Usher, Mariah Carey set for Michael Jackson memorial
Usher, Stevie Wonder, John Mayer, Mariah Carey and more stars have been confirmed to partake in Michael Jackson's memorial service tomorrow, July 7th, at Los Angeles' Staples Center. Jennifer Hudson, Smokey Robinson and Lionel Richie will also appear at the televised event, which will additionally feature actress Brooke Shields and Los Angeles Lakers stars Kobe Bryant and Magic Johnson. Johnson appeared in Jackson's "Remember the Time" video.
An official press release added that the lineup was preliminary and subject to change, opening the door for rumored participants like Justin Timberlake to be involved. The Jackson family wouldn't shed any light on who will be performing what songs at the memorial, but as Rock Daily reported earlier, TMZ claims Mariah Carey will perform the Jackson 5's "I'll Be There", a hit that Carey covered for her MTV Unplugged performance in 1992. The song was co-written by Berry Gordy, who will also appear onstage at the memorial.
Usher, Wonder, Carey and Mayer were among the dozens of artists who mourned the passing of Michael Jackson in the hours after the King of Pop's death. "A major strand of our cultural DNA has left us," Mayer said on his Twitter. "RIP MJ. I think we'll mourn his loss as well as the loss of ourselves as children listening to Thriller on the record player. I truly hope he is memorialized as the '83 moonwalking, MTV owning, mesmerizing, unstoppable, invincible Michael Jackson."
One person who will not be attending the memorial is Jackson's ex-wife Debbie Rowe, who said in a statement to TMZ through her lawyer, "The onslaught of media attention has made it clear her attendance would be an unnecessary distraction to an event that should focus exclusively on Michael's legacy. Debbie will continue to celebrate Michael's memory privately."
Here's the entire Michael Jackson memorial roster, as it stands now: Ron Boyd (family friend); Kobe Bryant; Mariah Carey; Andrae Crouch Choir; Berry Gordy; Jennifer Hudson; Shaheen Jafargholi (finalist on Britain's Got Talent); Magic Johnson; Martin Luther King III; Bernice A. King; John Mayer; Lionel Richie; Smokey Robinson; Rev. Al Sharpton; Brooke Shields; Pastor Lucious Smith (family friend); Usher; and Stevie Wonder. (Rolling Stone)
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