12:21 | Lima, Jul. 07 (ANDINA).
Celebrities and fans have just started paying tribute to Michael Jackson at Staples Center in Los Angeles.
the King of Pop's body arrived at Staples Center on Tuesday, his hearse part of a motorcade that smoothly whisked his golden casket 10 miles across closed freeways from a private service at a Hollywood Hills cemetery to his public memorial and awaiting fans.
Police estimate more than 250,000 people will cram onto the sidewalks outside the arena to pay their final respects to the "Thriller" singer and one-time member of Motown legends the Jackson 5, who was 50 years old when he died.
The memorial is being televised live on all major networks and in 85 theaters across the U.S. Yahoo! News has reporters on the scene as well.
Some of the biggest names in pop music are taking part in the memorial service, including Stevie Wonder, Smokey Robinson, Mariah Carey, Usher, Lionel Richie, Jennifer Hudson and John Mayer. Civil rights leader Al Sharpton and Martin Luther King III, and basketball stars Magic Johnson and Kobe Bryant are also expected to attend.
The hearse pulled into Staples Center complex and drove into an underground structure as fans began to file into the venue for the start of the service.
The traffic snarls and logistical nightmares that had been feared by police and city officials had not materialized. The thousands of fans with tickets began filing in early and encountered few problems.
Earlier in the morning, Jackson's family members and dozens of friends, led by his parents, Joe and Katherine, were seen entering a building at the cemetery. News reports estimated as many as 20 helicopters circled overhead.
Jackson's gold-plated casket, draped in crimson flowers, was placed in a the hearse by pallbearers in dark suits and gold neckties. Fans with a ticket wore gold wristbands and picked up a gold program guide on their way in.
Police blocked off perimeter roads and warned those without tickets to stay away because they would not be able to get near the downtown venue.
Inside the Staples Center, a stage was bathed in blue light and a spray of yellow and orange flowers was placed in front of a podium. The backdrop featured a photo of a smiling Jackson looking up toward the sky and the words: "In loving memory of Michael Jackson King of Pop. 1958-2009."
Outside the arena, video billboards showed a montage of pictures from Jackson's life, including those of the singer as a child, with celebrities such as Luciano Pavarotti and Marcel Marceau, and with members of his family.
Some fans were allowed past street barriers into the immediate area around the Staples Center early Tuesday. Dozens of street vendors sold T-shirts, photos, buttons and other Jackson memorabilia.
More than 1.6 million people registered for the lottery for free tickets to Jackson's memorial. A total of 8,750 were chosen to receive two tickets each.
Los Angeles was the epicenter of Jackson-mania, but the outpouring of emotion was worldwide. Belgium's two national public broadcasters planned to broadcast the memorial live, and several hundred Jackson fans gathered at a Hong Kong mall late Tuesday.
Holding white candles, Hong Kong singer William Chan and Taiwanese pop star Judy Chou led the audience in observing a 30-second silence. Many of the fans clutched red roses and wore black; some donned Jackson's trademark fedora hats.
In America, about 50 movie theaters across the country, from Los Angeles to Topeka, Kan., and Washington, D.C., planned to show the memorial live, for free. Jackson died at age 50 on June 25.
The city of Los Angeles set up a Web site Tuesday to allow fans to help the city pay for his Staples Center memorial service. Mayor's office spokesman Matt Szabo estimates the service will cost $1.5 million to $4 million.
The Web page reads: "Help the City of Angels provide the extraordinary public safety resources required to give Michael the safe, orderly and respectful memorial he deserves."
It was not known what will happen to Jackson's body. The Forest Lawn Memorial Park Hollywood Hills cemetery is the final resting place for such stars as Bette Davis, Andy Gibb, Freddie Prinze, Liberace and recently deceased David Carradine and Ed McMahon.
(END) INT/LVT
Publicado: 7/7/2009