Michael Jackson's Memorial Service

The legendary Smokey Robinson began the memorial service for Michael Jackson which no one can ever forget. Robinson read messages to the family from the likes of Diana Ross who was unable to attend but vowed to help raise Jackson's children. Diana said to Michael Jackson in a message that Smokey Robinson read:

"I am trying to find closure, I want you to know that even though I am not there at the Staples Center. I am there in my heart. I have 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 in a 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."

Nelson Mandela's message was also read by Smokey Robinson:

"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 condolences during this time of mourning. Be strong, Nelson Mandela."

After Robinson exited the stage, the arena lights dimmed as the packed arena gave Jackson a moment of silence.

"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 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."

Queen Latifah, was the next speaker. She said of Jackson, "Michael was the biggest star on earth" and told of how she grew up listening to Jackson's music and trying to imitate his moves. Latifah read a poem written by Maya Angelou for Michael Jackson entitled "We Had Him". Angelou writes in the poem that "despite the anguish of life, he was sheathed in Mother Love", and to all who witnessed the memorial, it was clear that Jackson was in fact loved.

Berry Gordy, founder of Motown Records:

"The Motown 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, Katherine, his beautiful children, his sisters and brothers and his nieces and nephews."

"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 song called Who's Lovin' You. He sang it with the sadness and passion of a man who'd been living the blues and heartbreak his whole life. And as great as Smokey sang it, I thought Michael was better. I went to Smokey and said hey man I think he got you on that one."

"Michael loved creating what have never been done before. He loved everything and everybody especially his fans. I must say though that he did have two personalities. Offs stage he was shy, soft spoken and childlike, but when he took the stage in front of his screaming fans he turned into another person. A master, a take no prisoner show man. It was like kill or be killed. I mean Michael was awesome, totally in charge. In fact the more I think about Michael Jackson, the more I think The King of Pop is not big enough for him."

NBA Legends Kobe Bryant and Magic Johnson took the stage, Kobey Bryant talked about Michael Jackson's humanitarian work and Magic Johnson who was in the unforgettable music video "Remember the Time" talked about his experience with the King of Pop.

Johnson remembered his first meeting with the superstar, who with his brother Marlon, was a season ticket holder for the Los Angeles Lakers. After receiving a phonecall from Jackson he visited Neverland to discuss appearing in the video. On arrival Jackson's personal chef asked what he wanted to eat, and he recalled asking for grilled chicken.

"The chef brought me out the grilled chicken, but he brought Michael a bucket of Kentucky Fried Chicken." he said, to laughter from the crowd. Then they shared the Kentucky Fried Chicken, said Johnson.

One of the highlights of the Michael Jackson Memorial is an amazing speech given by the Reverend Al Sharpton. Here's the transcript of Sharpton's speech presented by Seattlemedium.com:

"All over the world today people are gathered in love viduals to celebrate the life of a man that taught the world how to love.

People may be wondering why there's 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 this kind of dream 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 the 1970 Black Expo, Chicago, Illinois. Rev. Jesse Jackson, who stood by this family till now, and 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 accept 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 long before Live Aid.

Because Michael Jackson kept going, he created a comfort level where people that felt they were separate became interconnected with his music. And it was that comfort level that kids from Japan and Ghana and France and Iowa and Pennsylvania got comfortable enough with each other until 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, comfortable fans of Michael to being 40 years old and being comfortable to vote for a person 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 mess. But millions around the world, we're going to uphold his message. It's not about mess, but it's about his love message. As you climb up steep mountains, sometimes you scar your knee; sometimes you break your skin. But don't focus on the scars, focus on the journey. Michael beat 'em, Michael rose to the top. He out-sang his cynics, he out-danced his doubters; he out-performed 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.

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 who 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 brother. This was your cousin. Nothing will fill your hearts' lost. 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: Wasn't nothing strange about your Daddy. It was strange what your Daddy had to deal with. But he dealt with it... He dealt with it anyway. He dealt with it for us.

So, some came today, Mrs. Jackson, to say goodbye 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!"

Brooke Shields made a very touching speech, and told about when she and Michael would always laugh and have fun together when they hung out.

"Michael always knew he could count on me to support him or be his date. ... 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 ... Both of us needed to be adults very early, but when we were together, we were two little kids having fun. ... Michael's laugh was the sweetest and purest of anyone I've known." she said.

"Michael's favorite song was 'Smile' a song that Charlie Chaplin wrote for the movie Modern Times. There is a line in this song that says: 'Smile, though your heart is aking'. Today, although our hearts are aking, we need to look up where he is undoubtedly perched in a crescent moon and we need to smile."

Martin Luther King III with his sister Bernice by his side.

Martin Luther King III: "If you cannot be the highway just be a trail. If you cannot be the sun, just be a star. For it isn't by size that you win or you fail, you got to be the best at what you are. Michael Jackson was truly the best of what he was."

Bernice King: "Michael was always concerned with others with humanity. And 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..."

Sheila Jackson Lee, a congresswoman from Texas takes to the stage to emphasize 'that people are innocent until proven guilty'! She also calls Michael Jackson a 'Good Samaritan', he never stopped giving. She also calls him as an American legend, a music icon and a world humanitarian.
She talking about Michael Jackson's leadership in the fight against AIDS and his devotion to people in need.

Smokey Robinson admiring Michael Jackson's maturity in his age 10 performance of 'Who's Lovin You.'

"I did not believe that someone that young could have that much feeling and soul and knowing. Knowing, he had a lot of knowing. He had to know something to sing that song like that. It was wonderful thought. As a song writer man that's a dream come true to have somebody sing one of your songs like that. I never thought I would be here on today. This is my little brother over there. And you just don't think you're going to see or you'll live to see him gone. But he will never really be gone. He is going to live forever and ever and ever and ever. He has made an enormous impact on all of our lives all over the world."

"I'm glad that I lived in this era. I believe so much in God. I believe so much that this is not it. We have life after this is done. So my brother is in a place now where he is most certainly going to live forever in the year after. So he's going to live forever twice because he's going to live forever right here because the world will never ever forget Michael Jackson. I love you my brother. I celebrate your life. I am proud that I had a chance to know you. God bless you."

Kenny Ortega speaking about the "This Is It!" tour - it would have been his "triumphant return". Ortega also said it was fitting for the memorial to take place at the Staples Center, as it was the venue that housed the "This Is It!" rehearsals.

Jermaine and Marlon represent the family in sharing their emotions and anecdotes, even in his disguises, Michael Jackson was recognized by his shoes.

"Michael, when you left us, a part of me went with you. ... I will treasure the good times, singing, dancing, laughing. ... We will never understand what he endured ... being judged, ridiculed. How much pain can one take? Maybe, now, Michael, they will leave you alone..." brother Marlon said as he fought back tears.