Michael Jackson Memorial Service at the Staples Center

The funeral of Michael Jackson on July 7, 2009, in Los Angeles, California, consisted of a private family service at Forest Lawn Memorial Park's Hall of Liberty in Hollywood Hills, followed by a public memorial at the Staples Center. After the public service, family members and close friends attended a Beverly Hills private gathering.

Jackson's closed, solid-bronze casket was taken to the Staples Center in a motorcade via the Golden State and Harbor freeways, arriving just before 10:00 a.m. local time, where it was placed just in front of the stage. The memorial began a few minutes after 10:30 a.m. with music and a eulogy from Pastor Lucious Smith. The stage was filled with floral arrangements, with photographs and film of Jackson and the Jackson 5 projected onto screens at the back.

The public memorial service was organized by Jackson's concert promoter, AEG Live, on behalf of the Jackson family. AEG, whose parent company owns the Staples Center, released 17,500 free tickets to the recipients who were chosen by an online lottery that attracted more than 1.2 million applicants in 24 hours. Police requests that non-ticket holders stay away were ignored by many; streets around the center were sealed off, and an extra 1,400 officers were on duty, at a cost of US$4 million to the city. The memorial was broadcast live around the world, including to 37 cinemas across America. The global audience was expected to exceed 300 million; CNN estimates that one billion people may have watched it worldwide.

After the official concert, members of his family (Jermaine Jackson and Marlon Jackson) gave small speeches and hugged together. To finish the concert, Michael Jackson's daughter, Paris Katherine Jackson tearfully said that she loved him and she said that he was "the best father you can imagine".

To close the service, Pastor Lucious Smith noted the "King of Pop" and the "King of Kings" calling everyone to live up to their potential in helping the world.