Michael Jackson fans remember him in Japan

Thousands of fans are saying goodbye to Michael Jackson at his star-studded memorial service in LA. The star's gold casket, decorated with red flowers, was taken to the ceremony at the Staples Center sports arena following a private funeral service for his family and friends at the Forest Lawn Memorial Park in the Hollywood Hills. Britain's Got Talent finalist Shaheen Jafargholi will feature alongside worldwide music icons Lionel Richie, Mariah Carey and Stevie Wonder. Basketball legend Magic Johnson, singer Usher, King of Motown Smokey Robinson, actress Brooke Shields and singer Jennifer Hudson are also attending the service. Around 18,000 fans, who won tickets in a web lottery, crowded into Staples and a nearby overflow venue, the Nokia Theater, for the two-hour ceremony honouring Jackson, who died aged 50 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 Jackson's good friend Dame Elizabeth Taylor has dismissed the service as "public whoopla". Writing on Twitter, the Oscar-winning actress Dame Elizabeth wrote: "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. "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 memorial service comes as the courts untangle the future of Jackson's estate and police investigate the circumstances of his death.

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ITN | July 7, 2009

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