A year after Michael Jackson’s death caused a worldwide outpouring of shock, tears and tributes, the anniversary of his passing was being marked Friday on a quieter scale, as fans remembered their fallen King of Pop with vigils, prayer and, of course, music.
Some radio stations woke up listeners to Jackson’s music; on U.S. television, all the major networks devoted a portion of their morning news programs to Jackson and more coverage was expected during prime-time hours. Events were planned across the globe, from Tokyo to New York.
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Remembrances began even before the official anniversary. On Thursday night, Julia Thomas clutched her “Thriller” liner notes and stood outside the Forest Lawn cemetery in Glendale, Calif., Jackson’s final resting place, with about two dozen fans.
“Michael has just always been a part of my life,” said the 40-year-old Thomas, who has a tattoo of Jackson’s dancing feet on her left wrist. “I’m just hoping to embrace the fans from everywhere.”
Forest Lawn was to be just one of the many places where Jackson’s fans would gather to remember their hero, who died on June 25, 2009, at age 50 as he was preparing for a series of comeback concerts in London. Dr. Conrad Murray is charged with involuntary manslaughter in Jackson’s death for administering the powerful anesthetic propofol to Jackson to help the pop star sleep.
Barricades were set up early at the Los Angeles-area cemetery for the throng of fans and Jackson family members expected to arrive later today. Five large wreaths of flowers and dozens of bouquets, drawings and photos of Jackson had been placed outside his private mausoleum.
Evdokia Sofianou, 46, and her 9-year-old daughter, Rebecca, traveled from Athens, Greece, to pay their respects.
“I came because I love Michael very much,” Sofianou said Thursday night. “I came to grieve.”
Today in Japan, hundreds of fans met at Tokyo Tower to honor Jackson with a candlelight vigil, a gospel concert and more. Some got a chance to see a collection of his possessions, including costumes from his tours and even a 1967 Rolls-Royce Phantom that he used to drive around Los Angeles.
“I don’t know what to say. Seeing all his things makes it all come back to me,” said Yumiko Sasaki, a 48-year-old Tokyo officer worker who has been a Jackson fan since she was 12. “It makes me so sad to think that he is gone. He was wonderful.”
About 50 guests paid $1,100 each to sleep overnight at the Tokyo landmark, where they had catered food, watched a gospel choir, looked at Jackson memorabilia and danced to Michael Jackson’s music before observing a period of silence as the sun rose.
But not every event was to be somber. This evening, DJ Jon Quick was to spin Jackson tunes at the club Taj in Manhattan for a festive affair.
“They want to celebrate his life and music,” Quick said of the expected partygoers. “His albums are like timelines in your life. You can remember what you were doing … when ‘Thriller’ came out.”
In Gary, Ind., Jackson’s hometown, there was to be a tribute at the family home; city officials said they expected Jackson’s mother, Katherine Jackson, and his niece, Genevieve Jackson, to show up, along with thousands of others.
His brother Randy Jackson was hoping to make the official family commemoration at Forest Lawn this morning.
“My family and I will be in attendance as we mourn the loss of my brother,” he said in a statement Thursday. Katherine Jackson has also thrown her support behind a “Forever Michael” fan event to be held Saturday at the Beverly Hilton hotel in Los Angeles. Tickets range from $150 to $500.
The Apollo Theater in Harlem, where a young Michael Jackson and his brothers won amateur night, was to host a commemoration of Jackson’s life in front of a recently installed plaque honoring the King of Pop in the theater’s new hall of fame.
And later in the afternoon in Harlem, around the hour of Jackson’s death, the Rev. Al Sharpton and his National Action Network were to hold a moment of silence.
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AP Entertainment Writer Anthony McCartney in Los Angeles and Associated Press Writer Eric Talmadge in Tokyo contributed to this report.
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