Key figures: Michael Jackson (deceased), Mariah Carey, Usher, Jennifer Hudson, Stevie Wonder, Queen Latifah, Al Sharpton, Paris Jackson, Jermaine Jackson, AEG Live
Summary
Michael Jackson’s public memorial service was held on July 7, 2009 at Los Angeles’s Staples Center, eleven days after his death on June 25. An estimated 1.6 million people applied for 17,500 available tickets through a public lottery administered by AEG Live — the same concert promoter that had been organizing Jackson’s planned 50-date “This Is It” comeback residency at London’s O2 Arena. The approximately 90-minute ceremony featured live musical performances and tributes; the service was broadcast globally and drew an estimated 2.5 billion television viewers, placing it among the most widely watched single events in television history. Jackson’s gold-plated casket was present throughout the service.
Background: Death and the Days Before the Memorial
Michael Jackson died on June 25, 2009, at the age of 50 at his rented Holmby Hills estate in Los Angeles. He was pronounced dead at Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center at 2:26 p.m. PT. The Los Angeles County coroner’s office determined that death resulted from acute propofol and benzodiazepine intoxication, administered by his personal physician, Dr. Conrad Murray, who had been treating Jackson for insomnia in the final weeks of tour rehearsals.
News of Jackson’s death spread globally within hours, briefly overwhelming Twitter and Wikipedia’s servers. In the twelve days between his death and the public memorial, Jackson’s family held a private funeral at Forest Lawn Memorial Park — Glenwood Hills, Glendale, on June 26 — and then a further private service on June 30. Plans for the Staples Center event were announced within 48 hours of his death; AEG Live coordinated logistics, and the City of Los Angeles budgeted approximately $1.4 million in public safety costs for crowd management.
The Service: Performances and Tributes
The memorial opened with a processional of Jackson’s family and the gold casket. The roughly 90-minute program included:
- Jermaine Jackson sang Charlie Chaplin’s “Smile,” Jackson’s stated favorite song.
- Mariah Carey and Trey Lorenz performed “I’ll Be There,” originally by The Jackson 5.
- Stevie Wonder sang “Never Dreamed You’d Leave in Summer” and dedicated his performance to the Jackson family.
- Jennifer Hudson performed “Will You Be There,” the Jackson song used in Free Willy (1993).
- Usher performed “Gone Too Soon,” Jackson’s 1993 tribute to Ryan White.
- Queen Latifah read a poem and spoke about Jackson’s humanitarian contributions, including his work with UNICEF and the 1985 charity recording “We Are the World.”
Speakers included comedian and friend Brooke Shields, who recalled Jackson’s warmth and humor; the Reverend Al Sharpton, whose statement “There was nothing strange about your daddy — it was strange what your daddy had to deal with” was widely quoted; and NBA star Kobe Bryant, who reflected on Jackson’s influence on his own drive for excellence. The service concluded with an appearance by Jackson’s children — Prince Michael I, Paris, and “Blanket” — his eleven-year-old daughter Paris becoming the first of the three to speak publicly: “Ever since I was born, Daddy has been the best father I could ever imagine.”
Media Coverage and Global Viewership
The memorial was broadcast live on CNN, BET, ABC, CBS, NBC, and major international networks. Nielsen reported that approximately 31.1 million Americans watched on television — making it the most-watched event in the United States since the September 11 attacks. Global estimates from broadcasters and streaming platforms placed the combined audience at between 2.5 billion and 3 billion viewers, though these figures include simultaneous online streams, which were difficult to audit precisely.
The memorial’s live stream on CNN’s website set a record for simultaneous online video streams at that time, briefly crashing the network’s servers. Twitter recorded 750 tweets per minute about the service during peak moments. Media critics noted that the level of coverage rivaled that accorded to heads of state.
Aftermath and Legal Proceedings
Dr. Conrad Murray was arrested and charged with involuntary manslaughter on February 8, 2010. His trial began on September 27, 2011; on November 7, 2011, the jury found him guilty after nine hours of deliberation. He served two years in the Los Angeles County jail (released in October 2013 after receiving credit for time served).
A documentary, Michael Jackson’s This Is It, comprising rehearsal footage for the cancelled London residency, was released on October 28, 2009 — just four months after his death — and earned $261 million at the worldwide box office. The film offered audiences a view of Jackson’s physical condition and artistic preparation in the final weeks of his life, and renewed debate about his health and the circumstances of his final year.
Jackson’s estate — valued at over $500 million in subsequent audits — became the subject of lengthy probate and IRS disputes. His music catalogue, including co-ownership of the Sony/ATV publishing library, remained one of the most valuable entertainment assets in the world through the 2010s.
Significance
The memorial service served as a global moment of mourning and cultural reflection on Jackson’s unprecedented influence on music, dance, and entertainment. His death had shocked the world, and the memorial became a space where millions could collectively process the loss of one of the most commercially successful and artistically innovative entertainers of the 20th century. The massive media coverage and attendance demonstrated Jackson’s enduring cultural resonance across generations and geographies.
The service also surfaced unresolved questions about his death, the circumstances of his final months, and his medical care — issues that shaped ongoing public discourse, criminal trials, and documentary projects in subsequent years. For the entertainment industry, the collapse of the “This Is It” tour and its aftermath prompted renewed scrutiny of the pressures placed on aging performers and the responsibilities of concert promoters and personal physicians.
Sources
- Wikipedia — Michael Jackson
- Wikipedia — Michael Jackson’s This Is It
- Wikipedia — Death of Michael Jackson
- Los Angeles Times — Memorial Coverage, July 7, 2009
- BBC News — Jackson Memorial Draws Billions
- Nielsen Media Research — TV Viewership Report, July 2009