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July 7, 2009
Michael Jackson's memorial
LOS ANGELES (AP) -- It was not spectacular, extravagant or bizarre. There were songs and tears but little dancing. Instead, Michael Jackson's memorial was a somber, spiritual ceremony that reached back for the essence of the man. Singer, dancer, superstar, humanitarian: That was how the some 20,000 people gathered inside the Staples Center arena on Monday, and untold millions watching around the world, remembered Jackson, whose immense talents almost drowned beneath the spectacle of his life and fame. If there was a shocking moment, it came in the form of Jackson's daughter, Paris Michael Katherine Jackson, who made the first public statement of her 11 years. "Ever since I was born, Daddy has been the best father you could ever imagine," she said, dissolving into tears and turning to lean on her aunt Janet. "And I just wanted to say I love him -- so much."(20 images)

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Family and friends sing "We are the World" during Michael Jackson memorial service at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California, Tuesday, July 7. Los Angeles Times / Wally Skalij


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A fan wearing a white glove takes a photograph of a Michael Jackson billboard outside the Staples Center on Tuesday, July 7, in Los Angeles. AP / Jae C. Hong



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Kim Ashley, center, plays with her son Cory Ashley's hair during an outdoor viewing of the Michael Jackson memorial service in the Harlem neighborhood of New York, Tuesday, July 7. AP / Seth Wenig



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Michael Jackson fans react as they watch his memorial broadcast live from Los Angeles on a TV screen outside the O2 arena in southeast London, Tuesday, July 7, where he was scheduled to play 50 shows from July 2009. AP / Lefteris Pitarakis



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Candice Hurd-Beltran, left and front, Nicole Calhoun, center, and Jasmine Mejilla, right, all from Los Angeles react as they attend the viewing of the Michael Jackson Memorial telecast at the First African Methodist Episcopal Church of Los Angeles on Tuesday, July 7, in Los Angeles. AP / Carolyn Kaster



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Leslie Young, 43, left, and Mari Quates, 50, wave and yell from the 5th Street overpass as the Michael Jackson funeral procession drives down an empty 110 freeway in Los Angeles, Tuesday, July 7. The women came from their local offices to get a glimpse of the family as the cars head towards Staples Center for a memorial service for Michael Jackson. AP / Stephanie Mullen



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A hearse carrying the body of Michael Jackson arrives at Staples Center for a memorial service for the pop star Tuesday, July 7, in Los Angeles. AP / Marcio Sanchez



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Michael Jackson's casket is brought out during the Jackson public memorial service held at Staples Center on Thursday, July 7, in Los Angeles. AP / Kevork Djansezian



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The rose covered coffin holding the remains of Michael Jackson rests in the front of stage during Jackson's memorial service at the Staples Center, Tuesday, July 7, in Los Angeles. AP / Wally Skalij



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The rose covered coffin holding the remains of Michael Jackson rests in the front of stage during Jackson's memorial service at the Staples Center, Tuesday, July 7, in Los Angeles. AP / Wally Skalij



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Andrae Crouch Singers open the memorial service for Michael Jackson at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, Tuesday, July 7. AP / Mark J. Terrill



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Stevie Wonder performs during the memorial service for Michael Jackson at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, Tuesday, July 7. AP / Monica Almeida



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Singer Lionel Richie performs at the Michael Jackson public memorial service held at Staples Center on Tuesday, July 7, in Los Angeles. AP / Kevork Djansezian



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Singer Usher performs during the memorial service for Michael Jackson at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, Tuesday, July 7. AP / Mark J. Terrill



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Jermaine Jackson tosses the rose from his lapel while performing at the memorial service for the late pop star Michael Jackson in Los Angeles on Tuesday, July 7. AP / Mario Anzuoni



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Singer Janet Jackson, left, Paris Katherine Jackson, Prince Michael Jackson II, and LaToya Jackson are seen on stage during the memorial service for Michael Jackson at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, Tuesday, July 7. AP / Mark J. Terrill



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Michael Jackson's daughter Paris-Michael Katherine is surrounded by family members as she speaks at the memorial for her father at the Staples Center on Tuesday, July 7, in Los Angeles. AP / Mario Anzuoni



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Family members and friends hug at the end of the memorial service for Michael Jackson at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, Tuesday, July 7. AP / Monica Almeida



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Pallbearers prepare to carry Michael Jackson's coffin during the Michael Jackson public memorial service held at Staples Center on July 7, in Los Angeles, California. Jackson, the iconic pop star, died at the age of 50 at UCLA Medical Center after going into cardiac arrest at his rented home on June 25 in Los Angeles. Getty Images / Wally Skalij



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A close-up of a poster signed by well wishers at the Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History in Detroit, Tuesday, July 7. A broadcast of Jackson's memorial service was seen at the museum. AP / Carlos Osorio



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