Michael Jackson fans around the world marked the first anniversary of his death on Friday, with events from candlelight vigils to slumber parties planned. Jackson, 50, died from a drug overdose at a rented Los Angeles mansion on June 25 last year, a seismic celebrity death that triggered a global outpouring of tributes for the eccentric genius known as “The King of Pop.”
Jermaine and Janet Jackson joined the singer’s other siblings to mourn their loss at the picturesque Forest Lawn Memorial Park, a star-studded cemetery where the singer’s golden casket was entombed last September in a neo-classical mausoleum.
More than 5,000 fans marched from dawn to present their idol with flowers and mementos.
PHOTO: AFP
Family matriarch Katherine Jackson, 80, unveiled a 2.5m granite monument to her famous son in the front-yard of the modest home where she raised her nine children in Gary, Indiana.
“I want to say thanks to his fans from all over the world for their love and support,” she told a crowd of about a thousand excited fans who traveled to the white frame house to pay respects to their favorite entertainer.
“This last year has been a very hard time for us, for the whole family. If it wasn’t [for] you fans, we could not have made it through,” she said.
The two-bedroom, one-story home has become a magnet for tourists from all over the world since Jackson’s death. Gary police cruised the streets and private security popped in and out of the house.
“This is where he was born,” said Eileen Garbutt, 44, who flew in from London on Thursday for the anniversary.
“Without this place we wouldn’t have Michael Jackson,” she said.
In Tokyo, flowers began piling up where 50 diehard fans paid more than US$1,000 each to attend a sleepover inside an exhibition space showcasing some of the singer’s belongings.
The participants were chosen from some 10,000 applicants who wanted to spend the night in the Neverland Collection at Tokyo Tower, surrounded by artifacts, including Jackson’s music awards, Rolls Royce and crystal-studded gloves.
In Germany, candlelight vigils with music, balloons, posters and Jackson imitators were planned in numerous cities, including Berlin, Hamburg and Munich.
Long Beach college student Dominique Richardson woke up at 2:00am to get to the Forest Lawn cemetery at daybreak.
“It’s Michael Jackson,” she told KTLA local television. “Michael Jackson has inspired a lot of people and it’s like the closest we’re ever going to get to Michael so why not come and pay your respects?”
Jackson family members were expected to attend a tribute event — “Forever Michael” — at a Beverly Hills hotel yesterday, with tickets priced at between US$150 and US$500 dollars.
Legal wrangling over the tragic death flared anew after patriarch Joe Jackson filed a wrongful death lawsuit against his son’s doctor Conrad Murray, the last person to see the singer alive.
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