Michael Jackson's coffin to take centre stage
- 00:00:31
- ITN
Michael Jackson's coffin to take centre stage
Michael Jackson's casket is being taken to downtown LA for a public memorial service following his private funeral in the Hollywood Hills. The star's gold casket, decorated with red flowers, is being driven from Forest Lawn Memorial Park to the Staples Center sports arena, where thousands of fans will say goodbye to their 50-year-old idol. However, Jackson's good friend Dame Elizabeth Taylor has dismissed the service - which will see Britain's Got Talent finalist Shaheen Jafargholi feature alongside worldwide music icons Lionel Richie, Mariah Carey and Stevie Wonder - as "public whoopla". Basketball legend Magic Johnson, singer Usher, King of Motown Smokey Robinson, actress Brooke Shields and singer Jennifer Hudson will also be present for the service. Some 18,000 fans, who won tickets in a web lottery, will crowd into Staples and a nearby, overflow venue, the Nokia Theater, for the two-hour ceremony honouring Jackson, who died on June 25 after suffering cardiac arrest at his mansion in the city. Security is tight with more than 250,000 people expected on the streets outside Staples - home to the LA Lakers basketball team - to pay their final respect to the Thriller singer and one-time member of Motown legends the Jackson 5. But Oscar-winning Dame Elizabeth dismissed the event, writing on Twitter: "I said I wouldn't go to the Staples Centre and I certainly don't want to become a part of it. I love him too much." She added: "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. And I cannot guarantee that I would be coherent to say a word." The anticipation among the selected fans comes as the courts untangle the future of Jackson's estate and police investigate the circumstances of his death. Assistant Police Chief Jim McDonnell said Jackson's family was planning a "private family function" at the Forest Lawn cemetery in the Hollywood Hills. The ceremony will not be shown on the arena's giant outdoor TV screen and there will be no funeral procession through the city.
ITN | July 7, 2009
