug injections, Jackson was still unable to fall asleep, and, according to Murray, was repeatedly asking him for "milk", a nickname for the powerful surgical general anesthetic propofol, which Jackson had used in the past as a sleep aid.
This is the last recorded performance of Michael Jackson rehearsing “Earth Song” just 12 hours before his untimely death. Captured on June 24th, 2009, the footage shows him on stage at the Staples Center, fully immersed in preparations for his This Is It tour.
There's a long-standing rumor that this signature whisper wasn't Michael's natural voice at all. Some speculate he adopted this softer, higher register to preserve his singing voice. Vocalists often recommend speaking softly to avoid straining their vocal cords, and a higher pitch can reduce tension.
+ Black: The universal color of mourning, black caskets symbolize loss, grief, and respect for the dead.
NEED TO KNOW
Diana Ross (Michael's childhood crush) was fourteen years older than Michael Jackson who was age ten at the time she first met him and his brothers performing for a charity show. Diana loved Michael and definitely he loved her. According to Michael, she was "his mother, lover, and friend".
Freddie Mercury refused to work with Michael Jackson after the King of Pop brought a pet llama into the studio.
Private & Public Funeral Services : Michael Jackson's family held a private open casket viewing, followed by a public memorial at the Staples Center on July 7, 2009. Cause of Death & Legal Outcome: Jackson died from acute propofol intoxication.
A look at the saddest and most emotional songs of Michael Jackson. Earth Song, The Lost Children, Gone Too Soon, You Are Not Alone and the beautiful poem Planet Earth!
Despite the whirlwind surrounding his life and career, Michael Jackson's last meal was unexpectedly modest: a spinach salad with grilled chicken. The King of Pop was in the midst of rehearsals for his highly anticipated comeback tour, This Is It.
The "hee hee" isn't his invention, he actually borrowed/took it from a Stewie Wonder song.
Propofol is an intravenous anesthetic used for procedural sedation, during monitored anesthesia care, or as an induction agent for general anesthesia. It may be administered as a bolus or an infusion, or some combination of the two.
“In a world filled with hate, we must still dare to hope. In a world filled with anger, we must still dare to comfort. In a world filled with despair, we must still dare to dream.
"Michael was very shy when it came to women, and he confided in me that he actually found it very difficult to do the sexual act," Lester said. And so, in a seeming non-sequitur, Jackson asked Lester for his sperm around the time Paris was conceived.
Rumor has it, that the collaboration fizzled not due to creative differences but because Shakur reportedly felt Jackson just wasn't bringing the same level of respect to the table. And, in classic Pac style, he wasn't about to back down, even if it meant losing the chance to work with the King of Pop.
Michael Jackson's death has devastated the entertainment industry, said Jocelyn Vena in MTV. Singer Diana Ross, Jackson's long-time friend and co-star in The Wiz, said, "I can't stop crying. This is too sudden and shocking.
Mick Jagger and Marianne Faithfull were travelling to Australia to begin the filming of Ned Kelly and stated that their contracts did not allow them to delay the trip to attend the funeral. When asked if he felt guilty about Jones's death, Mick Jagger told Rolling Stone in 1995: "No, I don't really.