What a sad ending -

He had a very sad life. strange and sad.

My daughter had his book, and I read some of it, several years ago. I always thought Michael was very misunderstood. He made some, not great choices, but he never lived a normal life.
I am puzzled about his wish for his mother to raise his children though.
She was not able to keep Michael's father from being abusive to their children, so I am not sure, why Michael wanted this.
I think of Michael, David Cassidy and Donny Osmond as part of my teen years. I was very saddened by all three deaths, that occurred recently, but Michael's was very sudden and unexpected. Too bad, it didn't at least happen, after his tour. Maybe he would have found some happiness.

He was such a cute little boy when he first started. I guess he never had a normal childhood and seemed to have so many problems as he grew older. I felt sorry for him. So sad.

Yes, he had a very sad life and was taken advantage of by many people. I too think its odd that he would want his mother to care for his children. I just heard that their bio mother is going to try for custody, after having no contact w/them for years, these kids will have a tough time too. Very sad.
Donald Trump just said some very nice things about Michael, he knew him well.

I am having a problem with people that are picking up their tickets to the memorial and screaming like they are going to a rock concert!!!
It is a memorial service, for jimminey crickets!!!
Show some quiet and some respect...
K

I remember the Jackson 5 in the late 60's and they were so talented. When I saw the films of Michael in the later years I didn't realize how talented and genius-like he really was. I was so shocked by his death it was like when Elvis died. Or Princess Diana you just don't expect these people to die so abruptly. I just hope Michael has found peace.

hubby told me last night, that Michael's manager, or someone, came up with an idea to have a drawing for 18,000 tickets, so some fans, could attend a service for him.
Lots of ppl, went to ebay to sell these tickets!
Is that not one of the most base of human behaviors? greed.
It's too bad, that with all the shows and things on tv, highlighting Michael's celebrity/entertainer - genius...where were ppl, when he was accused?
For me, it all started, when he agreed to an interview with Oprah.
PPl had never heard him speak before, and he was stigmatized, profiled, after that.
He was acquitted, but never the same.
Now he has to be dead, like all the big stars, to become immortally loved and adored.

Sad but not unexpected. His lifestyle was out of control like Anna Nicole Smith's.

His funeral is on CBS today, if any of you want to watch.

I watched Michael's memorial service. There were the usual stars and high profile ppl, that are always in attendance when someone of Michael's entertainment stature dies.
The two most touching speakers, overall, for me, were Brooke Shields, and Michael's eleven year old daughter.
Brooke talked of a Michael we never saw publicly. They were best friends. She met him, when she was thirteen. They shared many happy times together, many laughs, and a wonderful friendship.
His daughter, spoke of her daddy. It doesn't matter if Michael was her father biologically, he was her father, in both of their hearts.
He was a great entertainer, but even more, he left his legacy of love.

Hear hear. It was lovely to hear his daughter speak, but heartbreaking at the same time. I loved Stevie Wonder's song, that was the real tear jerker fo me

I had to work in downtown L.A. this morning, and I was dreading the drive! Traffic was a little heavier than usual, but I left early and got there in plenty of time. I was over near City Hall, about 3 or 4 miles away from the Staples Center, so I didn't even meet up with any closed off-ramps. The only evidence we saw that something was going on was lots of helicopters in the sky. I finished my job and was on my way home by noon, before the service ended, so I had no problems with traffic.

What I'd like to know is why the heck is the City of L.A. paying for this when they're forcing their employees to take furlough days???? Seems to me that if the family wanted to do something like this service, they certainly had the financial means to do it. Frankly, I think it's just more evidence of how we bow and scrape to "the stars" here. Same deal with the Lakers' parade--why do we need to pay for a parade for a bunch of already-rich men?

My own feeling is that funerals are private affairs. But I guess that's the way he lived his life, so maybe it's fitting that that's the way he leaves it. Hope he finally finds some peace.

they managed to put together quite a production in just a few days

Yes Harmony, I agree w/you about the family paying for all the security for this, it was a very nice tribute to him. But Calif is in a bad financial way and I don't think we should have to pay for extra law enforcement for this event.

Thank you!!!

I agree with you, Harmony. It's not like they (the family) don't have the means to foot the bill. It shouldn't be up to the city to pay for the extra security for an event THEY wanted. Same thing for the Laker's parade. Why are the residents of LA and the state having to pay for security for things like these when the state is issuing IOUs because they're out of money. Messed up priorities.... :( I agree that Michael was a genious entertainer, and see why the family wanted a huge send-off...but it shouldn't be at the expense of the people who DON'T have estates worth bazillions of dollars.